Home Grant Guidelines

Grant Guidelines

While the Foundation reserves the right to make exceptions, it has adopted the following criteria as a guide to making grants:

  1. All grants will be awarded on a non-discriminatory basis.
  2. Grants will be awarded only for programs in five Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo.
  3. Grants will be awarded only to 501(c)(3) qualified public charitable corporations that are described in Section 509(a)(1) or 509(a)(2) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.
  4. Grants will be awarded only to organizations that have completed at least three years of activity.
  5. Grants will be awarded for a single fiscal year (i.e., no multi-year grants).
  6. Grants may be awarded for a maximum of three successive years (requiring approved Preliminary Proposals and Applications for each grant year). Applicants may reapply to the Foundation after a one-year waiting period.
  7. Grants will not be awarded to organizations which themselves mainly distribute grants to other organizations.
  8. Grants will not be awarded for essentially artistic or aesthetic programs.
  9. Grants will not be awarded to support or sponsor events or activities such as receptions, banquets, displays, shows, or other similar programs.
  10. Requests for grants by national or regional organizations are disfavored, but may be considered for programs operating within the five Bay Area counties.
  11. Requests for grants to fund positions for which the source of future funding is not apparent will be disfavored.
  12. Requests for grants for programs where the Foundation is the sole or principal source of funding will be disfavored.
  13. Requests for grants for capital expenditures are generally disfavored but will be considered in special situations.