Five Bridges Foundation
It is the mission and purpose of Five Bridges Foundation to promote and improve the quality of life for the disadvantaged, underserved, and vulnerable residents of the San Francisco Bay Area through the funding of 501(c)(3) public charitable organizations having programs directed toward the achievement of long term, positive change in the communities they serve.
Background
Five Bridges Foundation began operations on October 1, 1998 when an existing nonprofit corporation was converted into a 501(c)(3) charitable corporation. The assets of the Foundation are irrevocably dedicated to charitable purposes.
Since the predecessor organization operated primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Foundation has determined that its giving will be confined to projects in one or more of five Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo.
Grantmaking Criteria
While the Foundation reserves the right to make exceptions, it has adopted the following criteria as a guide to making grants:
All grants will be awarded on a non-discriminatory basis.
Grants will be awarded only for programs in five Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo.
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.
Grants will be awarded only to organizations that have completed at least three years of activity.
Grants will not be awarded to organizations which themselves mainly distribute grants to other organizations.
Grants will not be awarded for essentially artistic or aesthetic programs.
Grants will not be awarded to support or sponsor events or activities such as receptions, banquets, displays, shows, or other similar programs.
Requests for grants by national or regional organizations are disfavored, but may be considered for programs operating within the five Bay Area counties.
Requests for grants to fund positions for which the source of future funding is not apparent will be disfavored.
Requests for grants for programs where the Foundation is the sole or principal source of funding will be disfavored.
Requests for grants for capital expenditures are generally disfavored but will be considered in special situations.
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Application Process
Grant applications are by invitation only.
Prior Grants
Prior grants may be viewed by selecting a specific fiscal year on the side menu. The Foundation is constantly reviewing its priorities and thus the list of prior grants should not be relied upon as being a definitive indication of the types of grantees or programs that the Foundation will or will not support, or of the size of grants the Foundation will make.