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Application Guidelines

A companion to the application form in Grantee Center

Eligibility: Is my organization eligible to apply?

Introduction

Founded in 1948, The San Francisco Foundation is the community foundation of the Bay Area. Through grantmaking and engaged partnerships, we work with nonprofit organizations, community residents, local government agencies, other foundations, and generous donors to improve the quality of life in the Bay Area.

Our mission is to mobilize resources and act as a catalyst for change to build strong communities, foster civic leadership, and promote philanthropy.

The San Francisco Foundation supports the Bay Area region through grants in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties. Our approach to grantmaking values the inherent strengths of local residents and their communities and looks for systemic solutions.

The Foundation serves communities traditionally excluded from positions of power and access to resources. We invest in the region’s anchor organizations as well as supporting and building on innovative new efforts.

Program Areas

The San Francisco Foundation welcomes unsolicited applications in five program areas twice a year. Applications are evaluated for alignment with the Foundation’s strategic goals and objectives listed below.

Arts and Culture Program

Goal -

Nurture creativity, support arts education, and broaden cultural participation in order to enrich, develop, and celebrate communities.

Objectives

1. Increase opportunities for access by all to participation in diverse cultural and artistic experiences.

2. Support arts programs that foster creativity, self-expression, cross-cultural exchange, and civic participation for children and young adults.

3. Support efforts to deepen, expand, and diversify audiences for artistic and cultural presentations.

4. Support the use of art and cultural participation in building communities.

5. Invest in the development and the presentation of diverse artistic practices reflective of the myriad communities in the region.

Community Development Program

The Foundation has just begun strategic planning and evaluation of our funding priorities. The Community Development program will continue to support organizations, projects, and policy/advocacy that help individuals and families with economic self-sufficiency and affordable housing.

Goal - Promote sustainable livelihoods and stable, affordable neighborhoods for individuals and families.

Objectives

1. Increase affordable housing opportunities for low- and extremely low-income households

Support the preservation, development and acquisition of quality affordable housing
Support advocacy and public policy work to increase affordable housing, especially for those who are homeless, and low-income households at risk of homelessness
Increase access to affordable housing including rental, subsidized and ownership housing through fair housing policy, tenant rights, voucher and assistance programs, and education activities
Support sustainable development and land use planning strategies that integrate affordable housing with transit, energy efficiency, healthy communities and community benefits agreements

2. Increase economic security through improved access to jobs, support of community economic development, and support for anti-poverty efforts.

Support job preparation, training, placement, and retention assistance especially in career positions and high-growth sectors including green jobs
Support efforts to increase wages and incomes and that maximize use of public benefits and programs that promote economic opportunity
Support public policy efforts to end poverty and help people reach economic self-sufficiency
Support financial planning, asset development, and financial services that are fair, accessible and effective for low-income people
Support microenterprise, social enterprise, and small business

3. Strengthen the safety net services within the context of affordable housing and economic security by supporting permanent or transitional housing, employment assistance, and other long-term solutions to homelessness.

Please note that if you are providing emergency shelter, supportive services, and crisis intervention programs that protect individuals and families against the adverse effects of poverty you should apply under the Community Health program. Please click here for more information.

Support safe and suitable permanent or transitional housing for the homeless.
Support services that stabilize families and individuals and help them maintain their housing to prevent homelessness.
Support advocacy, public policy work, and other efforts to prevent homelessness and strengthen the safety net of services for people in poverty.

Community Health Program

Goal - Improve the health of communities, particularly underserved populations, by expanding access to services, promoting prevention to reduce illness, and advancing health policy reform.

Objectives

1. Improve access to healthcare, services, and treatment for those who are low-income, uninsured, and/or underinsured.

2. Foster efforts to prevent poor health status, disease, and disability through investments in health promotion and health education.

3. Ensure access to the health services safety net.

4. Support local efforts designed to reduce and/or eliminate disparities in health status due to poverty, disproportionate exposure to environmental agents/hazards, and/or race.

5. Advance policy reform efforts that improve access to health services.

Education Program

Goal - Support families and communities to help children and youth succeed in school and provide opportunities for them to become confident, caring, and contributing adults.

Objectives

1. Increase the availability and effectiveness of child and youth development programs that reinforce success in school and success in life.

2. Increase the availability and effectiveness of programs that improve academic achievement and close achievement gaps.

3. Support systemic efforts to improve schools and school systems, especially those that improve conditions for learning.

4. Ensure the availability of quality early childhood education programs that promote school readiness.

5. Provide for parent education and family support so that families remain the best supporters of their children's success.

Environment Program

Goal - To promote environmentally sustainable practices and equitable development that guarantee livable communities and healthy environments.

Objectives

1. Conserve our natural resources and reduce the impacts of global warming by shifting our current consumption and production patterns toward environmentally sustainable practices.

2. Promote the elimination of toxins and pollutants and encourage precautionary policies to minimize impacts on the environment and on human health.

3. Support local and regional land use planning and development practices that promote environmental stability, beauty, and integrity.

Grantmaking

The San Francisco Foundation welcomes unsolicited grant proposals twice yearly in January and July.

What does the Foundation fund?

The San Francisco Foundation offers three main types of support:

Project Support: These grants are restricted to a specific piece of work that provides direct benefit to the organization’s constituents over a period of time to achieve measurable results. Project support grants may be used to pay for all costs directly related to the operation of the project. Project support grants cannot be used for general administration of the organization (also known as indirect costs).

Capacity Building Support: This type of support is generally awarded for activities that strengthen an organization, or a coalition of organizations, to better achieve its mission. Capacity building may include expansion of services, infrastructure improvement, organizational assessment, strategic planning, board/staff development, and so on. The grant is restricted to a particular activity, and the outcomes of the capacity building project must be conducted over a set period of time to achieve measurable results.

Core Operating Support: This type of support is also known as general support. An organization may use the funds in any way that supports its mission.

The Foundation generally does not fund:

• Projects outside the five Bay Area counties we serve (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo)

• Medical, academic, or scientific research

• Religious activities (although religious institutions may apply for nonsectarian activities)

• Direct assistance to individuals

• Conferences or one-time events

In some circumstances, the Foundation may support costs for:

• Planning and implementing capital campaigns

• Front-end funding necessary to undertake affordable housing and community development projects

• Modest-scale capital projects when presented in the context of a plan for meeting community needs

• Medical research that meets the terms of a restricted trust

• Projects initiated by individuals when supported by a capable fiscal sponsor

RFPs and Invited Proposals

The San Francisco Foundation has a variety of special projects and initiatives that may issue Requests for Proposals (RFPs) or invite proposals at different times of the year. These grantmaking efforts are narrowly tailored to promote change around a particular issue or geographic area. RFPs are released and publicized periodically through our website and through targeted communications. We encourage all interested organizations to visit our website periodically for RFP notices and also view the Grant Opportunities section of Grantee Center.

The Foundation occasionally invites off-cycle grant proposals from organizations with time-sensitive projects and whose programs are a close fit with our program areas’ strategic goals. If you have a time-sensitive request, please contact a Program Officer before submitting an Intent to Apply Form.

Eligibility: Is my organization eligible to apply?

Organizations that meet the criteria below are eligible to apply.

Valid tax exempt status: 501(c)(3), public entity, or fiscal sponsor

The Foundation only makes grants to organizations with 501(c)(3) tax status or to government entities. If your organization does not have tax exempt status, you must apply using a fiscal sponsor.

Geographic restriction

Projects must benefit residents in at least one of the five Bay Area counties we serve: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo. If an organization is based outside these five counties, the total number of constituents benefiting from service must be competitive with local organizations.

Restriction on concurrent and overlapping grants

Except in rare circumstances, the Foundation does not award multiple or overlapping grants to the same organization via the competitive grants process. We will accept only one application per organization per batch. Multiple organizations sharing a fiscal sponsor may apply concurrently.

If you have a current grant from one of the Foundation’s Program areas, this grant period must be finished and the final report received before you can receive any further funding from any TSFF Program area. The Foundation will accept an application from an organization with an open grant, provided that the scheduled start date for the new grant will be after the close of the current grant. Please click here to see grant start dates.

For the purpose of this policy, city or county departments or programs at a university are considered to be separate entities. In other words, we will accept an application from a city’s Department of Public Health concurrently with an application from a city’s Department of Public Works.

This policy does not apply to grants offered through special initiatives, mini-grant programs, or RFPs. There are rare exceptions to this policy. Please consult with Program staff before submitting an application for an overlapping grant.

Three-year time limit

The Foundation will not award more than three years of consecutive funding. A break of one year is required. Three years of consecutive funding is defined as:

• Three 12-month grants awarded in three consecutive TSFF fiscal years, regardless of grant start and end dates.

• A combination of a 12- and a 24-month grant awarded in three consecutive TSFF fiscal years, regardless of grant start and end dates.

• One 36-month grant.

Grants offered through special initiatives, mini-grant programs, or RFPs do not count toward the time limit.

Audit requirement

The Foundation requires that any applicant organization with an annual budget of $1,000,000 or greater must provide a recent (within two years) copy of audited financial statements.

Organizations with annual budgets less than $1,000,000 are required to provide the most recently filed IRS Form 990.

Waivers to this policy are occasionally granted for organizations undergoing rapid financial growth or who have received windfall gifts.

Audit requirement for Fiscal Sponsors

The San Francisco Foundation requires that all fiscal sponsors provide recent audited financials. If your project is fiscally sponsored, you must provide a copy of the fiscal sponsor’s audit. No waivers to this policy will be granted to sponsoring organizations.

Grants Process Overview

The Foundation now uses a one-step application procedure. We have two application deadlines per year. Following are the steps in the Foundation’s grant cycle.

1. Applications are submitted via Grantee Center at https://granteecenter.sff.org. The form must be completed by 11:59 p.m. PT on the date due; support will be available until 2:00 p.m. PT, on the deadline date. The Foundation is currently only accepting applications via Grantee Center. To view a copy of a blank application, please click here.

2. Once the application is submitted you will receive an email, acknowledging receipt of your organization’s application and you will be able to view your submitted application under Current Applications in Grantee Center.

3. Applications are evaluated by Program staff. Organizations are notified as to the status of the application approximately eight weeks after the deadline. If the Foundation is considering recommending a grant to your organization, you will receive a letter stating that your application is still under review. If the Foundation is unable to fund your project you will receive a decline notification. Please note that due to funding constraints the Foundation is only able to fund approximately 30% of requests.

4. Foundation staff will evaluate each proposal. Program staff will talk with your organization and others and/or conduct a site visit to better understand the project and organization. Program Officers will then recommend grants to the Trustees.

5. Organizations will be notified of the funding decisions by April 30^th for the January cycle and October 31^st for the July cycle.

6. Provided that a signed grant agreement has been received by Grants Management, award checks to organizations will be mailed within the first week of the grant period, according to the grant cycle timeline. Current timelines are available here.

Instructions for the Application Form

Technical Requirements

The application is an online form accessible via Grantee Center. Each user will create a unique Grantee Center account to access information related to your organization. Grantee Center allows users to view current grant opportunities, current applications, past applications, and grant history with the Foundation.

Text Formatting

Each field has a fixed font size and type – Verdana, 12 point, single-spaced. Users cannot change the font. Please note that special formatting such as bullets may be lost due to system constraints, therefore please keep the format of your narrative simple.

Size limitations

The fields on the application form are limited to a fixed number of characters as listed below. Character counts include spaces, punctuation, and line breaks. White space on the form is not an accurate indicator of the maximum box size. The Foundation recommends using a word processing program to write long narratives then copying and pasting into the online application, after saving a copy to your personal computer. This allows for spell checking, word counts, and ensuring that information is saved.

BOX CHARACTERS

Mission Statement - 760

Purpose - 300

Project Rationale - 7,500

Outcomes (3) - 585 each

Activities (5) - 360 each

Evaluation - 1,045

Other Impacts and Information- 1,520

Financial Information - 1,800

Fundraising Plan - 2,200

Target Population - 1,045

Please limit your response to the space available.

Tips for Completing Each Section

Application Overview

Service area

Before you begin your grant application, you are asked to indicate the counties in our service area this grant will cover. You may select multiple counties. Your project must serve at least one of the counties listed to be eligible for funding from The San Francisco Foundation.

Tax status

The San Francisco Foundation requests that you verify your organization's tax status each time you apply for a grant. Independent projects that do not have tax-exempt status may be fiscally sponsored by another organization that is tax-exempt (the sponsor). Generally, independent projects have their own advisory board. The project should also have a contract or MOU with the sponsor that outlines each group’s responsibilities.

If your organization uses a fiscal sponsor please indicate that your tax status is "None of the Above" and Add a Fiscal Sponsor. Once you have added a fiscal sponsor for your grant, your organization will remain connected to that fiscal sponsor and it will appear on any subsequent grant. You can change your fiscal sponsor and change your tax status through Grantee Center if you need.

Address and EIN

Please verify that the Foundation has your current address and EIN on record. If you need to request a change, please click the Modify link and you will be taken to a form to complete and send to the Foundation so we can update our records.

Mission of your organization

Please tell us the mission, or the fundamental purpose, of your organization within the region or community that you serve.

Can I select more than one program area?

No, you must select one program area in order to complete your application. Please visit the Foundation’s Program pages to obtain additional, more specific information about the particular projects funded by each program area. If you are a returning grantee, please select the program area that funded your previous grant, unless the work is substantially different. If the project you are requesting funding for could qualify for more than one program area, select the one that most closely matches the mission of your organization. If you are still unsure how your project fits, please call or email us for assistance. The Foundation assures that your request will be reviewed by the appropriate Program Officer.

Duration of your request

The average grant at the Foundation is 12 months, however we do accept grants for shorter or longer periods. Please request the number months relevant to your request.

Purpose of your request

Please briefly describe the specific purpose for which you will use the funding.

Part One of the Application

What type of support should I request?

The types of support the Foundation provides are described above. For samples of outcomes and activities for different types of support, please see Sample Outcomes and Activities below.

What is your organization’s total budget?

Please provide your organization’s most recent annual budget. If you have done your next year’s planning and have the budget figures, please provide those; if you have not, your current budget is acceptable.

Please tell us what your total project budget is. (If you are requesting Core Operating Support please enter your total org budget.)

Project budget refers to the approximate full amount of the project you are requesting funds for from the Foundation. If you are requesting Core Operating support, please provide the organization’s total budget amount.

Is this a new project or continuing support?

A new project is work that has not been funded by The San Francisco Foundation in recent years. Continuing support means you have received funding from the Foundation for the same project work.

Narrative

In this section, please provide a brief and concise narrative that describes why your work matters to the community you serve. It should include the scope, impact, a brief history, and need/niche for your request. If relevant, also describe briefly the role of partners and/or volunteers. This is the only narrative section in the application process. The Encouraged Proposal form will not provide an additional opportunity to describe the project. We strongly encourage that you use a word processing program to type your narrative piece, save it to your personal computer, then copy and paste into the field provided online. This is to ensure you do not lose any important information due to Internet connectivity issues.

Outcomes and Activities

Please tell us what you plan to achieve (outcomes) and how you plan to achieve it (activities). Before you start, please refer to the timeline for the grant period start date. The outcomes and activities you describe here must take place during the grant period for this application. Outcomes should be measurable. In the final report for a grant, grantees must report on the outcomes specified here. Please see below for a list of sample outcomes and activities for different types of support.

Evaluation

In the space provided, tell us about the method you will use to determine the success of your work. The Foundation recognizes that it is not necessary to hire outside experts to have a solid evaluation plan. We do expect that you will know what success looks like and how you will know you achieved it. If you do not have a formal evaluation plan, explain how you will know if you achieve the outcomes listed in your grant agreement and how this information will help guide your future work.

Other Impacts and Information

If needed, use this space to explain other information and impacts about your project. This is not a required field and should only be used to convey information that you were unable to describe in the Narrative section.

Budget Information

In this section of the form, you will provide information about revenue, expenses, and your organization’s financial history and fundraising strategies.

Project Dates - Please enter the beginning date of your project and the expected end date for your project.

Fiscal Year Dates - Please use the fiscal year dates that you intend to use to complete the Budget Table. If your organization is nearing the end of its current fiscal year and has next year's budget complete, please use next year's dates and budget information. If next year's data is not available, please use your current information.

Revenue Budget and Expenses - Please provide your organization's budget and project information. In the Budget Table, the top section is for revenue and the lower fields for expenses. If you have expenses that do not fit in the defined fields please use the "Other" category.

Previous Year Carry Over for the organization is also known as the previous year’s End of Year Net Assets.
Please provide a total in each category; you do not need to list individual foundations
or government sources.
Committed funding includes those sources of support that have been confirmed.
Projected revenue includes sources of support that you are currently requesting or plan to request. Your request to The San Francisco Foundation is listed on a separate line.

If you are requesting core operating support please only complete the Organization budget column.

Functional Expenses

The three categories in this box are the same as those on the IRS Form 990, Part II, Statement of Functional Expenses. If you are using a fiscal sponsor or are a city or university department, please estimate your project’s functional expenses. Do not report the functional expenses for the fiscal sponsor or for the entire city or university.

Program Services include activities that result in services being provided to beneficiaries that fulfill the organization’s mission.
Management and General includes oversight, business management, general record keeping, budgeting, financing, and related administrative activities, as well as management and administration except for direct conduct of program services or fundraising activities.
Fundraising includes publicizing; conducting fundraising campaigns; maintaining donor mailing lists; conducting special fundraising events; preparing and distributing fundraising manuals, instructions, and other materials; and conducting other activities involved with soliciting contributions from individuals, foundations, government agencies, and others.

Three-Year Financial History Table and Text

There is no need to re-create this information, just use your tax returns, IRS Form 990 for Total Revenue, Total Expenses, and End of Year Net Assets. If you are a new organization, please make a note of that in the text the box for financial history. Your Total Revenue and Expenses are located in Part I of the Form 990. Your End of Year Net Assets are located in Part IV of the Form 990. If your organization/department does not fill out a 990, please use previous years’ end-of-year statements to complete this section. The End of Year Net Assets box should indicate the amount carried forward into each subsequent year.

Arts and Culture Applicants - If you are participating in the California Cultural Data Project, you can use the Organization Financial History on the last page of the funder report to assist you in filling in the Organization Financial History on the Budget Information section.

Capital Investments - If your organization has capital investments, please record the actual end of year net assets, actual revenues and expenses, and the net year’s activity, even though these numbers will not tie together. Then use the text section to describe capital investments.

Personnel

The number of staff in this section should correspond to the salary expense indicated in the expense budget. Full time personnel: Enter the number of full time staff. Part time personnel: Enter the full time equivalent for all part time personnel. For example, if you have 20 staff that work half time, enter 10.

Fundraising Plan

The fundraising plan should give a sense of how the organization expects to ensure that the project and/or organization will have the resources necessary to succeed. Please briefly outline your plan to sustain your efforts over the next one to three years.

Racial/Ethnic Diversity

If your organization tracks the racial/ethnic diversity of those served, please fill out the grid provided. In the “Other” box, specify groups served that are not represented on this form.

Number of people served by project - Provide this information when applying for project support or capacity building.

Number of people served by organization - All applicants are asked to provide this information. Provide only information about numbers served directly by your organization in this section. If you serve other organizations, as well as individuals, describe this in the “Target Populations” section.

Number of people on staff - Provide information for all employees. Show part time employees as 0.5 for half time, 0.25 for quarter time, etc. Do not include consultants or other 1099 employees.

Number of people on the board of directors - If your organization does not have its own 501(c)(3), provide information on the individuals on your advisory board.

Statement on Diversity - The Foundation collects demographic information to help evaluate the Foundation’s impact on the greater Bay Area. We actively seek to promote access, equity, and diversity, and to end discrimination based on race, culture, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and age. The Foundation believes an organization’s impact is enhanced when people from different backgrounds and perspectives are engaged in an organization’s activities and decision-making process. In this spirit, applicants are asked to provide general diversity information about their board, staff, and constituency served. All demographic information is reviewed for alignment with the Foundation’s diversity policy. This policy is available here.

Special Populations

If your project serves a special population, please fill in the Special Population table, otherwise leave it blank. Please use the “Target Population” box to specify groups served that are not listed here.

Age Range

Please provide the age range of the persons you plan to serve. You may select multiple categories in this section.

Geography Scope

Please provide the geographic areas that you plan to serve with your proposed grant. Multiple areas can be selected, although we ask that you provide the narrowest area possible. (Example: If your request is targeting San Francisco's Mission District and Bay View Hunter's Point, we would expect to see those two neighborhoods selected. However, if you plan to serve the entire city of San Francisco we would like to see the City Category selected and San Francisco.)

Income

Please use the following Income Level Definitions table to fill out this section. Target income groups are those with household incomes at or below the specific levels identified in the table.

For organizations that do not collect income information from those served, please include an estimate of the income level of the majority of those to be served.

Income Level Definitions - Please download this PDF document to view the 2008 Income Level Definitions.

Source: These income figures are derived from State income limits for 2008, which are based on calculations released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) annually.

Target Service Population

Describe the people your project serves using the grid, when possible. If your organization tracks this data or can easily make approximations, include the information. We recognize that not all organizations can easily measure the benefit they provide to the community. In such situations, you may also use the field titled “Target Population Served” to provide additional information about who you serve.

Partners and Funders

The San Francisco Foundation may wish to contact your organization's partners and funders as a reference for your work. Please provide contact information for any Partners, and at two private funders and two government funders. If your organization does not have government funders, please list an additional private resource.

Required Documents - Part Two

Please upload all the attachments that are listed on the required documents page that are relevant to your organization. The Foundation accepts documents that are uploaded through Grantee Center or faxed.

Please submit the most recent appropriate financial statement with your attachments.

Annual budgets less than $1,000,000

Submit a copy of most recently filed IRS Form 990.

Annual budgets $1,000,000 and over

Submit a recent (within two years) independent auditor’s report, referred to as a financial audit. An audit is a process for testing the accuracy and completeness of information presented in an organization’s financial statements. This testing process enables an independent CPA to issue what is referred to as an opinion on how fairly the agency’s financial statements represent its financial position and whether it complies with generally accepted accounting principles.

City Departments, University Departments, or Schools

You are not required to provide a copy of the audit for the entire city, university, or school district. Instead, please send the unaudited financial statements for the department or school.

Applicants with Fiscal Sponsors

The San Francisco Foundation requires applicants with fiscal sponsors submit a copy of the Fiscal Sponsor's Audit. (ALL FISCAL SPONSORS MUST HAVE AN AUDIT.)

Letter of Resolution - The Foundation would like documentation indicating that the fiscal sponsor is aware that funds are being requested from TSFF. The letter should name The San Francisco Foundation and be signed by an Officer of the Fiscal Sponsor. Sample text: The [agency name], which is acting as the Fiscal Sponsor for [applicant name], authorizes the submission of a proposal in the amount of [x dollars] to The San Francisco Foundation.”

Financial Statements

Please provide your organization's financial statements for the last three years. This includes an income statement, balance sheet, and a cash flow statement. (These files must be consolidated into one file either by PDF, or they can be zipped into one file and uploaded.)

Arts and Culture Applicants

If you are participating in the California Cultural Data Project, please use the following instructions:

Log in to your California CDP account from the California CDP homepage (http://www.caculturaldata.org/home.aspx)
On "My CDP," go to the "Funders Reports" section, select the current fiscal year, and click on “GO”. Click on the link for The San Francisco Foundation to generate the report.
Review your Funder Report; if you need to make changes, call the California CDP Help Desk.
Use the Organization Financial History on the last page of the funder report to assist you in filling in the Organization Financial History on the Budget Information section.
Upload your Funder Report in the Financial History upload field.

If you have questions regarding this process, please contact Kevin Seaman at 415.733.8508.

Board List

The Foundation asks that you provide a Board List with your application.

Staff Bios

Please provide a list of key staff members and a brief biography.

Sample Outcomes and Activities

For your assistance, sample outcomes and activities for different types of support are included below.

Project Support – Example 1

Outcome

• Encourage positive reproductive health behaviors, including safer sex practices and regular medical check-ups, to improve the health outcomes of 200 Latinas and their sexual partners and their families living in San Francisco’s Mission District.

Activities

1. Recruit and train a total of ten peer mono/bilingual health educators each year.

2. Reach a minimum of 100 women and their sexual partners each year through interactive and educational presentations.

3. Conduct a minimum of 24 outreach activities each year at community events, health fairs, and other community settings.

Project Support – Example 2

Outcomes

• Provide support to students starting in their freshman year of high school so that 100% of seniors served will graduate from high school and go to vocational training, community college, or a university.

Activities

1. Provide an academic summer advancement program to incoming 9th graders.

2. Check students’ high school course enrollment to ensure that students are enrolled in college prep coursework and help parents learn how to advocate for students who are not enrolled in courses that will prepare them for college.

3. Provide tutoring and academic workshops during the school year.

4. Offer targeted California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) tutoring for students at risk of failing.

5. Offer college counseling and SAT preparation during sophomore through senior years.

Capacity Building Support – Example 1

Outcomes

• Track and assess the progress of each client by creating a client tracking system that monitors development along a seven-staged development model.

• Through these improvements, low-income Asian immigrant women and youth in Alameda County will receive leadership development skills to allow them to take control of their new lives in the U.S.

Activities

1. Hire a technology consultant to implement the client tracking system.

2. Develop a working client database.

3. Train staff on how to use the tracking system to better serve the training needs of clients.

4. Share development model and data tool with other organizations offering similar services.

Capacity Building Support – Example 2

Outcome

• Implement a strategic plan for an upcoming seismic retrofit for this visual arts organization.

Activities

1. Develop strategic plan through focus groups, one-on-one interviews, and gatherings of constituents.

2. Convene facilities committee to develop architectural and design plans.

3. Move to temporary offices.

4. Develop a time-line and construction work plan.

Core Operating Support – Example 1

Outcomes

• Expand the organization’s ability to directly challenge corporations to reduce their use of toxic chemicals through education, litigation, and advocacy.

• Provide public education to communities at risk.

Activities

1. Research the use of toxics and the health hazards they pose for consumers, workers, and communities to inform quarterly newsletter updates to coalition members and letters as needed to policymakers and other civic leaders.

2. Identify feasible alternative practices to eliminate or minimize toxic exposures, and partner with industry to implement these alternative practices.

3. Provide technical support to 15 local community groups working for environmental justice.

4. Work with local and state government to draft public policies that support safer alternatives and enforce compliance with environmental laws through public interest litigation.

Core Operating Support – Example 2

Outcome

• Place 90% of participating homeless families in permanent housing within one year.

Activities

1. Provide shelter and services to 700 battered women and/or children.

2. Provide supportive services, including children’s services, to 75 project residents.

3. Provide a 24-hour domestic violence crisis counseling line.

Personal tools

Document Actions

Application Guidelines

Introduction

Program Areas

Grantmaking

Eligibility: Is my organization eligible to apply?

Other Frequently Asked Questions

Grants Process Overview

Instructions for the Application Form

Tips for Completing Each Section

Sample Outcomes and Activities