Grant Recommendations

Welcome! Here are this week’s recommended foundations. These grants will be for various types of organizations, so they may not always be a perfect fit for you. However, there will be some that are. We also offer customized grant research reports that offer grants researched specifically for your organization, provide you with all of the submission requirements, deadlines, and a researched recommended request amount so that you can put your best effort forward when you apply. Some of the deadlines may have passed, but you can keep this information for their next funding cycle.

SVCF announces RFPs for Immigration: Ensuring the Safety and Security of Immigrants – United States

Deadline: 30-Sep-20

Donor: Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF)

Grant Type: Grant

Grant-size: Not Available

Countries/Regions: United States

Areas: Refugee & Asylum Seekers

The Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) has announced a Request for Proposals (RFPs) for the Immigration: Ensuring the Safety and Security of Immigrants.

The intent of this grant opportunity is to support responsive projects that help ensure the safety and security of immigrants in communities. Examples of such projects include but are not limited to:

“Know Your Rights” campaigns that seek to partner with trusted community entities (schools, community centers, libraries, etc.) and aim to inform and empower vulnerable immigrant communities.
Development and implementation of activities, protocols and procedures to keep all communities safe and secure as they face threats stemming from changes in immigration policies and practices.
Addressing harassment and hate speech/crimes targeting immigrant and faith communities.
Legal representation for immigrants and deportation defense for those facing removal proceedings.
Preparedness plans for families, including childcare plans and financial contingency plans.
Creating systems and literacy around digital security to safeguard information and data that could make immigrants vulnerable if the data were compromised or stolen.

Program Goal

SVCF seeks to fund nonprofit organizations that will provide support, safety and security to immigrants during these challenging times. In particular, SVCF will prioritize projects that demonstrate support and coordination with networks and entities across and within the region.
This may include partnerships with schools, local law enforcement, health clinics, places of worship and other organizations working with and supporting immigrants and their families.
Note that SVCF will accept proposals for specific projects or for general operating support. Proposals for general operating grants will be considered provided the organization’s overall mission meets the goals of the grant strategy. General operating grants are unrestricted funds that enable an organization to carry out its mission. These grants are intended to support an organization’s administrative and infrastructure costs, assist with strategic financial and organizational capacity and/or help maintain core programs and essential staff.

Funding Information

Grant sizes will vary depending on the project and the grant term.
Please note: that project proposal narratives may be posted publicly on website to reflect value of transparency and encourage learning among grantees and future applicants as well as members of the community at large.

Eligibility Criteria

San Mateo and/or Santa Clara county-serving organizations will be considered. Organizations headquartered outside the two-county region must demonstrate significant service to these areas to be considered, or be partnered with another organization based within the two core counties.
Organizations must fall into one of the following categories: those with a 501(c) (3) designation, those that have a fiscal sponsor with a 501(c)(3) designation, public agencies, collaborations of nonprofit and public agencies or other entities that have a designated charitable purpose.
Organizations must not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, citizenship status, creed, religion, religious affiliation, age, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status or any other protected status under applicable law. If an organization only serves a specific population, e.g. women or specific ethnic populations, SVCF will consider the proposal on a case-by-case basis.
Organizations with religious affiliations will be considered for funding only if the proposal for which they seek support attempts to address the needs of the wider community without regard to religious beliefs.

Evaluation Criteria

Grant proposals will be evaluated, on a competitive basis, using the following criteria:

Clarity of project description and project activities regarding steps to be taken to achieve desired outcomes.
Achievable timeline that corresponds to the key activities.
Meaningful benchmarks and indicators of success.
Organizational capacity to implement project – including staffing and leadership, operational and fiscal management.
Established track record in specific program content area or potential to achieve needed content expertise.
Ability to leverage financial, human and technical resources leading to greater impact.
Ability to contribute content area knowledge to the field.

For more information, https://www.siliconvalleycf.org/grants

Submit Applications for BALSA Foundation’s 2020 Grant Program – United States

Deadline: 24-Jul-20

Donor: BALSA Foundation

Grant Type: Grant

Grant-size: Less than $1000

Countries/Regions: United States

Areas: Business & Industry

Applicants are now invited to submit applications for the BALSA Foundation’s 2020 Grant program.

The BALSA Grant is designed for first-time St. Louis entrepreneurs wanting to start or grow their early stage business in St. Louis. They welcome applications from all business sectors, and from non-profit as well as for-profit organizations.

The goal of the BALSA Foundation is to empower first-time entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses. The BALSA Grant provides resources to first-time entrepreneurs who need and will benefit from them the most.

Funding Information

BALSA Grant finalists receive the following awards:

Cash grants of $1,000,
In-kind donations and professional services, including legal, accounting, marketing, and working space,
BALSA Learning Series workshops about starting a business,
Opportunities for one-on-one mentoring.

The number or amount of cash awards and professional services will vary depending on availability.

Eligibility Criteria

The Foundation welcomes applications from all business sectors, whether for-profit or non-profit, and from everyone regardless of US citizenship.

In general, having team members with the following criteria will make an application Ineligible for the BALSA Grant:

Having started a successful business before. They wish to exclude serial entrepreneurs and those who were or are making a living from a business they started.
Having received any outside equity investment, significant outside funding, or a previous BALSA Grant. Financial support from the founders, their family, and personal friends is OK.
Living outside of the greater St. Louis area. Their aim is to help those in the St. Louis region, broadly defined as residing or operating within 25 miles of St. Louis City Hall.

In the BALSA Grant application the Foundation asks:

How much grant funding and/or fundraising have you received to pursue your idea? This includes awards, grants, crowdfunding, or fundraising, excluding that from yourself and your family, and personal friends.
How much equity investment have you received to pursue your idea?
How much in loans have you obtained to pursue your idea, excluding that from yourself, family, and personal friends?

Selection Criteria

An external committee of serial entrepreneurs and business leaders review BALSA Grant applications and rank them according to criteria such as:

How well does the proposed idea/solution address the market need?
How reasonable and achievable are the milestones and budget?
Does the team have enough experience and dedication to move this idea forward or demonstrate a way to obtain this experience?
How well does the applicant fit the mission of The BALSA Foundation?
How useful would a grant of $1,000, professional services, and mentorship be to the applicant’s success?

Requirements for Grant Recipients

All BALSA Grant finalists are expected to participate in the following programs and events,

Present a pitch of business at the BALSA Grant awards ceremony,
Participate in a pitch practice session prior to the awards ceremony,
Attend the Learning Series, a series of 8-10 classes, which introduce you to the basics of starting a business from business experts. They will announce the Learning Series schedule when they inform you that you are a finalist.

Cash grant recipients must also establish a corporate entity, open a business bank account, and document how the grant was used. You will be asked to sign a contract stating you agree to these responsibilities. They may also invite you to serve as an advisor and mentor for other applicants and participate in future outreach events.

For more information, visit http://www.balsafoundation.org/balsa-grant

Heinz Endowments announces Small Arts Initiative – United States

Deadline: 01-Aug-20

Donor: Heinz Endowments

Grant Type: Grant

Grant-size: $10,000 to $100,000

Countries/Regions: United States

Areas: Arts & Culture

The Heinz Endowments has announced a call for proposals for the Small Arts Initiative to advance the development of small, professional arts organizations and the artists with whom they work.

The goal of the Small Arts Initiative is to further the development of small, professional arts organizations and the artists with whom they work. “Professional” is broadly defined and denotes quality of artistic product, organizational leadership and audition/selection processes, as well as rehearsal and presentation standards. The Endowments anticipates funding a variety of performances, exhibitions and screenings. Once per calendar year, you may apply for your regular series or programming, or a new project.

All proposed projects must meet the following objective:

Advance a particular organization or collective of artists/organizations’ ability to carry out welldefined artistic opportunities or challenges, thus encouraging the development of local organizations, technical staff and professional artists.

Examples of previously funded projects include:

The annual production of a local company.
Guest artists or technical personnel engaged to work with company members in the context of preparing for a public presentation or new work.
Commissioning and/or presenting an ensemble or artist who will enrich the cultural landscape.
Artistic expenses that are important to a pivotal project.

Funding Information

A total of $500,000 of funding is available. Grants amounts will range from $1,000 to $20,000.

Eligibility Criteria

Project Support for Arts Organizations

Eligible arts organizations should demonstrate an existing organizational structure and artistic product that is proven or shows signs of promise. Minimally in place must be:
- An active, functioning board of directors.
- Internal Revenue Service 501(c)(3) public charity status, in place or applied for.
- An identified leader for the organization, paid or volunteer.

The organization does not need to have a regularly scheduled season in place, but should be able to demonstrate increasing artistic strength through examples of past performances or exhibitions, capacity to carry out the proposed project and articulation of a clear artistic vision.

Project Support for Fiscally Sponsored Collaborations

This category of support is available because Endowments staff believes in the strength and opportunity afforded by collaborations and sharing of resources. Participating artists/organizations must meet at least one of the following criteria:

A partnership of, at minimum, two artists working together for a performance, exhibition or screening around a theme.
An artist or arts administrator collaborating with a group of advisors to present the work of multiple artists around a theme.
An established, but unincorporated, arts organization consisting of multiple artists.

The fiscal sponsor for the collaboration must meet both of the following criteria:

Must be a well-matched 501(c)(3) organization with a clear, mission-driven relationship to, or interest in, the project or members of the collaboration.
Must be persuasive in its preparedness to provide administrative and technical support, offer artistic support when appropriate, oversee the receipt and expenditure of grant funds, and, in general, provide proof that it is exercising control of the project.

Nonprofit organizations with budgets greater than $300,000 are eligible sponsors; however, each individual artist/organization’s annual budget must be no more than $300,000. If the fiscal sponsor for the collaboration is not an arts organization or does not have demonstrated expertise in the artistic discipline(s) specific to the proposed project, there must be an active advisory committee in place with skill in arts administration and knowledge of the proposed art form.

For more information, visit https://www.heinz.org/strategic-areas/creativity/small-arts-initiative