How has the Community Grantmaking Program changed? Beginning in 2007, the Community Grantmaking program will provide larger but fewer grants than before. There is a new Letter of Inquiry (LOI) and Request For Proposal (RFP) process.
What about the Community Grantmaking Program has remained the same? The Community Grantmaking Program still has the same timelines.
Do we have to be a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization to apply? Yes.
What is a fiscal sponsor and how do I get one? The philanthropic field has increasingly adopted the term fiscal sponsorship to describe any one of a number of possible relationships under which established charities choose to support new projects or groups. Please contact us to see if you
qualify.
What information do you require from a fiscal sponsor? We require a personal meeting and copies of your request to the IRS for tax exempt status.
We are a newly established 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Does the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation award grants to organizations for start-up costs? You might qualify. Please contact our office for more information.
Do you give grants to organizations outside of San Diego County? We do not provide funding from our Community Grantmaking program outside of San Diego County. However, we fund organizations around the world through donor advised funds.
Can my school apply for a grant? Although we provide funding for some schools, we do not accept un-solicited grant requests.
Does the Foundation fund faith-based organizations? We do not fund faith-based organizations through our Community Grantmaking program. However, we do through donor advised funds.
How do you apply your nondiscrimination requirement? Projects and programs that discriminate on the basis of age, race, national origin, ethnicity, gender, physical ability, sexual orientation, political affiliation or religious belief, will not be considered for funding.
What if an organization serves a distinct segment of the community’s population, such as seniors, youths, a specific ethnic group, etc.? All grant requests are based upon the same objective criteria, but only if an organization has been invited to submit a proposal.
What are the deadlines for grant applications? Deadlines vary from year to year, but there
are two cycles annually – spring and fall. When you receive the LOI, the
dates will be specified.
Can I send a letter of inquiry or a one-page synopsis and have you tell me if I should apply? We encourage new organizations to provide the Foundation with materials about the organization that will become a part of our Resource Library. If the program is of interest to us, we will ask you to submit an LOI.
Can I meet with the Grants Administrator in person before submitting an application? Please contact Debbie Anderson, Grants Administrator, to discuss your program.
Can we submit an application with just a few items missing and get those items to you at a later date? No. All applications must be complete.
What size grants does the Foundation generally make? How much money should I request? The Foundation will consider grant requests between $1000 - $20,000.
Do you fund program requests? Yes.
Is there a better chance of getting a grant if I apply at a specific time of year? All grant requests must be submitted during the regular grant cycles that are specified on the LOI form.
We’ve been declined in the past. Is it better to wait a few years before reapplying? Being declined in the past does not affect your ability to re-apply. Many factors may have been involved in the past, so if requested, please re-apply.
Does getting grants from donor advised funds affect our eligibility to apply to the Community Grantmaking Program? No, they are independent functions of the grantmaking process.
How often can we apply to the Foundation? Once a year, if we invite you to apply.
Does getting grants from donor advised funds increase the likelihood of receiving funding through the Community Grantmaking Program? No. Although if we have made a grant from a donor advised fund and we believe it is a worthy organization, it might bring your organization to our attention.
If a big change occurs within our organization after we submit the proposal, should we contact you? Absolutely. We will make every attempt to work with you.
I have reviewed the Foundation’s criteria for reviewing applications. If my organization does not meet all of the criteria, should I still apply? Because we do not accept un-solicited requests, this would probably never be the case.
Do you need multiple copies of the application? Should they be bound? All of these criteria are specified in
the RFP.
What is the Bagnall Award for Excellence in Philanthropy? Mike Bagnall was the man behind the idea of honoring people in our community who are the inspiration for the work of local non-profit organizations. For six years the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation has presented an annual award to someone in the community who demonstrates “excellence in philanthropy”. This $1000 grant award, from the Michael L. Bagnall Memorial Fund, was established in Mr. Bagnall’s memory by his family and friends. It acknowledges people in the community who with non-profit partners have shown creativity, vision and innovation in working to implement new programs to better serve the Rancho Santa Fe community.
What happens after an application is received? The Grants & Projects committee reviews all applications and if an organization is deemed worthy of a full RFP, you will be notified.
How long does it take to get a grant? Approximately 3 months.
When will I know if our proposal has been funded? You will be notified by mail, including the grant check, if your proposal has been funded.
Is it an advantage to know a director, a donor, or someone who works for the Foundation when submitting a grant? Directors, donors and employees are always good advocates, but the approval process is based on an competitive, independent, objective set of criteria.
Do you fund organizations with an Interim Executive Director? Yes.
Is there a program and donor services representative responsible for handling grants in a specific area of funding? For instance, is there a representative for education? No.
How do I get a grant from a donor advised fund? All grants from donor advised fund are based on recommendations by the advisor to the Foundation. No one may apply to the Foundation for these grants.
Does the Foundation award multi-year grants? Yes, in some cases.
How many grant applications do you receive each year and what percent are funded? Typically, we receive about 30 applications per year. Funding is dependent on the number of qualified applications and the amounts requested.
What are the Foundation's community investment priorities? We take a broad look at the need in the community to determine where we can have the most impact.
Will my organization receive a site visit? Yes, within a year of receiving funding.
What happens at a meeting with those coming on the site visit? Foundation members will ask to see the impact of the grant (i.e. program results, capital or capacity-building evaluations). It is generally a short meeting (approximately one hour) with a tour if applicable.
How should I prepare for a meeting? Please be prepared to provide any materials etc. that will demonstrate compliance with the terms of the grant.
How many people should I have present at the meeting? How should I choose those people? Anyone from the organization who has had direct involvement with the compliance and implementation of the grant should be present.
Where can I get a copy of the Community Grantmaking Program grant application form? We will provide it to you if we wish to have you submit a request.
Can the narrative section of our application exceed three pages? No.
We do not have all the financial information you require. What do you recommend that I do? Please contact Debbie Anderson for more information.
We are a newly formed community group and are using a fiscal sponsor. We do not have three years of budget information. What type of financial information should we provide? Please provide as much information as possible.
We are requesting funding for a capital campaign. Should we submit additional information? We do not provide funding for capital campaigns.
We are requesting funding for facility renovation. Should we submit additional information? This information will be provided in the RFP.
Does the element I select influence my chances of receiving a grant? Possibly, but all requests are evaluated on the basis of merit and not program area.
What kind of information would you like me to include in the Impact/Evaluation section? Please describe the anticipated impact of this project, what difference this grant will make to the community, and how you will monitor your work and evaluate the impact and effectiveness of the proposed project.
3/20/08