Q. When is the deadline for submitting applications?
A. For the 2010-2011 fiscal year, the deadlines are August 9, 2010 for Support for Children proposals and February 1, 2011 for Economic Development and Meyers Fund for Environmental Grantmaking proposals.
Q. Do I need to be a nonprofit organization?
A. Typically, the Foundation awards grants to nonprofit organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. However, the Foundation also awards grants to public agencies, public schools, and some community associations or projects that have the fiscal sponsorship of another 501(c)(3) organization.
Q. What is a fiscal sponsor and how do I get one?
A. A fiscal sponsor is an organization with 501(c)(3) IRS tax-exempt status that agrees, in writing, to be responsible for the fiscal management of a particular program or project that does not have its own tax-exempt status with the IRS. The East Bay Community Foundation does not provide fiscal sponsorships. Please visit the Tides Center for information by clicking here.
Q. Do you make grants to individuals?
A. The Foundation will award grants only to the types of organizations listed above. The only exception is to individual artists through the East Bay Fund for Artists.
Q. What about scholarships?
A. The Foundation does not provide awards or scholarships through any of its grant programs. However, the Foundation has a number of donor advised funds that house either scholarship or award programs. The Foundation does not administer the selection of these scholarship or award recipients. We do manage these funds and distributions for these fund holders.
Q. Does my organization have to be located in the East Bay?
A. The East Bay Community Foundation supports projects that provide specific and direct benefits to residents of Alameda and/or Contra Costa counties. The majority of the Foundation's grants are awarded to organizations and projects located in the East Bay. However, organizations located outside of these two counties are eligible for funding.
Q. If my organization is not physically located in your target geographic area, but serves your target areas, is my organization still eligible to apply?
A. Yes. For example, if your organization is based in Berkeley, but serves the Oakland community, you may be eligible to apply.
Q. Is it possible to talk to someone before submitting my proposal?
A. Yes. We suggest that prospective applicants first review our application guidelines and funding priorities to determine your eligibility before contacting us. You are welcome to phone or e-mail us with any questions (510/836.3223 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).
Q. What is the Foundation's average grant size?
A. This fiscal year our average grant size is projected to be $15,000.
Q. Can I get more than one grant a year?
A. No. It is not our policy to make multiple grants in a fiscal year at this time.
Q. Does the Foundation make multi-year or renewal grants to previously funded programs?
A. Foundation grants are typically for a 12-month period from when they are awarded and are rarely made for a multi-year period. The Foundation will consider renewal requests upon satisfactory submission of a final report documenting outcomes achieved for the previous grant.
Q. How soon will I get a response to my request?
A. Requests for grants will be reviewed by Foundation staff. Applicants for Community Investment Grants will receive an e-mail when their application is received. Staff will contact applicants to set up site visits or follow up as necessary. Applicants can expect a response within 12 to 14 weeks of the grant deadline.
Q. Can I apply directly to one of the Foundation's donor advised funds?
A. No. We continue to act as a philanthropic resource for our donors and will provide them information on organizations in line with their grantmaking goals. If you have never received a grant from the East Bay Community Foundation, you can This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it us a one-page summary describing your organization for our database that staff and donors can access. If you have been funded through the Foundation, you are already in our database and no further action is needed.
Q. Does the Foundation fund capital projects?
A. No. Please also see other limitations in our Community Investment Grant application procedures.
Q. What if my project falls outside the focus areas or defined priorities listed in the guidelines?
A. Due to our limited resources, the Foundation focuses its grantmaking in two core issue areas. Each of these core issue areas has specific funding priorities. Proposals will be evaluated on how well they meet specific priorities of the Foundation. Projects that are outside our two core issue areas or their strategic priorities will not be considered for funding.
Q. Can I e-mail or fax my proposal application to the Foundation?
A. Please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it all proposals. No faxes, please.
Q. What are the geographic areas in the East Bay for which you will consider funding proposals?
Our responsive grantmaking (grants awarded through our application processes) will target four geographic areas:
- Oakland
- Richmond
- East Contra Costa County (Antioch, Bay Point, Brentwood, Pittsburg)
- Tri Cities area of Southern Alameda County (Fremont, Newark, Union City)
