FACT ~ Inquiry Process and Funding Criteria

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Quote: The problems and conditions that organizing groups are attempting to address are immense, and will not be solved in one or two years. The scope and scale of understanding and active participation needed to achieve significant systemic change requires substantial resources, strategic collaboration, and long term support. Progressive funding institutions that understand this are a critical part of the equation for achieving a more just and equitable society. Signed Anthony Thigpenn, SCOPE.

Our long-term grantmaking approach means that our pool of grantees changes very little, and most of our funding is already allocated from one year to the next. FACT is currently prioritizing groups for the next two funding cycles. Please remember, we only consider funding new groups that work in close collaboration or are referred by our current grantees.

Step 1: Determine your eligibility — Though we cannot accept unsolicited proposals, we do accept phone inquiries. Before contacting us, please review our guidelines and funding criteria below to see if you meet our eligibility requirements.

Step 2: Contact us — If, after completing Step 1, you feel that your organization meets our funding criteria, we would prefer to talk with you rather than receive a letter of inquiry or funding proposal. Please call us to introduce your organization and its mission, and tell us how it fits our funding goals.

Step 3: Be patient — We will do our best to answer all inquiries, but given our small staff and limited ability to fund new grantees we may be unable to respond to all outside inquiries. To be considered for funding, a potential FACT grantee must meet the following criteria:

Work closely with other FACT grantees in California or the Southern U.S.
Community-based with an emphasis on supporting the involvement of affected communities or an intermediary that works with community-based groups
Multi-issue
Build the political power of its members and community
Accountable to partners and constituents;
Employ multiple strategies — community organizing, policy and advocacy, research, electoral work, litigation, and/or coalition-building
Work in cross-sector partnerships
Have a leadership development plan for its members
Work locally with a regional or national perspective and a long-term vision for moving to the next level
Have a strategy to implement its mission
Have a political education curriculum for its members
Have a strong management infrastructure that includes developing secondary leaders within the staff
Have the capacity to sustain its work
See its work in the global context

FACT does not make grants to support the following:

Groups that are not already working with existing FACT grantees
Documentaries and magazines
Policy/advocacy groups with no active involvement in their community
Social service organizations
Groups working internationally (except in France)
Think tanks
Single-issue groups (i.e., education, campaign finance reform)
Scholarships
Individuals

All funding decisions are made by the board of directors. Grants generally range from $20,000 to $150,000 and average $40,000. Although most grants are made for a one-year period, we are strongly committed to a long-term funding strategy. Most of our grantees can expect to receive funding for a minimum of three to five years.

In addition to general support, FACT is also committed to supporting the development of both the internal and external strength of our grantees, and we have discretionary funds available for emergencies, travel, or program-related expenses. We also make a limited number of program related investments in areas of interest to the foundation. If you are a FACT grantee, you can contact our staff for more information on our Discretionary funds. In addition to our specific program areas, the foundation makes a number of donor-advised grants each year that reflect the individual interests of family members.

Grant Application Procedures

If we ask your organization to submit a proposal, let us know what your organizational needs are and we will do our best to help you meet them. We recognize that writing and submitting proposals is a time-consuming process, and we encourage you to send proposals that you have prepared for other foundations.

For our complete grant application procedures, download our Funding Guidelines document.