GRANTS
The Joseph & Vera Long Foundation awards responsive grants to qualified not-for-profit organizations using a competitive process that aims to find the best combination of partners, projects and programs to achieve the objectives of the Foundation. This webpage explains our two-stage process which is designed to optimize the time spent by prospective grantees and foundation staff. We have also created a list of frequently-asked-questions (FAQ) to answer some of the more common questions about our application process. If you have a specific question about this process that is not covered by the website or answered in the FAQ, please contact the Foundation using our online Inquiry Form located on the Contacts Page.
GRANT GUIDELINES for 2020
Eligibility Requirements: In order to apply for a grant, an organization must be recognized by the IRS as being described in Section 501(c)(3) and 509 (a)(1) or 509(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Specific Fields of Interest: Grants will be awarded to qualified organizations involved in the fields of conservation, education and healthcare.
Geographic Focus: Grants will be awarded for selected projects and programs that benefit the communities of Northern California or Hawaii.
Qualified organizations may apply for a grant from The Joseph & Vera Long Foundation by invitation only. In order to be invited, a prospective grantee must first submit a request for an invitation (RFI) following the steps outlined below.
INVITATION PROCESS
1. The Foundation will accept new RFIs to apply for Education and Health grants during an 'open period' only. Please note that the Foundation will not accept any RFIs to apply for Environment grants for 2020.
The first open period will begin on Monday, February 3, 2020 and end on Monday, February 24, 2020.
RFIs submitted during this cycle must be for grants ranging between $50,000 and $200,000 only. Payments for grants awarded during this cycle will be sent out in June.
If your organization has not previously received a grant from the Foundation, it is strongly recommended to submit a RFI during the second open period.
The second open period will begin on Monday, July 6, 2020 and end on Monday, July 27, 2020.
RFIs submitted during this cycle must be for grants ranging between $10,000 and $49,000 only. Payments for grants awarded during this cycle will be sent out in late November.
2. RFIs will not be accepted:
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for the support of solely religious, sacramental or theological functions
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in support of political bodies or campaigns
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to individuals or foreign organizations
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for loans or the payback of debt
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for covering operating deficits
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for purposes of memorializing an individual
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if an organization has already submitted a RFI within the same calendar year.
3. To submit a RFI, please complete our online Request for Invitation form which will be available as a link from this webpage only during an open period. Please be sure to read through our complete Grant Guidelines and review the materials provided on the Mission Page and the FAQ.
4. Every year, the Foundation receives many more requests than it can fund. Although many requests fall within the our guidelines and may merit support, only a small percentage of the requests received will lead to an invitation to apply for a grant.
If your organization is invited to apply for a grant, we will contact you via email. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the Foundation plans to send out invitations for the first grant cycle by 3/15/2021 and for the second grant cycle by 8/23/2021.
If your organization has submitted a RFI to the Foundation, but is not contacted, this is an indication that the Foundation does not have an interest in supporting your organization's project or program for the current grant cycle. If your organization wishes to submit another RFI for a different project or program, please hold off until the next calendar year.
APPLICATION PROCESS
1. If the Foundation decides to invite your organization to submit a grant application, we will send your organization via email an application packet along with the specific deadline to submit your completed application back to the Foundation.
2. The Foundation will only accept applications for grants using the current year application form. Please do not reuse an older version of the form or attempt to recreate the form using software. The form will be an Adobe PDF file.
3. To complete an application, your organization will need to provide all of the following items, submitted to the Foundation as one complete package:
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Completed, current year application form
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Documented evidence of your organization being a private, non-profit, federal tax-exempt organization or a qualifying public entity (e.g., 501[c] or 170[b], etc.), i.e. 501c3 Tax Determination Letter
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Anticipated budget and timeline for the project or program
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Current Statement of Activities & Statement of Financial Position
4. Depending on the grant amount, you may be asked to also provide some of the following:
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Audited Financial Statements for the most recent 3 years
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IRS Form 990 for the most recent 3 years
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Annual Reports for the most recent 3 years
5. Please send your organization's completed application package to the Foundation no later than the deadline. Upon receipt, your application will be reviewed to ensure it is complete for the Board of Trustees' review and possible approval at their next meeting. If your application package is incomplete, your organization will be notified as soon as possible.