THE CARLISLE FOUNDATION
For years now, New England nonprofits have turned to the Carlisle Foundation for support for highly innovative programs that promote the health and well- being of children and families. Over the past five years, Carlisle has awarded an average of $1.5 million in grants annually to a wide variety of programs, with a specific focus on youth development, community organizing, and entrepreneurship. Highly competitive, Carlisle grants have been awarded to only the most innovative, cutting-edge programs. This year, that all comes to an end. In 2008, Carlisle's grant-making program will be eliminated. No new concept papers or proposals are being accepted. According to their website, "The foundation will remain operational through 2008 to service existing grants, to provide consultation to prior grant recipients and other grant seeking organizations, and to continue the process of evaluating our twenty-year experience. It is expected that a series of papers and monographs will result and these will be posted on the web site."Carlisle Foundation
THE YAWKEY FOUNDATIONS
If you've never heard of the Yawkey Foundations, it's probably a safe bet that you're not a die-hard Red Sox fan either. And if you happen to be both a Red Sox fan and a grant writer (hello, that would be me!), it's a sure bet that you've pondered, and maybe even applied to, the Yawkey Foundation. Best known as longtime owners of the Boston Red Sox for more than six decades, Tom and Jean Yawkey were also well known philanthropists, supporting myriad human services, educational organizations, environmental causes, and arts and cultural groups. With the 2002 sale of the Boston Red Sox, the Trustees of the Yawkey Foundations acquired considerable funding to carry on Tom and Jean Yawkey's legacy, and since then, the Yawkey Foundations have awarded more than $180 million to a broad range of organizations. Today, Yawkey Foundation I and Yawkey Foundation II oversee a giving program that topped $27 million in 2006. They invite proposals from New England nonprofits, with the average award for new grantees at $25,000. Sounds great, right? Well . . . don't jump just yet. It turns out that Yawkey Foundation I primarily supports the work of the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center in South Carolina and does not accept unsolicited proposals. And while Yawkey Foundation II (the larger of the foundations), does provide support to child, youth and family programs (among others) and does accept unsolicited proposals, in actuality the vast majority of programs they fund are located in Boston. In 2006, only a handful of grants were awarded to groups in other New England communities and in a few other locations around the country, all with replicable, national impact programs. There's no question that the Yawkey Foundation is generous to organizations they decide to fund - but no matter how devoted a Red Sox fan you may be, if you're not in Boston, your chances of securing a grant are extremely slim. If you are in Boston, go for it! (For more information, visit their website.)
Oh, and while we're on the subject, the current Red Sox ownership also runs a foundation (not to be confused with The Yawkey Foundations) that primarily funds Boston-based organizations, many of which work with disadvantaged youth. They also have a special funding stream for children who live in New England's group homes. Yawkey Foundation
THE LUMINA FOUNDATION
Over the past several years, the Lumina Foundation has emerged among youth serving organizations as a new star on the national
grantmaking scene. In addition to having a reputation for supporting programs that increase positive outcomes for young people,
what's particularly appealing about Lumina is that their average grant size in 2006 was $238,000 and their median grant was $100,000.
What's more, as a new, emerging foundation, their rate of rejection - about 75% - is better than the average foundation rate of rejection
of about 86%. But before you notify your CEO about this fabulous new prospect, it's worth taking a closer look. Founded seven years ago, Lumina
is an Indiana-based private foundation that focuses its grant-making on expanding access to postsecondary education in the U.S. According to Lumina's
guidelines, this focus includes research, practices that improve rates of entry and success in education beyond high school, and improved opportunities
for youth and adult learners. According to Lumina's President, their focus is simple and straightforward: "Improving college access and success
- that's what we do, what we have always done." Youth service organizations should note, in particular, that the vast majority of the 174 agencies
Lumina funded in 2006 were community colleges, universities, national or regional organizations, and public policy groups. In addition, 35 grants were
directed to their fund for Indiana-based programs. In actuality, Lumina awarded less than 20 grants to local, community-based programs, most in urban areas
such as Los Angeles, Boston, and New York City. All of these programs were highly innovative and replicable. In addition, Lumina favors programs with strong
evaluation components, where work is guided by careful research and assessment. If, after all that, you still think this funder is for you, visit their website
(link below) for guidelines and information.
Lumina Foundation
THE RUDDIE MEMORIAL YOUTH FOUNDATION
If the name of this foundation doesn’t immediately grab your attention, then you’re probably not working in a youth-service
organization! A private foundation that “aims to identify and implement innovative and effective ways to help youth reach their full potential,
” Ruddie Memorial Youth Foundation awards evaluation and replication grants to small- or medium- sized nonprofit organizations with operating
budgets of less than $5 million. Evaluation grants, which range from $5,000-$30,000, enable agencies to assess the impact of their programs and
identify best practices. For agencies that take evaluation seriously, this may be a dream come true. But before you call your local evaluator with
the good news, keep in mind that Ruddie funds only a dozen or so agencies each year, which means a lot of competition. (And now that we’ve highlighted it,
expect even more.) And don’t think you can throw together any old evaluation approach. First, your youth service program needs to be highly innovative
and potentially replicable. And the accompanying evaluation should be a sophisticated exploration of project level outcomes, including how and why the
program works and in what circumstances. One last thing – don’t be immediately put off by Ruddie’s geographic parameters (San Francisco, Boston, DC
and Milwaukee). The foundation defines those areas very broadly (just type in your zip code at their website to find out if you are eligible). While
Burlington VT is outside their area, towns in Western Massachusetts may still apply.
Who they've funded in the past...
ROSIE'S FOR ALL KIDS FOUNDATION
At least half a dozen times each year, when the subject of funding for children's programs comes up in a staff or board meeting,
I hear someone mention the Rosie's For All Kids Foundation as a great prospect. (The Yawkey Foundation is another favorite topic
of conversation, but I'll cover that in a future issue.) Keep in mind, however, that "for all kids" does not mean "for all kinds
of programs for kids." Rosie's For All Kids Foundation supports very specific programs and activities: 1) early childcare programs
(through tuition subsidies, small equipment upgrades, and playground construction); 2) staff development (curriculum training and
education leading to Associates or Bachelor's degrees for childcare workers); 3) and playground construction. Rosie's also supports
the establishment of Cutie Patootie Centers, daycare programs that serve low- income families and which are created through the expansion
of a building, the renovation of a newly purchased building, or the construction of a new building on a vacant site. Awards for the
Early Childhood Care & Education grants typically range between $15,000 and $30,000 while Cutie Patootie grants range up to $250,000
over several years. One final thought to keep in mind - each year, this foundation receives 2,500 requests and awards only
about 40 Early Childhood Care & Education grants and 3-4 Cutie Patootie grants. That's less than a 2% chance of being awarded!
But if you're not daunted by any of that, go for it!
For more information...