Deadline: 19-Aug-21
The Collins Foundation is seeking applications for the Responsive Grantmaking, its oldest and largest program to support a broad range of issue areas across the state of Oregon.
The Collins Foundation seeks to be a diverse and inclusive organization and racial equity is a high priority in the grantmaking. Further, they promote inclusion for all communities that are systematically denied access to resources and the opportunity to make decisions on matters that affect them, particularly people of color, immigrants and refugees, people with disabilities, LGBTQ people, low-income individuals and families, and rural communities.
Funding Priorities
The Foundation is particularly encouraging of requests for general operating support right now to maximize flexibility as organizations seek to adapt to the rapidly escalating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- A central priority for the Foundation is to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion through the grantmaking. They are interested in supporting organizations at various stages in their pursuit of equity, and many successful applicants will have made efforts to learn about the root causes of social inequities and will have thought about how racial equity informs their work and operations.
- Each year, they award significant funding in the areas of arts and culture; child welfare and development; education; environmental protection; health equity; and a broad range of efforts to enhance community welfare.
- Grants are made in support of programs and projects, capacity building efforts, collaborations, capital projects, challenge match campaigns, and general operations.
- In considering applications for substantial projects, the Foundation prefers to participate with other contributors, and strongly encourages applicants to seek support from other sources to share in the total project. The Foundation prioritizes support for the implementation phase of projects over earlier planning stages, so requests for planning and research are generally not competitive.
- While, they have funded civic engagement, community organizing, and systems change work – particularly when it’s rooted in and led by communities that have been excluded from leadership roles – the IRS prohibits them from funding lobbying or voter registration activities. This resource from Bolder Advocacy is a good primer on the limits on private foundation support for advocacy.
- Particularly in the areas of health, housing, workforce development, and asset building, they focus their grants to benefit low-income communities.
- Grants are rarely made for sports or outdoor recreation programs, short term events, youth camping programs, and programs involving animals. If you’re considering applying in one of these areas, you should contact a program officer before starting your LOI.
- Grants are not made for development office personnel, marketing staff or activities, fundraising events, consumable goods for distribution to clients (e.g. food, clothing, school supplies), individual scholarships, endowments, operational deficits, financial emergencies, or debt retirement.
Funding Information
- The Foundation awards approximately $10,000,000 each year.
Eligibility Criteria
The Foundation review grant applications six times a year from organizations that meet the following requirements:
- Organizations with staff and leadership in Oregon and a proposed project or scope of work that directly benefits the residents of Oregon.
- Organizations that are committed to equal opportunity for all persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity, age, disability, or any other legally protected status.
- Organizations that either (a) have established their tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and are not “private foundations” as defined under section 509(a) of the Code; or (b) have tax exemption as a governmental, Tribal, or other publicly-funded entity; or (c) have a qualified, tax-exempt fiscal sponsor.
- Organizations that have current registration with the offices of the Oregon State Attorney General and the Secretary of State, as required by law.
- Organizations with at least four independent board members.
For more information, visit https://www.collinsfoundation.org/responsive-grantmaking-submission-guidelines