Applications Open, Rolling Due Date

Note: If you began a Resilience Fund Grant application in 2021 but have not submitted it yet, Community Foundation Staff will be happy to support you in transitioning your work to the new process.  

Resilience Fund Grants Purpose and Overview

The Resilience Fund was established in late 2020 to, “further address the impacts of COVID-19, bolster our region’s long-term efforts to rebuild, respond to emerging opportunities, help nonprofits adapt, and support creative new approaches and partnerships that would ideally benefit our communities well beyond recovery.”

To uphold this purpose in 2022, we are committed to approaching Resilience Fund grants with a flexible and open mindset. We understand that some in our communities continue to face challenges caused by COVID-19, while many more are addressing needs and challenges that existed well before 2020 but were amplified or made worse through the pandemic. Others face the challenge of continuing to strengthen our communities in a pandemic-changed social and economic environment still undergoing frequent and unpredictable shifts. Efforts to recover and rebuild must share space with the reality that COVID-19 is still with us.

Recognizing this, the Resilience Fund will continue to be guided by a grantmaking framework that balances the need to learn and adapt with the need to act. We have made the full grantmaking framework available HERE, both for transparency and to invite community feedback. If you have questions, comments, or would like individual support, please contact Daisha Versaw at daisha@thecommunityfoundation.com.

Program Details

• Grant applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and evaluated quarterly (schedule below).
• Most grant awards will range from $2,500 - $30,000.
• Some requests (those over $10,000, for example) may require additional narrative or budget information after initial review.
• The Resilience Fund has raised $900,000 to date. In 2021, we funded 31 Resilience Fund grants for a total of $512,076. We are still accepting donations to this fund and will continue to operate the grant program until funding is exhausted.

WANT TO HELP BUILD THIS FUND? DONATIONS FROM THE COMMUNITY ARE WELCOME!

Program Priorities

In reviewing grant proposals, the Community Foundation will consider the following elements to prioritize limited funding:

Geography: We will consider proposals that fill crucial needs in our area (Thurston, Mason, and Lewis counties) and demonstrate a strong connection to our local communities. We will prioritize proposals from organizations headquartered here.

Equity: We will seek to ensure that funds are invested as equitably as possible by prioritizing the needs of underserved populations, communities, and geographic areas; and/or prioritizing people and organizations disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

Impact: We will prioritize applications that bolster community strength and long-term local resilience, including applications that address one or more of the following:

• Provide crucial services or meet urgent needs  
• Fill gaps in COVID-recovery left out of the public sector response
• Support multiple, deep, or interconnected local needs
• Expand services or improve capacity to better impact the community
• Address needs related to our current insights (including support for children & youth, equity & inclusion, housing, mental health, technology, social connection & civic engagement—more details on these insights in our framework HERE).

Innovation and Collaboration: We will seek to fund organizations that are adapting, innovating, and responding to changes in our social and economic environment; working with other organizations to do more than they can do alone; or making other changes to better serve the long-term health, well-being, and resilience of our communities.

Accountability: We will prioritize services that are designed appropriately for the communities they serve and organizations that engage meaningfully with the perspectives of those most affected by the issues they seek to address.

Due Dates and Timeline

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed on the following timeline:

Eligibility

The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound generally makes grants to 501(c)(3) “public charities” that serve Thurston, Mason, and Lewis County residents.

NOT ELIGIBLE:

• Organizations that discriminate based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, presence of a disability, age, status as a veteran, national origin, or any other protected classes.
• Organizations with fewer than three board members
• Individuals
• Partisan political activities
• Religious organizations when funds would be used in whole or in part to further the organization’s religious purposes
• National and statewide organizations that cannot demonstrate a strong, local, community-based presence in Thurston, Mason, or Lewis County
• Re-granting organizations, service clubs, and service club foundations
• Schools, school districts, PTOs, preschools, daycare centers, camps, clubs, and sports teams/clubs

EXCEPTIONS:

‍We will accept applications from organizations with a regional or statewide geography if the organization acknowledges that 100% of grant funds will be used toward filling a crucial and otherwise unmet need in Thurston, Mason, and/or Lewis County. We will accept applications for programs run by religious organizations if the program meets a crucial and otherwise unmet need in the community and does not require religious participation. Organizations that offer childcare, including camps, whose applications demonstrate robust or inclusive programming or service to underserved populations may apply. If your organization or group is not a 501(c)(3), you must secure a fiscal sponsor or obtain prior approval to apply from our Director of Community Programs (daisha@thecommunityfoundation.com).

Organizations that qualify for one of these exceptions must meet all other 2022 Resilience Fund requirements.

Nondiscrimination Policy

The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disabilities, age, status as a veteran, national origin, or any other protected classes.  

‍Grant applicants must hold similar standards in the provision of services.

Most Grants Will Be Unrestricted

Rather than being tied to a specific project or program, unrestricted grants allow grantees to use funds flexibly as they see fit to fulfill their mission and reach their goals. This could mean funding a program or project, or it could mean funding salaries and overhead, technology, or a marketing campaign. It may even mean funding a change of plans, especially in times of uncertainty— something 2020-2021 have demonstrated so well.

Organizations serving different populations and addressing diverse needs and opportunities will vary in how they build resilience. For some, resilience might mean a small training or technical assistance. For others it may look like an ambitious community initiative or collaboration.

We kept the application simple but left the funding range broad ($2,500-$30,000) to accommodate a wide variety of requests. However, for larger requests ($10,000 or more), we may follow up to request more narrative detail or additional budget information so that our evaluation committee can understand the scope of your plans or the reasoning behind that deeper investment. If you are unsure about the amount or have any questions as you make your request, please contact our staff. We are here to support however we can.

Contact Us

We welcome and encourage questions and feedback regarding the Resilience Fund and other programs. To discuss community needs and opportunities, ask questions about our grantmaking framework, confirm eligibility, get clarity on our priorities, or discuss the specifics of your proposal, please contact Daisha Versaw at daisha@thecommunityfoundation.com.

Ready Begin Your Application?