Apply for a Grant

The Goodman Family Foundation utilizes a two-step process. The first step is to submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) before the appropriate deadline. Our Board of Directors will review your Letter of Inquiry and will contact you, after the board meets, to let you know if it is appropriate to submit a grant proposal. If you are invited to submit a grant proposal, we will give you a deadline of approximately one month to make that submission.

We make grants to nonprofits doing work in California (Bay Area) and Oregon (Greater Portland area). We make grants for general support and for specific projects. We do not make grants to religiously affiliated organizations nor to organizations that have a religious curriculum. We do not make grants to individuals. We are not currently accepting applications for international work. Our typical grant size is $5,000.

Our Board selects new grant focuses in each of our four categories (Arts & Culture, Education, Environment, and Health & Human Services) yearly so please visit our website regularly. We select our focuses approximately one year in advance of a grant award.

2012 Grant Focuses and Deadlines

Spring grant cycle 2012 (grants made in May/June timeframe) - LOI must be received by January 13th, 2012: Accepting LOIs from nonprofit's requesting grants in the following two focus areas:

Arts & Culture: The Foundation wishes to support nonprofits that create opportunities for classical music performances or competitions by high school or college students who have the potential to become professional musicians.

Education: The Foundation wishes to encourage internships at nonprofits for college undergraduate or graduate students (grants paid out in June 2012 may be utilized for summer 2013 internships as needed). Examples: Organizations with programs that place college students at various nonprofits; A nonprofit that wishes to hire a college intern for a specific project.

Fall grant cycle 2012 (grants made in October/November timeframe) - LOI must be received by June 1st, 2012: We are accepting LOIs from nonprofit's requesting grants in the following two focus areas:

Environment: The Foundation is focused on supporting efforts in two different areas this year: 1) Continued support for marine spatial planning and in Oregon and California, 2) Territorial sea plan work in Oregon and, 3) Support work to improve the San Francisco Bay estuary ecosystem through science-based research, restoration, and protection work in California.

Health & Human Services: The Foundation is focused on improving access to affordable, healthful foods through: community and school gardens, farm to school programs, nutrition and cooking classes for low-income populations, and healthy corner store initiatives.

Apply for a Grant

2012 Grant Focuses and Deadlines

Next: How to Submit an LOI