For its Fall grant cycle, the Foundation has decided to try something different: Instead of funding a specific focus (such as environmental education or historical preservation) and giving out multiple grants to a variety of organizations, the Foundation will award one organization the lump sum of $100,000.
Because of the large amount of the award, the Foundation wants to make sure that this money will be given to the organization that can not only put the money to the best use, but can also wisely handle such a large influx of cash. In order to do this, we will be breaking the application process down into two steps.
Step One: Fill out a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) and submit it to the Foundation no later than Friday, August 30. The Letter of Inquiry contains questions about your proposed project and the budget for this project. This Letter of Inquiry can be accessed online, through our website, or you can request a copy either emailed or snail mailed to you by emailing tcowenhoven@bakersfield.com or calling (661) 395-7290.
Everyone is invited to fill out this Letter of Inquiry, so long as the organization they represent is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that serves Kern County.
Step Two: If we are intrigued by your letter of inquiry, you will be invited to apply and will need to submit a completed application. We will contact you on Monday, September 16 and invite you to fill out an application. The application is due Friday, October 18.
The Foundation’s Board will meet, as usual, in November, to review the applications and decide which organization and project will be awarded the $100,000.
Tips:
• The Foundation would prefer to fund a capital project rather than operating expenses. Ideally, this request is for a dream project, the answer to the question: What you would do if money was no object or your organization received (an almost) blank check?
• The budget is one of the major factors in our decision-making — the more detailed the information, the better.
• In an effort not to overburden applicants, the Foundation has tried to keep these initial questions to a minimum. If we have further questions, we will contact you.
Good luck!
Bakersfield Californian Foundation 