Foundation Awards $250,000 in Fall Grant Cycle

The Foundation’s two-part Fall Cycle came to a close with a bang: Not only did we award one Kern County nonprofit $100,000, but we also gave away three $50,000 grant awards! In addition, we also offered matching grants to two other organizations. There were just too many compelling programs to stick to our original plan of donating one $100,000 grant award and one $50,000 grant award.

$50,000: The three $50,000 winners and their winning projects are:

• Art, Science & Technology Educational Corporation of Tehachapi for their Joint STEAM Center and 4-H Facility.

• Bakersfield ARC for their Innovative Education Program for the Developmentally Disabled.

• Mercy Foundation-Bakersfield dba Friends of Mercy Foundation for their Community Wellness Center Kitchen Classroom.

$100,000: Our $100,000 grant award winner was the Alliance Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault. The award will fund their Shelter Rehabilitation project.

The two matching grant award offers were given to the Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Foundation and the Tejon Ranch Conservancy.

It was quite the cycle and we  want to thank all the Kern County nonprofits who made it possible.

16 Finalists Made it to Foundation’s Second Round

The second half of the Foundation’s two-part fall grant cycle has begun! We narrowed it down from the 60-plus Letters of Inquiry we received and invited 16 Kern County nonprofits to proceed to the second round — 10 organizations are competing for the $50,000 grant award, while six are competing for the $100,000 grant award.

This second and final application is due Friday, October 17. The Foundation Board will meet Friday, November 14, to deliberate and award both the $50,000 and $100,000 grant awards.

Below, are the organizations selected and the projects for which they are requesting funding.

$50,000 grant award

1) Art, Science & Technology Educational Corporation of Tehachapi: Joint STEAM Center and 4-H Facility
2) Bakersfield ARC: Innovative Education Program for the Developmentally Disabled
3) California State University, Bakersfield Foundation: Walter Stiern Library — Historical Research Center
4) Center of the World Festival, Inc.: Connecting Community Through Low Power FM Radio
5) Goodwill Industries of South Central California: Success Center
6) Kern County Library Foundation: STEMtastic
7) Maturango Museum: Exhibit Gallery
8) Mercy Foundation-Bakersfield dba Friends of Mercy Foundation: Community Wellness Center Kitchen Classroom
9) New Advances for People with Disabilities (NAPD): Access to Fine Arts and Dreams
10) Tejon Ranch Conservancy: 12-plus Passenger 4X4 Ecotourism Vehicle

$100,000 grant award

1) Alliance Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault: Shelter Rehabilitation
2) Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Foundation: Human Patient Simulation Technology — SimMan3G
3) Bakersfield Museum of Art: Event Room Enhancement & Garden Integration
4) California Living Museum (CALM): Interpretative Signage
5) California Veterans Assistance Foundation, Inc.: Park 20^th Support Project
6) Girl Scouts of Central California South: Girl Scouts on the Go

Part One of Fall Cycle Finished

 The Letter of Inquiry phase of the Foundation’s Fall Cycle is now closed. We will notify all of our applicants on Monday, September 15 if they have been invited to move on and apply for either the $50,000 or $100,000 grant. The finalists of both grant awards will be listed here, as well. Stay tuned!

$50,000 FALL 2014 GRANT CYCLE ANNOUNCED

For its Fall, 2014 cycle, the Foundation is doing something different: Instead of funding a specific focus (such as literacy or animal welfare), and giving out multiple grants to a variety of organizations, the Foundation will award one organization the lump sum of $50,000.

The Foundation wants to make sure this money is given to the organization that will be able to put this large grant award to the best use. 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 29. 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 under the Apply page tab, or you can request a copy either emailed or snail mailed to you by emailing tcowenhoven@bakersfield.com or calling (661) 395-7290. The Letter of Inquiry is also posted below.

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 15 and invite you to fill out an application. That application is due Friday, October 17.

The Foundation’s Board will meet, as usual, in November, to review the applications and decide which organization and project will be awarded $50,000.

Tips:

• The Foundation would prefer to fund a capital project or large purchase rather than operating expenses (such as salaries, etc).

• 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!

 

$50,000 Fall 2014 Letter of Inquiry

 

Name of Organization__________________________________

Proposed Project ______________________________________

Mailing Address: P. O. Box or Street_________________________

City_________________State ______ Zip__________________

Contact Person__________________Title__________________

Phone Number ______________ Email Address______________

Website Address, if applicable____________________________

 

• Briefly describe the proposed project. In particular, please discuss how the $50,000 grant award will be utilized.

 

• How does the proposed project reflect the organization’s mission/core values?

 

• Please describe how the success of the proposed project will be measured.

 

• List any other funding sources and in-kind contributions that the project currently has or will attract.

 

• Please attach/include a detailed budget of the proposed project and a copy of your organization’s 501(c)3 form.

 

All information in this application is accurate and the facts reflect the organization and/or project I represent.

 

_____________________________________
Signature & Title

$100,000 FALL 2014 GRANT CYCLE ANNOUNCED

For its Fall, 2014 cycle, the Foundation is repeating its $100,000 grant award. Here’s how it works: Instead of funding a specific focus (such as literacy or animal welfare), and giving out multiple grants to a variety of organizations, the Foundation will award one organization the lump sum of $100,000.

 The Foundation wants to make sure this money is given to the organization that will be able to put this large grant award to the best use. 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 29. 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 under the Apply page tab, or you can request a copy either emailed or snail mailed to you by emailing tcowenhoven@bakersfield.com or calling (661) 395-7290. The Letter of Inquiry is also posted below.

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 15 and invite you to fill out an application. That application is due Friday, October 17.

The Foundation’s Board will meet, as usual, in November, to review the applications and decide which organization and project will be awarded $100,000.

Tips:

 • The Foundation would prefer to fund a capital project or large purchase rather than operating expenses (such as salaries, etc).

• 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!

 

$100,000 Fall 2014 Letter of Inquiry

 

Name of Organization___________________________________

Proposed Project ______________________________________

Mailing Address: P. O. Box or Street__________________________

City_________________State ______ Zip__________________

Contact Person__________________Title___________________

Phone Number ______________ Email Address_______________

Website Address, if applicable______________________________

 

• Briefly describe the proposed project. In particular, please discuss how the $100,000 grant award will be utilized.

 

• How does the proposed project reflect the organization’s mission/core values?

 

• Please describe how the success of the proposed project will be measured.

 

• List any other funding sources and in-kind contributions that the project currently has or will attract.

 

• Please attach/include a detailed budget of the proposed project and a copy of your organization’s 501(c)3 form.

 

All information in this application is accurate and the facts reflect the organization and/or project I represent.

 

_____________________________________
Signature & Title

We’ve been busy!

The Foundation wrapped up its spring cycle on Friday, May 16, when we awarded 14 Kern County nonprofits focused on animal welfare a combined total of $211,325. [Click here to see the list of organizations and to learn about the programs that were funded.]

But the Foundation has been up to other things, as well. Below is a list of the local nonprofits we have awarded grants to in 2014. It has been a very busy year so far!

• $150,000 to the Kern County Museum for their new Orientation/Research Center.
• $50,000 to the Bakersfield Homeless Center, part of a matching grant.
• $36,000 to the Boys & Girls Club for a van to help transport students to their after-school programs.
• $15,000 to Lightwave Education for their summer enrichment program.
• $15,000 to Ready to Start for their summer preschool program.
• $15,000 to Keep Bakersfield Beautiful for supplies and improvements at two Bakersfield community gardens, one on 405 Eye Street, the other on 5224 Jonah Street.
• $5,000 to Healing Horses & Armed Forces for their yoga/art therapy room.
• $5,000 for Kern Valley Tutoring’s summer tutoring sessions.
• $5,000 to the California State Old-Time Fiddlers Association, District 3, to help sponsor their 38th annual “Fiddlin’ Down the Tracks” Fiddle Contest.
• $4,000 for Kern Agricultural Foundation scholarships.
• $4,000 to First Book Bakersfield to purchase new books for underprivileged school children.
• $3,500 to the Bakersfield College Foundation to help sponsor the recent Jane Goodall presentation
• $3,200 for scholarships to the College Dream Fund.
• $2,710 to the Ridge Route Communities Museum & Historical Society for preservative to seal outdoor wood surfaces, as well as materials to resurface a handicap parking space, and a computer program to record the museum’s collection.
• $2,476.97 to the South High Athletic Booster Club for improvements to their wrestling training room.

One more thing: The Foundation plans to hold another $100,000 grant cycle this Fall. We will announce the particulars sometime in August.

Spring Grant Cycle open

It’s official: The Foundation’s spring grant cycle has begun!

This cycle’s focus will be on animal welfare. Any 501(c)3 nonprofits focused on improving the lives of Kern County animals are welcome to apply. Special consideration will be given to nonprofits that partner or collaborate on a project with other nonprofits engaged in animal welfare causes.

Applications can be accessed through our website. Scroll down to the bottom of the page; from there you can either print out the application or apply directly online.

Along with the application, our website offers tips for prospective applicants. A clear, precise budget is one of the biggest factors the Foundation’s board considers when making a decision. In addition, we are always interested in how many people — or animals, in this case — will be impacted by the proposed project, as well as whether the project has other funding or in-kind contributions (such as donated items, services or volunteers).

The application is due Friday, April 11.

The Foundation board will meet on Friday, May 16, to review the applications. Applicants will be notified later that day if they have been awarded funding.

Good luck!

All About Animals

For our 2014 spring grant cycle, the Foundation has decided to focus on nonprofits working to improve the lives of Kern County animals. Animal welfare has always been a core interest of the Foundation’s, and the need in this area is certainly great. 

We were particularly inspired by the philosophy behind the PetCo Foundation, which they define as the four “Rs”: Reduce (spay and neutering); Rescue (fostering and adoptions); Rehabilitate (both people and animals); and Rejoice (celebrating the healing power of animals). Hopefully the Foundation will be able to touch on some – if not all – of the 4 “R”s in our own grant focus.

Here are some tentative dates related to our upcoming spring grant cycle:
        •Monday, March 3 — Open up grant cycle and announce specific grant parameters.
        •Friday, April 11 — Grant applications due.
        •sometime in mid-May — Foundation board meets to deliberate, with the grant awards announced shortly thereafter.

Check back for more updates as we get closer to the start of the spring cycle.

$100,000 Grant Award Announced

The Foundation has awarded $100,000 to The Salvation Army, Tehachapi Service Center. The grant will fund the creation of a Community Center. This center will be a gathering place for youth, adults and community groups and will include an Internet café-style communal area, modeled specifically after Starbucks. It will include tables, large comfy couches, and a counter for laptops and access to the Internet, along with a reading room with eReaders. (See attached photo for the proposed location of this café.)

The project will also include the creation of a 15 x 40 patio area, which will include badminton and croquet, as well as a barbeque area.

The Salvation Army included 8 letters of support for this project, from a variety of community members, and that, along with their active volunteer base, made the foundation’s board feel that the $100,000 grant would be well-utilized. 

Congratulations to The Salvation Army and to all of our amazing grant finalists!

An Invitation to Apply for $100,000

The second and final phase of our fall, 2013 grant cycle has begun. Out of the 26 Letter of Inquiries we received, we selected seven Kern County nonprofits to apply for the $100,00 grant award.

The seven semi-finalists are:

• Bakersfield Homeless Shelter

• Bakersfield SPCA

• Boys & Girls Club of Kern County

• Critters Without Litters

• Girl Scouts of Central California South

• Kern County Museum Foundation

• Salvation Army, Tehachapi Service Center

The final application is due Monday, October 18. The Foundation’s board will meet on Friday, November 8 to deliberate on who should be awarded the $100,000 grant.

We received many compelling LOIs (Letter of Inquiries); narrowing it down to seven was very difficult. There are a lot of great nonprofits doing wonderful things here in Kern County.