STRENGTH Grant Round Guidelines

2007 - 2009 Focus: Early Childhood Education

This grant round is focused on organizations whose mission includes providing educational/developmental services to children 0-5 and their families in order to help prepare young children for life long learning. Preference may be given to organizations that include services or programs directed at children who are English Language Learners. Organizations should be based and operating in Santa Clara and/or San Mateo Counties.

Applicants must be qualified 501(c)3 organizations. The annual budget or organizations or programs must be between $250,000 and $6.5M.

General STRENGTH Grant Guidelines:

  • SV2 has one STRENGTH grant round annually, which lasts from January to June.
  • STRENGTH Grant Recipients Must:
    • Address the SV2 focus area for that round.
    • Seek to grow strategically and strengthen their operations in order to more significantly impact the community and the clients they serve.
    • Seek to address internal issues and make systemic changes. Resulting changes will likely affect external activities.
    • Have a plan to evaluate their programs and measure results.
    • Have strong leadership, visionary ideas and community impact.
  • STRENGTH Grants Support:
    • Activities that change and/or strengthen the way non-profits do business, which may include, but are not limited to, creating new revenue streams, different service delivery systems or community relations; collaborations; taking operations to bigger scale; and/or overhauling internal systems.
    • Activities to improve organizational effectiveness such as using consultants, adding staff, new technology, board and staff training, and planning.
  • A total grant of up to $150,000 will be paid incrementally over three years based upon the financial needs of the organization to implement changes and provided specific benchmarks are achieved annually. Grantees work with SV2 members to best deploy the resources.
  • STRENGTH Grants are by invitation only . No unsolicited proposals will be accepted. Organizations must be classified as non-profit 501(c)(3) public charities and must provide service in Santa Clara and/or San Mateo Counties.
  • STRENGTH Grants are not given to a non-profit more than once. Nonprofits receiving a STRENGTH grant are eligible to apply to Silicon Valley Community Foundation for a Community Investment Grant but are NOT eligible to apply for an Organizational Effectiveness Grant until the STRENGTH grant period is completed.