GGS Foundation

Building self-reliance in children and youth

Annual Grant Reports
2008 | 2007 | 2006 [ PDF format]

Grantmaking Guidelines
updated 08/01/08

GGS Foundation was established in 1992 with the mission to build a better future by supporting individuals and families to become healthy, compassionate, and responsible. The foundation supports community-based, non-profit organizations building self-reliance in at-risk or disadvantaged children and youth in San Francisco and, to a lesser extent, Marin County.

The Foundation’s main focus areas are:

Promoting basic literacy for elementary school aged children;
Preventing substance abuse and promoting healthy living for middle and high school aged children and youth;
Building vocational and workplace skills for middle and high school aged youth.

Programs should focus on giving youth in need the skills necessary to become physically and mentally healthy, educated, and able to access resources within themselves and within their communities. The foundation prioritizes organizations that employ sound youth development practices in their work.

GGS Foundation does not make grants to individuals, endowments, events, annual appeals, videos, medical research, capital campaigns, and conferences. The foundation only supports non-sectarian programs.

The Board meets two times each year (spring and fall) to make grants.

The Foundation will accept proposals for the April 2010 meeting from Monday, January 11 through Monday, January 25, 2010.

The Foundation encourages submission of proposals and attachments by email. For those submitting by email, the proposal and required attachments should be emailed in PDF format only. Please send your proposal to Fiona Barrett at fbarrett@pfs-llc.net. If you do not receive an email within 24 hours confirming that your proposal has been received, please contact Fiona at (415) 561-6540 x221. Please note that you do not need to provide paper copies if you submit your proposal by email.

The Foundation will also accept a proposal submitted by mail as long as it is postmarked on or before January 25, 2010.

To ensure that the Foundation is able to support a broad spectrum of organizations, the Board prefers that two full years elapse between grants. Proposals should be for a specific amount.

Proposals must include the following:

Cover letter, on organization letterhead with address and phone number, including a brief summary of the request and a list of attachments (not more than one page)
Proposal narrative (not to exceed 5 pages)
- Concise description of the organization (not more than two pages)
  - Relevant history
  - Mission
  - Geography and populations served
  - Overview of programs
- Description of the project (not more than three pages)
  - Need
  - Purpose, goals
  - Timeline
  - Project budget, including secured and projected sources of funding
Financial statement, including actual revenue and expenses for the organization’s most recently completed fiscal year
Organizational budget for the present year, detailing proposed expenditures and projected sources of funding (not more than two pages)
Funder Worksheets for the organization as a whole and the program/project (if applicable). Please send this document as a Word document, not a PDF
List of the Board of Directors, with affiliations
Copy of the agency's IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt determination letter

The GGS Foundation is committed to minimizing its impact on the environment. Please clasp the proposal materials with a single binder clip; do not use staples. Do not send audio-visual materials, binders, folders, or pamphlets unless requested.

Receipt of proposals will be acknowledged with a written response within a reasonable period of time. Should additional information be required, applicants will be contacted.

Please direct all questions and proposals to:

Eric L. Sloan
Senior Program Officer
GGS Foundation
esloan@pfs-llc.net
1660 Bush Street, Suite 300
San Francisco, California
94109
(415) 561-6540 ext. 205
(415) 561-6477 (FAX)

Grant Report Form