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(Page last updated
May 16, 2013)
The mission of The W.L.S. Spencer Foundation is to
fund activities, anywhere in the world, which foster new and innovative
ideas in education. We hope the initiatives we fund embrace and encourage
creativity and risk taking.
We like the leverage that arises from seed grants,
challenge grants and matching grants.
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Arts: We fund
the educational activities, publications and outreach associated with
innovative art and/or contemporary art exhibitions, especially those
focusing on contemporary Asian Art. We are interested in projects
that encourage knowledge about art and culture, foster international
understanding, and are supported by academic scholarship.
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Education:
We fund programs that are innovative and that motivate children to
stay in school, do well academically and continue their education
beyond high school (to college or other higher education opportunities).
In this area, we may continue to fund programs that we believe in,
and we may fund replication of a successful program in a new site.
We tend to fund programs that are national or regional in nature,
but which have a chapter in San Francisco. The foundation does not
fund individual schools.
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We will not fund individuals, films,
or events.
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We will not fund an organization
based outside of the United States unless it has 501(c)(3) status
in the U.S. or is affiliated with an organization that does.
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We only fund endowment at the discretion
of the board; proposals are not accepted for this purpose.
Grant seekers should send a one page letter of inquiry
on the organization’s letterhead, with contact information (name,
email address) describing the:
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proposed project
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purposes and activities of the sponsoring
agency
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estimated budget of the organization
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total amount of funding needed for
the project
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amount requested from the Foundation
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information about other sources of
support, both assured and requested
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approximate starting date and duration
of the proposed activities
When a letter of inquiry reflects most
closely the Foundation's purposes, we will request a full proposal.
(Please note: The Foundation
does not accept unsolicited grant proposals—please send a letter
of inquiry first.)
There is no grant application form, but the proposal
should include:
Description of the Project
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An explanation of the relationship
of the proposed project to the Foundation's mission statement and
to the mission and programs of your organization.
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A description of the proposed work
and how it will be conducted, with clearly stated objectives.
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A description of the people and groups
the project is to serve.
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An outline of the results you expect
to have achieved by the end of the funding period, and a description
of how you will measure the project's effectiveness.
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A detailed project budget, that also
shows other sources of funding and the amount requested from the Foundation.
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Most recent audited financial statements
and a breakdown of present means of organizational support including
public and private sources.
IRS 501(c)3 Letter
Please send the Letter of Inquiry or the Proposal
and the attachments by email to:
Mary Gregory
Administrator
The W.L.S. Spencer Foundation
mgregory@pfs-llc.net
If there are other materials that you feel are important
to send, you can mail those to:
Mary Gregory
Administrator
The W.L.S. Spencer Foundation
1660 Bush St. #300
San Francisco, CA 94109
Foundation representatives try to meet with applicants
and visit project sites whenever possible. Often, we will want to see
the latest annual report. We may request additional information on matters
where we have questions. Since we are a small family foundation, we
have no deadlines for submitting applications, and we will respond to
requests as soon as we can.
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