Programs

Supporting and strengthening community-based pursuits of fairness and justice.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Mitchell Kapor Foundation do?

The Foundation was created as a private entity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Mitchell Kapor to support organizations and activism which address the conditions and dynamics of inequality. Our grants program funds organizations that work to ensure fairness and equity for vulnerable communities, primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area. We aim to support activities that improve social conditions for low-income communities and people of color.

We are also open to supporting community organizations that have never received funds from foundations or that have no or few major donors. For more information about the Foundation, please see the "About Us" section of our website.


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When was it founded?

1997


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Who manages the Foundation?

There is a five-person staff which conducts the initial research on funding requests and makes recommendations for targeted grants. The Board of Directors makes final grant decisions.


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What is the size of the Foundation’s endowment?

The current assets of the Mitchell Kapor Foundation total approximately $45 million.


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How many grants will the Foundation make in 2010? 

In 2010 we will be working with a set of key partner organizations identified by foundation staff.  We will also have limited opportunities for one-time special opportunity grants, technical assistance, and space usage.


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What are the Foundation’s main areas of focus?

Nearly all of our grant work focuses on environmental, educational, and civic issues; we have two targeted key areas:


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How do I submit a grant request?

The Foundation staff have identified key partner organizations with whom we're working. If your organization is not a key partner, please first determine your organization's eligibility and alignment with our priorities by reading our Guidelines. Then contact us to have a brief conversation about your intended work. If we feel it is a potentially good match, complete our online application by the stated deadline. If we’re interested in learning more about your request, we will ask you to submit supplemental information.

For technical assistance requests, please see our Assistance & Advising page.


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How can I continue working on an application I already started?

1. If you have not yet created a password, you will need to select the 'First time user? Click here to create your password' link located above the login box.
OR
If you have already registered, log in using the email address and password with which you already registered.
2. Review the information on the Welcome Page.
3. Click the 'Start a New Application' link at the bottom of the Welcome Page.


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If an answer has a 'character maximum', what characters are included?

The character limit includes:

  • space or punctuation mark - 1 character
  • a carriage return or blank line - 2 characters
  • special characters (single quote, double quote, apostrophes, $, &) pasted into the application from another program - 5 to 7 characters

Suggestion: If you cut and pasted your answer into the application, erase the special characters (mainly quotation marks, $, &) and retype them within the application. Then, they should only take up 1 character space.


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Is it possible to use the Foundation's facility for meetings and special events?

Yes, the Foundation does provide access to our facility for community-based organizations. For guidelines on using our facility and to submit a facility use request, see our Facility Use page.


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How does the Foundation identify key partner organizations?

Key partner organizations are those whose work is most closely aligned with our own as determined by a number of variables. Our assumption is that we will work with our key partners on an ongoing basis. Because of the scope of our work and size of our budget, we aren’t able to make multiyear grants, but we want to be clear about our intention to establish ongoing relationships with key partners in our three core program areas: Green Access, Voting Integrity and Civic Engagement, and the College Bound Brotherhood.


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Does the Foundation accept Letters of Intent (LOIs) ?

No.  The Foundation only accepts grant applications submitted according to our Guidelines and using our online application by the stated deadline. Sorry, we don't respond to paper requests.

Feel free to contact us if you'd like to discuss an idea before submitting a grant request.


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How does the Foundation solicit grant requests?

Because of the tremendous demand on our grant funds, we don't actively solicit grant requests other than through encouraging people we meet during the course of our work to check out our guidelines and application, which are easily available online. We also list our organizational information in various foundation/funder databases for grantseekers to access.


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Does the Foundation only fund San Francisco Bay Area programs?

Since we are headquartered in San Francisco, we prefer to fund Green Access projects that have an impact in the San Francisco Bay Area. We will fund VoICE requests from organizations working: a) in several states under a national umbrella, b) throughout the state of California, or c) in collaboration with San Francisco Bay Area organizations.


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Does the Foundation make international grants?

We currently only award grants to U.S.-based organizations.


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How long does the Foundation take to decide which grant requests to fund?

We’ve tried to design an efficient request process so that applicants initially hear from us within three weeks after a grant application deadline.


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How does the Foundation decide which grant requests to fund?

We closely consider each grant request by looking at how well it aligns with the Foundation’s vision, criteria, and areas of focus. We work with applicants to gather additional information that will help us to make the strongest choices. For more specific information, please see our Guidelines.


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Does the Foundation allow organizations to have concurrent or overlapping grants or to apply for more than one grant at the same time?


We do allow organizations to have more than one active grant at the same time.  However, we encourage all organizations to contact the relevant grants officer before applying for overlapping or multiple grants.


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How does the Foundation work with grantees after the grant is awarded?

We seek to establish transparent and trusting relationships with grant recipients and thus welcome regular communication between grants officers and grantee organizations.

In addition to our grants officers, the Grantee Advocate is available to help grantees build organizational capacity, problem solve, and connect with other organizations and resources in order to strengthen their work.

Please feel free to contact us.

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Why and how does the Foundation measure the outcome of a grant?

Measuring outcomes helps us evaluate how the grants that we make are impacting our targeted areas. Since each applicant must state their intended outcomes in the application process, we assess the impact of each grant against the attainment of those stated goals using Progress Reports and/or Final Reports. If required, Progress Reports are typically due halfway through a grant cycle. Final Reports, which are required of all grantees, are due one month after the end of a grant cycle. Grantees may access their progress and/or final reports via our CyberGrants system by clicking HERE. Please note that Progress/Final Reports are also called Impact Reports within CyberGrants.

While we do require grantees to self-define markers of progress and success, we also understand that the desired outcomes may change during the course of the grant. If you need to change your grant outcomes during a grant cycle, please contact the appropriate grants officer as soon as possible.


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When I log into CyberGrants, I cannot find a link to my Progress and/or Final Report. How do I submit my Progress and/or Final Report early?


Typically, we allow grantee organizations access to the Progress and Final Report forms one month before the Report due date.  For Progress Reports, due dates are one month after the grant mid-way point, and for Final Reports, one month after the end of the grant cycle. In order to allow grantee organizations to fill out the Report form early, Foundation staff must make some adjustments within the CyberGrants system. If you have any questions about the Report or need to access your Report early, please contact Tiffany Price. We recommend that you answer questions in an electronic document, and cut and paste those responses into our online form. For a sample fnal report form, please click HERE.


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Why do the targeted grants only focus on two areas?

The two focus areas have evolved during a decade of philanthropic and direct service work. These areas mirror the interests and values of our Board and reflect areas in which we believe we can have a meaningful impact.

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What if I want to apply for a grant for a project outside of your focus areas?

Sorry.  We do not accept grant applications for work outside of our focus areas.


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Are there any job openings or volunteer positions at the Foundation?

We operate with a small staff, and job openings are rare. Any available positions will always be listed on our blog.

If you're interested in volunteering, we're happy to talk with you. Please contact us.


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