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Annual Grant Reports
IRS Form 990-PF Returns
2008 | 2007 | 2006 [Click to download Adobe Acrobat Reader PDF format]
*for previous years, please contact the office

Grantmaking Guidelines
updated 01/23/09

Introduction

We all know that the economy of our country is struggling, and that no one has escaped the effects of the downturn. Because of the drop in the value of the foundation’s assets, and because the foundation has made a number of multi-year commitments, the policy of the foundation is changing for 2009.

The foundation will ONLY consider grant requests for compelling needs within previously funded organizations. Agencies wishing to be considered should follow the Letter of Inquiry process detailed below.

Mission Statement

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.

Program Areas

  1. Arts: We fund the educational activities, publications and outreach associated with innovative art and/or contemporary art exhibitions. We are interested in projects that encourage knowledge about art and culture, foster international understanding, and are supported by academic scholarship.

  2. 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.

Restrictions

We will not fund individuals or events, and 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. We only fund endowment at the discretion of the board; proposals are not accepted for this purpose.

Guidelines for Submitting a Letter of Inquiry

Grant seekers should send a one page letter of inquiry describing the:

  • proposed project
  • purposes and activities of the sponsoring agency
  • estimated budget of the organization
  • total amount of funding needed for the project
  • amount requested from the Foundation
  • information about other sources of support, both assured and requested
  • 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.

Guidelines for Submitting a Formal 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

  • An explanation of the relationship of the proposed project to the Foundation's mission statement and to the mission and programs of your organization.
  • A description of the proposed work and how it will be conducted, with clearly stated objectives.
  • A description of the people and groups the project is to serve.
  • 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.

Financial Information

  • A detailed project budget, that also shows other sources of funding and the amount requested from the Foundation.
  • Most recent audited financial statements and a breakdown of present means of organizational support including public and private sources.
IRS 501(c)3 Letter
  • Copy of the agency's IRS 501(C)3 tax-exempt determination letter (required).

Send three (3) copies of the proposal and supporting materials to:

Mary Gregory
Administrator
The W.L.S. Spencer Foundation
1660 Bush Street, Suite 300
San Francisco, California 94109

Proposal Review Process

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.

Forms

Address

THE W.L.S. SPENCER FOUNDATION
Attn: Mary Gregory (mgregory@pfs-llc.net)
1660 Bush Street, Suite 300
San Francisco, California 94109
(415) 561-6540
(415) 561-6477 (FAX)
www.wlsspencerfoundation.org