Southern California Program

About this funding opportunity

Southern California Program Overview The Southern California Program has a broad mission to support projects in five areas: Arts and Culture, Civic and Community services, Early Childhood care and education, Health Care, and Pre-collegiate Education. Within these areas of interest, the Foundation seeks to promote the healthy development of children and youth, strengthen families, and enrich the lives of people in the region.

The Foundation prioritizes support for organizations that strengthen the resiliency of under-resourced communities in Los Angeles County. We place a special emphasis on projects that focus on children and youth from low-income families and special needs populations, including the developmentally disabled, foster children, and homeless families.

The Foundation supports capital projects, expansion of programs that are promising or part of a larger effort, piloting new models, and systems change initiatives. We award grants for projects that strategically address compelling issues and have the potential for significant impact on the target population, region, or field. Please see our grant awards for examples of recently funded projects.

The Southern California Program’s process consists of an optional concept review, an application, and an invitation-only site visit. Funding Guidelines

Please keep in mind the Southern California Program’s areas of interest and funding guidelines: We Fund Projects That: We Do Not Fund Projects that: Are consistent with the Foundation’s funding areas of interest Are for construction, renovation, and/or equipment Demonstrate organizational leadership and support Reflect evidence of thorough implementation planning Focus on low-income children, youth, and families Improve the lives of those who are uniquely abled, in the foster care or probation systems, or are homeless Can result in significant, long-term impact for the target population, organization, and/or region Are innovative and have potential to inform the field and/or make “systems change” at scale Can provide data on the effectiveness of the approach Expand or replicate a proven program or model Demonstrate other funding sources are being fully utilized Occur outside of Los Angeles County Are only for one year (calendar or fiscal) Are for capital but lack site control (via signed lease or closed escrow) and, if required, a Conditional Use Permit Are proposed by organizations with a pending leadership transition or have appointed an interim CEO or Executive Director Are for the same purposes previously funded by the Foundation Are for ongoing support of existing programs, unrestricted funding, or administrative overhead Are for technology upgrades or deferred facilities maintenance Establish or build endowments or award scholarships Sponsor special events such as fundraisers, galas, and/or conferences Underwrite book publication and/or film and theater production Request less than $100,000 Grant Application Process Concept Review (optional) We strongly encourage eligible organizations to participate in the concept review process to receive feedback on project ideas prior to submitting an application. Application Eligible organizations may submit an application for consideration by the Foundation. Site Visit We notify applicants if they are invited to host a site visit for Foundation staff.

Topic areas: General and Cross-cutting R&D, Arts and Culture, Social Innovation and Community Development, Education and Training, Life Sciences and Health.

Funding amount

This grant provides Varies in funding.

Deadline

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; there is no single fixed deadline.

Who can apply

This opportunity is open to the following applicant types:

• Not specified by the program.

Eligibility

The program did not publish a separate eligibility statement. See the official opportunity page for the full eligibility criteria.

Agency

Southern California Program is administered by W.M. Keck Foundation (WMKF), listed via W.M. Keck Foundation.