Grantmaking Priorities

Guiding Principles

Our grant making is guided by the following values:

We Believe:

• That self-sufficient people can best help themselves and others. Our goal will always be to help people become independent and responsible citizens.
• In respect for oneself, for others, for our communities and for our environment.
• In freedom of thought, speech, religion, and economic choices within a just and democratic society.
• In the courage to embrace change, and as necessary, to take the initiative to bring about positive change.

We believe that these fundamental values are best instilled at a young age by caring families, supportive schools and a society which feels a strong sense of responsibility for educating and nurturing their young to be knowledgeable, motivated and prepared to take part in the preservation and betterment of the societies in which they will take part.

We believe that responsible, caring and capable individuals must work together to preserve fair and just laws, individual freedoms and equalities of opportunity for all within these societies. And we believe that these societies also must offer respectful and dignified aid for those within these societies that are less fortunate, to enable them to achieve a level of independence and make contributions to their society to the best of their capabilities.

Types of Organizations and Proposals We Support

We seek grant making relationships with nonprofit organizations that have capable, accountable leadership and programs that are effective in addressing current community needs, thereby assuring the wise use of philanthropic resources.

The Stranahan Foundation has a particular interest in considering proposals that exhibit:

• A plan for addressing significant community needs;
• Innovative or unique approaches to solving community problems;
• A focus on addressing root causes of problems;
• Efficient use of community resources.  Strong consideration will be given to requests that include plans for coordination, cooperation and sharing among nonprofit organizations, with a view toward strengthening service provision and avoiding unnecessary duplication;
• Support from the community, including potential funders, other nonprofits, community leaders and potential beneficiaries;
  The ability to track and report clear, measurable results;
• A thoughtful, reasonable plan for obtaining continuing financial support from internal and/or external sources once Foundation grant funds are expended.

The above listing is intended to provide grant applicants with guidance regarding criteria and characteristics that are of interest to and valued by the Foundation.  It is understood that individual proposals may exhibit some, but not all, of these qualities.

Eligibility to Apply for a Grant

In order to be considered, potential applicants must be organizations described in section 501 (c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code.

All applicants must, as a first step, submit a letter of inquiry to the Stranahan Foundation.  Full proposals are by invitation only and may only be submitted by organizations that are invited to apply AFTER their letter of inquiry has been accepted and reviewed. The Foundation will contact those organizations invited to submit a full proposal and notify those that are not eligible to apply.  Instructions and forms for letters of inquiry and full grant proposals can be found on our website www.stranahanfoundation.org.

The Foundation will not support organizations that discriminate in the leadership, staffing or service provision on the basis of age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, national origin, political affiliation or religious beliefs.

We respect the importance of religion to many people as well as freedom of religious choice. We do not feel that our funds should promote any particular religion.  Religious organizations with proposals for programs clearly related to our funding areas may be considered if our funds are dedicated solely to the specific program, are not used for the advancement of a particular religious persuasion, and if the program is available to all in need, regardless of religious belief.

The Stranahan Foundation does not normally consider proposals for funding in the following areas: personal businesses; reduction or elimination of deficits; projects that are located outside of the United States; endowment fund campaigns; government sponsored or controlled projects; or individuals.

Priority Areas of Interest

The Foundation will consider grant opportunities that fall within five priority areas of interest:  education; physical and mental health; ecological well-being; arts/culture; and human services.  The following descriptions are intended to provide potential grant applicants with guidance as to the types of programs – within each of the afore-mentioned areas of interest – that would best fit our priorities.

EDUCATION

Our emphasis is to:

• support initiatives that will increase the quality of education for students at the pre-school, primary and secondary levels, and/or promote access to quality educational programs;
• support learning institutions that value independent thinking, artistic appreciation, cultural, economic and ethnic diversity, and community service  
• support and provide access to programs that offer alternatives to traditional educational opportunities (for example, career-oriented or vocational training, etc.)
• support small manageable programs within institutions of higher learning 

PHYSICAL & MENTAL HEALTH

We support programs – in both the physical and mental health arenas - that build healthy communities, with a particular interest in those that:

• create better access to care
• educate people to take better care of themselves and their families
• support alternative care methods
• support preventive measures
• support research to eradicate health crises

ECOLOGICAL WELL-BEING

We believe ecological well-being is inextricably linked to the sustainability of our communities.  The Foundation seeks to support programs (in our local communities) that focus on:

• Preserving or returning to healthy, sustainable communities for both current and future generations
• Conserving and restoring our natural environment
• Educating community members about our natural environment

ARTS & CULTURE

We believe that every person in our society should have access to the creative process and that the arts have a unique and powerful ability to improve the quality of our lives because they:

• communicate
• delight and educate
• motivate and build self esteem
• build and reinforce communities
• have therapeutic value

The Foundation has a particular interest in programs that reach out to and include those who might not otherwise have such opportunities. We are especially excited by programs which directly engage participants, of any age, in the creative process.

HUMAN SERVICES

The Foundation seeks to strengthen our local communities through support for programs that offer disadvantaged families and individuals of all ages:

• access to services that meet basic human needs
• opportunities to work, recreate and fully participate in community life
• avenues for achieving self-sufficiency and making positive contributions to their community