Grant Application Process | Legal Services

Grant Guidelines

 

Grantee Eligibility:

All potential grantees must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or a public entity. BFF will not support organizations that discriminate against a person or group on the basis of age, political affiliation, race, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation or religious belief.



What We Don't Fund:

BFF does not fund individuals, direct scholarships or capital campaigns. Indirect Costs for Program Grants: It is the policy of the Foundation to provide a maximum indirect cost recovery of 25 percent of project costs on all project grants. This indirect cost policy applies only to project grants to nonprofit organizations with organizational budgets in excess of $5M. Organizations with budgets less than $5M will be handeled on a case-by-case basis.



Geographical Limitations:

We primarily fund in the San Francisco Bay Area. National and California serving organizations may apply for grants for the following types of programs:

  • Fellows programs,
  • programs to support increased Access to Justice funding
  • leadership development programs.
Exceptions can be made for organization operating within, or serving, 'legal deserts'.



Grant Amounts:

Most of our legal services grants are in the $10,000-30,000 range. A small number of grants exceed this amount.



Deadlines:

BFF has two grant cycles per year, one in the spring and one in the fall. Important deadlines are as follows: Fall 2020: LOI submission window: April 1, 2020 - July 14, 2020 Application window opens: July 15, 2020 All materials must be received by September 15, 2020

Decision notification: November 2020

Spring 2021: LOI submission window: November 1, 2020 - February 14, 2021 Application window opens: February 15, 2021 All materials must be received by April 1, 2021 Decision Notification: June 2021



Grant Eligibilty By Budget Size:

Organizations with Operating Budget Under $1M:

Organizations with operating budgets less than $1M are welcome to request general operating support and are not eligible to receive program/project support.

Organizations with Operating Budgets Over $5M:

Organizations with operating budgets over $5M are welcome to request support for new/pilot programs or projects. These organizations are not eligible to receive funding for existing programs/projects or general operating support.

Legal Service Programs Within Organizations With $5M+ Operating Budgets:

As an exception to the above, legal service programs embedded within organizations with $5M+ budgets, are eligible to request general operating support for the legal services program.



Grant Types: Legal Services

I & R Grants
Sector Supporting Grants
'Hubs', Recruitment & Retention and Advocacy
 
Organizational Development
Access Grants

Letter of Inquiry for Legal Services

 

Once you've reviewed the type of grants we provide and their guidelines, we invite you to submit a Letter of Inquiry. We accept LOI's for our legal services grants on the following schedule:​

  • April 1, 2020 - July 14, 2020 for consideration in the foundation's 2020 Fall Grant Cycle

  • November 1, 2019 - February 14, 2021 for consideration in the foundation's 2021 Spring Grant Cycle

 

LOIs will be reviewed at the conclusion of each open submission period. Once reviewed, feedback will be provided and invitations to submit complete grant applications will be sent, if applicable. 

Grant Application for Legal Services

 

An invitation is required to submit a grant application.  If you are not a current BFF grantee, we require you submit a LOI during timeframes detailed above.  We accept grant applications (from invited organizations) for legal services grants on the following schedule:​

  • July 15, 2020 - September 15, 2020 for consideration in the foundation's 2020 Fall Grant Cycle

  • February 15, 2021 - April 1, 2021 for consideration in the foundation's 2021 Spring Grant Cycle

 

Grant applications will be reviewed at the conclusion of each open submission period. Once reviewed, we will email the contact person identified in the application regarding next steps.  Grant applications will be submitted through our online grantee portal.

Reporting on Your Grant

If approved for funding, within 6-8 months of the grant's distribution, you will be required to submit a report on the status of the funded project or the impact general operating support has had on your organization's work. 

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© 2020 The Bigglesworth Family Foundation