APPLY
The Joseph & Vera Long Foundation awards responsive grants to qualified not-for-profit organizations using a competitive process that aims to find the right mix of partners and projects to achieve the Foundation's objectives in four specific program areas. This webpage explains our process, which we conduct both in the Spring and in the Fall. Please read carefully below, as some key changes have been made since last year.
GENERAL ELIGIBILITY
General Eligibility
Organizations must be recognized in good standing by the IRS under Section 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(1 or 2) or work through a Fiscal Sponsor who is.
Programs and projects must benefit the communities of Northern California or Hawaii.
Organizations may submit only ONE application per calendar year.
NOT supported:
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solely religious, sacramental, or theological functions
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political bodies or campaigns
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individuals or memorializing individuals
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foreign organizations
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loans or the payback of debt
Program Areas
Proposals must closely align with our priorities in one of the four program areas we support. Refer to chart below for program-specific eligibility requirements and be sure to follow links to program pages for more detailed guidance.
PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY
Grant Cycle
Grant Amount
Restrictions
Spring
Fall
$60K to $120K
$10K to $30K
Recent grantees (since 2019) only
All qualified orgs
Spring
Prefer recent grantees
$60K to $150K
Fall
$25K to $40K
All qualified orgs
Spring
Prefer recent grantees
Fall
$60K to $150K
$10K to $30K
All qualified orgs
2025 KEY DATES
Spring Grant Cycle
Fall Grant Cycle
Applications Accepted
March 14 - April 4
Stage One Decision:
Finalists
By May 14
August 13 - Sept 3
By October 6
Stage Two Decision:
Grant Awards
By June 2
By October 27
Funding
June
November - December
AWARD PROCESS
Stage One
Our online application portal is accessible via the link at the bottom of this page. Applications will be open during the posted periods beginning in March and August.
The Application will ask for:
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Your organization’s mission statement and a few details about its size and history
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Brief narratives about the project or program for which you are requesting funding and details about the populations served
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A project/program budget and an organizational budget
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Form 990 tax returns, and for grants of $60K or more, current financial statements and the most recent Audited Financial Statements
Every year we receive more requests than we can fund. While many requests may merit support under our guidelines, only a small percentage will be advanced to the Foundation's Board of Trustees for final review. Following the Stage One decision date indicated above, all applicants will be notified (via email) whether or not their application has been selected as a finalist for Stage Two.
Stage Two
The Foundation staff will ensure that all finalists' applications are complete before advancing to the Board of Trustees for consideration. Your organization may be contacted if we feel additional information is necessary.
Each organization advanced to this stage will be notified (via email) of their grant award status following the final decision dates indicated in the schedule above.
Please be sure to read this page thoroughly and review the information regarding the Foundation’s objectives on the Programs Page before initiating this process. We have also provided an FAQ to assist you with common questions and you may contact the Foundation using our online inquiry form on the Contact Page.