Serini Foundation Small Grants Program

Serini Foundation Small Grants Program is offered by the Helen J. Serini Foundation to support a range of community and personal development initiatives. Small grants are awarded to organizations and individuals pursuing projects aligned with the foundation's priorities, which include supporting programs below the $5,000 major grant threshold.

Applications must be submitted online through the foundation's portal, requiring account creation with an email address and password. The program is periodically closed to new requests — applicants should check the foundation's website for current availability before applying.

The Helen J. Serini Foundation | Small Grants — The Helen J. Serini Foundation Our Small Grants Program is CURRENTLY CLOSED.

All applications are required to be submitted online via our online application . A brief explanation of the process for our small grants program is included below, or you can proceed directly to the application to begin applying. You will be required to create an account with an email address and password to proceed, and will use this login throughout the grants process.

If you are having technical difficulties, including a lost username or password, please contact our Program Officer at kmchugh@hjsfoundation. org. Please note that this grant program is not currently accepting new requests.

Small Grant Program PRiorities While the majority of our major grants ($5,000+) are awarded as general operating support to provide maximum flexibility, we also recognize that there are often occasions where a smaller grant size and/or specific grant purpose are more appropriate.

Historically, these grants from us have included leadership development opportunities—a program that was suspended in 2020 in the wake of COVID-19, as professional development opportunities became something of a question mark in the months (and years) to come.

These smaller grants remain available (in amounts of $1,000-$5,000) to mission-aligned organizations for the following project-specific funding requests: Personal/professional development & support: Recognizing the extreme toll that non-profit work can take on individuals in the sector, especially those navigating complex systems and trauma, and hearing from partners that professional development is often one of the first budget line items to be cut when dollars get tight, we are happy to consider support for projects designed to show staff support and development, including leadership development opportunities (coaching, mentoring programs, conference attendance, etc.) and wellness.

Support for fiscal sponsorship transitions: Acknowledging the harmful practices of some fiscal sponsors and/or their departure from fiscal sponsorship, particularly on grassroots organizations, we will consider support for organizations seeking to transition to independence or a new fiscal sponsor. We also consider support for a sustained and sustainable fiscal sponsorship landscape across the geographic regions in which we fund.

Support specific work around inclusive organization practices: While we will not mandate what consultants an organization uses to engage in organizational development work, we are happy to provide a list of consultants we have worked with, know, and/or have come highly recommended to us by other partners.

We recognize that $5000 does not cover the entirety of most equity trainings, facilitators, and/or organizational assessments, especially when staff time is considered, but ask any organization embarking on this journey to dedicate unrestricted funds from the organization to this purpose as well as any specific grant funds to support the work. Applications that do not follow this process will not be reviewed.

Note that the process below applies to general grant funding under $5,000, which are typically made by invitation only. This grant program includes opportunities that used to be separated into our Leadership Development Grants . Review Our Mission and Grant Guidelines to determine if you are a fit for our funding options before proceeding.

Priority will be given to organizations seeking general operating funds because the overarching mission and work of the organization is aligned with the foundation’s stated mission and funding priorities. In practice, this means that general operating funds for organizations with only one or two programs that align are unlikely to be considered for funding.

Organizations whose work falls into one of the above priority areas and who are interested in applying for funding in amounts of under $5,000 may access the full grant proposal form via our online application system . Receipt of all proposals will be acknowledged in writing. You can preview the application questions here.

All proposals will be reviewed by the Program Officer and Executive Director, and will be provided to the Board of Directors for review. When this program is open to submissions, applications for Small Grants are accepted on a rolling basis, and considered as they are submitted. We will do everything in our power to provide a grant decision within 6 weeks of application.

All organizations submitting a proposal will receive a written notice regarding the decision on the proposal. Depending on the type and size of the grant, reporting requirements may vary. We will communicate with you on expected reporting and communications when notifying applicants of the grant decision.

Grantees receiving large grants or multi-year grants may be asked for interim reports prior to each installment in addition to final reports at the end of the grant period.

Our intention in requesting reporting is to understand the status of a grant and your work; as such, we are always happy to replace formal written reports with phone calls (or in-person meetings, when public health conditions make it safe to do so), or accept a report prepared for a different funder in lieu of our own. All reporting has been made optional for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic to allow for maximum flexibility.

You can preview all reporting questions here. As noted above, the Small Grants program is anticipated to open in Q2 of each calendar year, and remain open to submissions until budget for the year is exhausted. If you click to apply and do not see an application process, this grant program is currently closed; please check back again at a future date.

The Helen J. Serini Foundation | Major Grants | General Operating One of The Helen J. Serini Foundation's two grants programs, the Major Grants Program accepts unsolicited LOIs once per year and provides unrestricted funding (general operating support) in amounts over $5,000 to eligible organizations.

The Helen J. Serini Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. Determination letter.