Strategic Opportunity Fund is sponsored by Weingart Foundation. This fund supports time-sensitive initiatives and strategic opportunities that align with the Weingart Foundation's priorities.

F. A. Q.

| Weingart Foundation Grants & Impact Investing What is the process to receive an Unrestricted Operating Support (U. O. S.)

grant? How does the Foundation decide what organizations to invite to apply for Unrestricted Operating Support? We continue to focus on organizations, collaborations, and coalitions that are strongly aligned with our goal to advance racial equity , as well as our strategies and priority funding areas .

Throughout the year, our program officers engage in a process of identifying community-based organizations in our five-county service area that have a demonstrated commitment to racial and socioeconomic justice, that are doing critical work to ensure communities recover from the pandemic and shape a just recovery, and that are a key part of the ecosystem in their region or field.

We are focused on Black, indigenous, and all communities of color disproportionately impacted by structural inequities and systemic racism, and are particularly interested in organizations that are aligned with the Foundation’s Areas of Special Interest . Once an organization is invited to apply, the review process is streamlined and expedited. How do we apply for a Strategic Opportunity Fund grant?

The Foundation does not accept unsolicited requests to our Strategic Opportunity Fund. For questions, please contact Anthony Ng, Program Officer, at ang@weingartfnd. org or (213) 688-6324.

How do we apply for a Program Related Investment? The Foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for our Program Related Investment (P. R.

I.) Fund. For questions, please contact Rosa Benitez, Director of Program Investments, at rbenitez@weingartfnd.

org or (213) 688-6320. What is your decision-making process once an application has been invited? Once an application has been invited, our program staff engage in a conversation with the organization to understand more about their work, their infrastructure needs and goals, and how Weingart Foundation support would be useful.

Our staff then engage in a discussion with one another to develop collective recommendations to our C. E. O.

and Board of Directors, which meets five times a year to make decisions regarding applications. Applicants should feel free to contact Foundation staff for information on the status of your request. However, communication with members of our Board of Directors is discouraged.

The link to our grant portal is on our website page For Current Grantees . Organizations with active grants are able to use the portal to submit reports, and those that have been invited to apply are asked to do so through the portal. If you have been invited to apply for a grant or to fill out a grant report, you will receive an email from us with instructions on how to access the portal.

Where do I go to get help? We are here to help. For assistance regarding the portal, please contact Lupe Mejia, Grants Management Assistant, at lmejia@weingartfnd.

org or (213) 688-6310. Can I print out the grant request or report prior to, during, or after filling it out? Yes.

You can print out the full grant request or report from the Review and Submit tab. Can I start my grant request or report and come back to it later? Yes.

You can edit, save, and come back to your grant request or report as many times as you like before you submit it. How can I edit or add information to my grant request or report after I’ve submitted it? You will not be able to edit any information online after you submit your grant request or report.

If you need to add information to or edit a grant request or report that you have already submitted, please contact Lupe Mejia, Grants Management Assistant, at lmejia@weingartfnd. org or (213) 688-6310. Will I receive confirmation of receipt of my request or report?

You will receive an immediate auto-response email confirming receipt of your grant request or report. If you do not receive one, you may want to check your spam folder. Who do we contact with questions?

NOTE: Due to the COVID-19 crisis, we are extending all reporting deadlines until further notice in an effort to reduce burden on grantees. For more information, please contact your program officer . What are reporting requirements for grants?

For Unrestricted Operating Support (U. O. S.)

grantees with award amounts over $50,000, we ask that executive directors complete a Grantee Survey at the end of the grant term and engage in a close-out phone conversation with their Foundation program officer in lieu of a final report. There are no interim reports required. For U.

O. S. grantees with grants of $50,000 and under, reporting consists of one brief final report.

For project-based grants, we ask for periodic progress reports during the grant and when the grant period ends. Specific reporting requirements for each grant are described in the grant agreement. All reporting forms will be made available through the Foundation’s grantmaking portal .

Grantees will be notified when their forms are available to complete. I have a grant report due but cannot find the report form. What do I do?

The Foundation utilizes an online system that allows us to send and receive grantee reports. In order for us to make reports available, grantees will first need to establish a new user account. Once created please notify Lupe Mejia, Grants Management Assistant, at lmejia@weingartfnd.

org or (213) 688-6310. When the user account has been established, the Foundation will make reports available approximately one month before they are due. To access our portal and create a new account, click here.

Who do we contact with questions? Weingart Foundation program staff members are available to answer your questions about our grantmaking. Please feel free to contact our program staff by calling or emailing them directly.

For general assistance call (213) 688-7799. May we contact the Foundation’s Directors about a request? Communication with members of our Board of Directors is discouraged.

My organization is not a current grantee. How do we let the Foundation know about our work?