Funding Priorities

The Sharks Foundation provides $20,000-$25,000 grants for youth or youth and their families, with special emphasis towards underserved populations and at-risk youth.  Funding must be applied to the costs associated with a specific project or programming element of an organization.  Those programs or services which may also provide volunteer opportunities for Sharks staff and employees are highly desirable, but not required.  Many organizations apply each year and the overall amount of funding requested far exceeds the Sharks Foundations resources.  Declined applications in no way reflect the worthiness of an organizations mission or programming and these groups are encouraged to apply again in future years

 

The Sharks Foundation will NOT support:

  • General operating deficits
  • Administrative staff costs (i.e. salaries, training events, etc.)
  • Sponsorships or Fundraisers of any kind (i.e. walks/runs, galas, tournaments, etc.)
  • Recreational group outings or trips (i.e. sporting events, museums, amusement parks, etc.)
  • Capital campaigns or building improvement projects
  • Endowments or reserve funds
  • Grants to individuals, athletic teams or schools or any associated 501(c)(3) organizations (i.e. PTAs, booster clubs, etc.)
Organization Eligibility

To qualify for a grant from the Sharks Foundation, an organization must:

  • Be a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization in good standing with the Internal Revenue Service for a minimum of five (5) years
  • Provide services to children in need within Santa Clara County
  • Be available for a site visit if selected as a beneficiary
  • Adhere to all deadlines and application requirements

Important to note: The Sharks Foundation will not fund any organization for more than three (3) consecutive years.  If your group has been funded for each of the past three seasons, you must wait one year before reapplying.

Grant Eligibility

To qualify for a grant from the Sharks Foundation, an application must:

  • Be within the range of $20,000 to $25,000
  • Ensure that 100% of grant monies received from the Sharks Foundation are used for the exclusive benefit of children
  • Ensure that a majority of monies used (51% or more) are used for the exclusive benefit of children in Santa Clara County
  • Be submitted by the September 3, 2008 deadline
Application Materials

All grant requests should be submitted in full and typed, adhering to our Grant Guidelines.  To that end, we ask that you submit the following:

         One (1) signed Grant Application Checklist

         One (1) cover letter on your organizations letterhead

         Four (4) stapled copies of the Main Application, which includes:

-    Signed Grant Application Cover

-    Grant Application Narrative (4 page max.)

-    Detailed description of organizations current budget

-    Detailed description of specific program/project budget

-    Names and affiliations of your organizations Board of Directors

         One (1) copy of your current IRS Determination Letter verifying 501(c)(3) status. 

OPTIONAL:  Supplemental written materials (i.e. brochures, press releases, news articles, etc.) highlighting your group, project or program. Please do not submit videos, DVDs or discs.  Please keep to a three (3) page maximum.

 
Process

All applicants must send the materials requested in the Grant Application Checklist in full.   The deadline to apply is September 3, 2008.  Applications must be postmarked or hand-delivered by this date.  NO EXCEPTIONS!  Hand-delivered applications must be received by the HP Pavilion at San Jose receptionist by 5 p.m.  Applications will not be accepted via fax or email.

 

Once the application period has closed, the Sharks Foundation staff will review and prepare all eligible applications for consideration by the Sharks Foundation Board.  An application will be deemed ineligible if it is incomplete, not submitted by the deadline, if it is submitted by an organization that does not meet the stated criteria or if the purpose for funding falls outside of the stated priorities.    

 

All eligible applications will receive written notification of their approval status. 

 

The grant timeline for the 2008-09 season is:

  • September 3, 2008: Deadline to submit applications
  • September-December 2008: Review Process 
  • January 30, 2009: Beneficiaries announced, all applicants notified in writing of status
  • February 2009: Funding Dispersed
  • February-March 2009: Check presentations and site visits scheduled

Contact Information
Completed applications should be delivered to:
 
The Sharks Foundation
Grant Application
525 West Santa Clara Street
San Jose, CA 95113

If you have questions regarding The Sharks Foundation application process, please contact Laura Johnston, Sharks Foundation Manager, at ljohnston@svse.net. Please do not send inquiries as to the status of a submitted application.
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