Eligibility
They say the first step is the hardest. In our case, it’s true. While our assets tend to remain finite, applications increase in number - so our filtering process becomes more rigorous. If you meet our eligibility requirements below you can go on to the next step, sending a Letter of Inquiry.
What we DON'T fund
Individuals
Organizations with budgets less than $150,000 dollars
General support for first-time applicants
Most Research (see below)
Education
Wild animal rescue and rehab
Climate Change
Pet rescue and rehab
Community leadership development
Youth development (other than aid for emancipated foster youth)
Internationally (except for Middle East Peace and an occasional grant in Environmental Conservation - the organization must be based in the U.S.)
In San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma, or San Mateo County (except for Traumatic Brain Injury)
Films, videos, documentaries, books, websites, other media
San Francisco Bay restoration and conservation projects
Start-up or seed funding for organizations or projects new to Firedoll Foundation
Large-scope, long-term initiatives (we prefer discrete projects with concrete end-of-year deliverables)
Wordy, jargon-laced, over-packed proposals
What we DO fund
501(c)(3) organizations
Non-private foundations under Section 509(a)(1), (2) or (3)
Fiscally-sponsored organizations are welcome to apply
Projects in our Focus Areas
Projects in our Geographic Areas
Capital campaigns (rarely)
General support (existing grantees)
Research directly supportive of currently funded projects (see Current Grantees)
Projects with clear, discrete deliverables at the end of the grant year are the strongest contenders
Clear, tight, simply written proposals (see "Helpful Hints" on our Proposal Guidelines page)