FACT is spending down its endowment no later than 2020 and closer to 2016. Due to recent losses sustained by our portfolio, our timeframe may be accelerated slightly. In 2009 and 2010, as we prepare to spend down our assets, FACT is not taking new grantees beyond a few already identified groups. In 2011, FACT will not be adding any new groups to its docket at all. After 2011, FACT will be focusing on tapering down its existing grantees and providing additional capacity building to its grantees until the foundation closes its doors around 2015-2016. Our approach: FACT believes that the best way to address injustice and empower and support organized individuals is to make larger, long-term investments in a small number of grassroots organizations, and help them achieve financial and organizational stability by providing general operating support. In order to leverage our limited grant making dollars, we fund "clusters" of groups with shared values and political objectives and complimentary strategies. By pooling their resources and collaborating on analysis and campaigns, the groups are able to work together and have a greater collective effect. By supporting these strategic alliances, we believe that our funding will have greater impact. FACT believes in building strong civic communities. We support the practice of community organizing, a practice that focuses on identifying, educating and supporting grassroots leaders and communities to speak for themselves and define their own solutions to problems they identify. This is especially important for the people that have traditionally been ignored or denied access to social and economic resources and political power. We believe that helping disenfranchised people become leaders is the best way to redress these injustices. FACT seeks to accomplish its social change objectives by identifying, supporting and funding ideas, leaders and organizations that have the capacity to make change and advance the common good. FACT's Capacity Building Program is designed to strengthen its grantee organizations and enable them to carry out their vision, mission and program work more effectively. Our capacity building program is a central part of making sure that as we support our grantees financially, we also help strengthen their internal infrastructure. We recognize that most organizations cannot afford to spend valuable time preparing grant proposals that have little chance of being funded. Moreover, FACT's small three-person staff has a limited capacity to read and process funding requests. For these reasons, we have a policy of not accepting unsolicited grant proposals, and instead proactively seek to identify organizations in California, the southern United States, and France that we feel advance our mission. Our grantmaking strategies: All three of our funding strategies work together to promote social, economic and environmental Justice. Community Organizing and Intermediaries — FACT believes that long-term social change occurs when individuals recognize and exercise their collective power to influence the public policies that affect them and their communities. Community members are their own best advocates. By organizing together, they can speak in one voice to demand a role in the development of public policies and hold their elected representatives accountable to their needs. Capacity Building — Technical assistance, training, and other types of organizational assistance to help our grantees be more effective. This program includes: General support grants for nonprofit technical assistance providers Small discretionary grants for capacity building needs of limited duration and scope A pool of consultants that work with grantees on management and governance issues Three-year grants for two organizations that are ready to move to the next level Collaboration — Cross-sector collaborations and coalitions with unlikely allies present a major opportunity to bridge issues that affect the shared interests of otherwise isolated communities. Forging these kinds of multi-issue coalitions among otherwise separate interest groups can produce a much greater impact on a given issue or policy area than if the groups worked alone. A growing number of funders are supporting these kinds of movement-building partnerships because they recognize that traditional approaches have not yielded sufficient results. FACT itself tries to build relationships and collaborate with activists and other funders as much as possible, and the growth of progressive funder affinity groups in the last ten years offers an opportunity for social justice foundations to coordinate their grantmaking efforts more effectively.
home | about | funding strategy | capacity building program | featured items | grantees | projects/initiatives | links
	© 2009 French American Charitable Trust. All rights reserved.