Mission

The mission of the Semnani Family Foundation is to find creative and effective ways of serving the needs of marginal and vulnerable communities around the world, particularly those whose survival and security is at grave risk or immediate danger due to forces and factors beyond their control. Whether it is helping communities recover from disease, famine, earthquake or war, or promoting research, educational and civic initiatives, we focus our giving where we can make the most difference.

About

The Semnani Family Foundation focuses primarily on promoting the health, education and disaster relief for marginal communities in the United States and around the world.

The philosophy of the Foundation is guided by a desire to empower the most vulnerable members of society, where ever they may be. The Semnani Family Foundation seeks to leverage its resources in a cost effective and efficient manner that delivers the maximum benefit to help the most marginal of communities—those who would otherwise be left out, forgotten or neglected, or those who would risk serious and irreversible damage and injury from exposure to natural or man-made disasters such as famine, floods, earthquakes and war.

The Semnani Family Foundation partners closely with organizations and individuals with a demonstrated record of delivering significant, sustainable and lasting change in the field. Over the years, the Foundation has worked with the major international and national as well as local charities to advance its mission. The Foundation’s partners over the past twenty years have included the American Red Cross, UNICEF, LDS Humanitarian, Globus Relief, Global Health Alliance, Special Olympics, the American Cancer Society, the Huntsman Cancer Institute, Habitat for Humanity, High Road for Human Rights, Faith Voices for the Common Ground, the League of Women’s Voters and others.

Program Areas

Social Issues

The Semnani Family Foundation gives grants for projects that address social issues such as homelessness, literacy, hunger, violence and rape. Over the past twenty years, we have supported Oxfam America, Wasatch Homeless Healthcare, the Road Home, Planned Parenthood, Rape Recovery Center, Prevent Child Abuse, and Gun Violence Prevention Center.

Health

Health is the one of the core mission areas of the Semnani Family Foundation. We have supported a broad range of health initiatives from funding research to providing care, from helping institutions build their capacity to train and teach students, pharmacists and nurses to joining partnerships for vaccination campaigns designed to eradicate measles and other crippling diseases. Since 1993, the Foundation has collaborated on a broad range of health issues ranging from AIDS, Alzheimers, Arthritis, Cancer, Diabetes, Cystic Fibrosis, Epilepsy, Leprosy, Multiple Sclerosis, Cystic Fibrosis as well as Mental Health.

Since inception, our partners have included the National Kidney Foundation, Alzheimer’s Association, American Cancer Society, American Leprosy Association, American Diabetes Association, Epilepsy Foundation, Utah AIDS Foundation, Utah Valley Mental Health, the University of Utah, Utah Rural Association of Nurses and others. We have teamed with the Moran Eye Center, Surgical Eye Expedition and others to extend the gift of sight to marginal communities. We have also partnered with Special Olympics, Kostopolous Dream Foundation, Wheelchair Foundation and a number of other organizations to provide assistance for people with disabilities.

Children

Children’s health and welfare is of vital importance to the Semnani Family Foundation. Whether they suffer from disease, hunger, abuse or poverty, the Semnani Family Foundation has made the health and education of vulnerable children a priority. Over the last twenty years, we have partnered with groups such as Primary Children’s Medical Foundation, Save the Children Foundation, Orphan Kids Inc, Odyssey House, National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, Make a Wish Foundation, Simon Says Foundation, Shriners Hospital for Children, Pediatrics Radiology, Voices for Utah Children and Utah Boys Ranch.

Women

The empowerment of women, particularly in developing countries is one of the Foundation’s leading priorities. Since 1993, we have worked with Mothers without Borders, Women for Women International, Worldwide Organization for Women, Salt Lake League of Women’s Voters and other organizations dedicated to improving the life of women.

Disaster Relief

The Semnani Foundation has partnered with the American Red Cross, LDS Humanitarian Services, Globus Relief, World Food Program, Islamic Relief, Oxfam America and others over the past twenty years, providing disaster relief to victims of earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, famine and other natural disasters. Since its inception in 1993, the Foundation has supported disaster relief efforts in Iran and Haiti following earthquakes, in Indonesia after the tsunami, in Pakistan after the floods, in Ethiopia, Somalia, Yemen and Eritrea following famines, and in the Sudan and Syria following civil wars. We have also supported the New York Firemen 911 Relief Fund.

Iranian American Issues

The Semnani Family Foundation has played an active part in promoting Iranian culture in the United States. The Foundation has supported the Encylopedia Iranica Foundation, Parsa Community Foundation, Persian Heritage Foundation, Hafez Foundation for Literature, Roodaki Foundation, the Iranian-American Society and countless other educational and cultural initiatives. Due to sanctions, the Foundation is unable to support philanthropic projects in Iran at this time.

Religious Tolerance and Interfaith dialogue

Given the importance of religion to the life of many immigrant communities and refugees, the Foundation has worked closely with religious communities and leaders to promote interfaith dialogue, understanding and integration. We have helped immigrant and refugee communities build houses of worship, extend and expand social services, and fight prejudice. The Foundation has worked closely with LDS Humanitarian, Holy Cross Ministries, Islamic Society of Greater Salt Lake, Jewish Family and Children’s Services, Faith Voices for the Common Good and others to promote religious tolerance and bridge cultural divides.

What We Support

Children are at the heart of everything we do at the Kellogg Foundation. Our goal is lasting, transformational change for children. As a grantmaker, we recognize that children live in families and families live in communities. Therefore, our three areas of focused work – Thriving Children, Working Families and Equitable Communities – are dynamic and always interconnected.    

Achieving strong outcomes for children happens by connecting what families need – at home, in child care settings, at school, at work and in their communities. As a foundation, we use a variety of change-making tools – grantmaking, impact investing, networking and convening. With our support, grantees and partners work together to make measurable improvements in children’s lives.

Our Interconnected Priorities:

• Thriving Children: We support a healthy start and quality learning experiences for all children.
  • improving access to high quality, early childhood education
  • support healthy birth outcomes
  • quality maternal and infant health care
  • children's early development
  • increase breastfeeding rates
  • expand access to oral health care
  • increase access to fresh, local healthy food
  • improve nutrition for children and families in early child care settings
• Working Families: We invest in efforts to help families obtain stable, high-quality jobs.
  • widen pathways to stable, high-quality jobs
  • more equitable employment opportunities
  • expand support for tribal-, minority-, and women-owned business enterprises
  • accelerate small business growth
  • inform policies and change systems to create greater economic stability
• Equitable Communities: We want all communities to be vibrant, engaged and equitable. 

Embedded within all we do are commitments to advancing racial equity and racial healing, to developing leaders and to engaging communities in solving their own problems. We call these three approaches our DNA and believe they are essential to creating the conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success.

NOTE: Unsolicited proposals for grants are welcome at any time throughout the year as long as they meet the geographic and focus areas of the foundation. First time applicants are encouraged to contact the Foundation in advance of submitting a proposal. The Board of Directors reviews proposals quarterly, at the meeting following the deadlines listed above. 

About the Foundation

• Food support, food security and food sustainability;  
• Microbusiness and economic development;
• Development of individuals, families, and communities toward self-determination and an improved standard of living.

• emergency feeding and starvation relief;
• subsistence farming, backyard farming, or soil improvement initiatives;
• sustainable and regenerative food programs (ie…aqua farming, greenhouse gardens, beekeeping, fruit tree planting and baking)

The Public Diplomacy Section (PD) of U.S. Embassy Haiti is pleased to announce that funding is available through its Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program to fund small project activities that fall within our funding priorities. This statement describes the specific project themes that will be considered and the procedures for submitting funding requests. Please carefully follow all instructions below. Incomplete applications will be rejected.

Purpose of Small Grants:

PD Haiti invites proposals for programs that generate public awareness of U.S. foreign assistance efforts but fall outside the structure of other established U.S. assistance projects. The program is intended to be flexible and allow the Mission to respond directly to requests from local entities and communities for assistance with projects that have immediate impact and further mission policies and objectives. Project proposals should focus on areas such as the following:

• Civic engagement and the electoral process
• Good governance
• Academic exchanges between the United States and Haiti
• Development of civil society
• Empowerment of youth and women in realizing their potential through education, innovation, and entrepreneurship
• Democratic ideals of freedom of expression and of the press
• English teaching
• Strengthening cultural ties between the U.S. and Haiti.

The Lawrence Foundation is a private family foundation focused on making grants to support environmental, human services and other causes.

The Lawrence Foundation was established in mid-2000. We make both program and operating grants and do not have any geographical restrictions on our grants. Nonprofit organizations that qualify for public charity status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or other similar organizations are eligible for grants from The Lawrence Foundation.  

Grant Amount and Types

Grants typically range between $5,000 - $10,000. In some limited cases we may make larger grants, but that is typically after we have gotten to know your organization over a period of time. We also generally don’t make multi-year grants, although we may fund the same organization on a year by year basis over a period of years.

General operating or program/project grant requests within our areas of interests are accepted. In general, regardless of whether a grant request is for general operating or program/project expenses, all of our grants will be issued as unrestricted grants.

Grant-making Philosophy

The Peace Development Fund makes grants to community based organizations working for social justice. We believe that the change in values needed to establish a more just and peaceful world can come about only if it is strongly rooted in local communities that value the importance of building movements to create systemic social change. These are communities that view everyone, especially young people, as a vital force in the transformation of society. We recognize young people’s ability to reshape our society, not only politically, but also spiritually and culturally.

The Peace Development Fund is committed to supporting organizations and projects that recognize that peace will never be sustained unless it is based on justice and an appreciation of both the diversity and unity of the human family. We understand peace to be a consequence of equitable relationships—with our fellow human beings and with the natural environment of which we are a part and on which we depend.

What We Fund

Organizing to Shift Power

• Groups that are creating a power base that can hold leaders accountable to the people who are affected by their decisions.
• Groups that let their membership or constituents take the lead in collective action-planning and decision-making.
• Groups whose leadership comes directly from the people who are most affected by the issues you are organizing around.

Working to Build a Movement

• Groups that organize in the local community, but make connections between local issues and a broader need for systemic change.
• Groups that provide a space for members to develop their political analyses at the same time as taking action for change.
• Groups that break down barriers within the progressive movement, by building strategic alliances between groups of different cultural or class backgrounds or different issue areas.
• Groups that explore the root causes of injustice and have a long-term vision for the kind of social change they are working for.

Dismantling Oppression

• Groups and projects that are proactively engaged in a process of dismantling oppression, confronting privilege and challenging institutional structures that perpetuate oppression (both internal and external to the organization).
• Groups that are proactively making connections between the different forms of oppression (racism, heterosexism, sexism, ageism, classism, ableism, etc.), and its connections with injustice.

Creating New Structures

• Groups that have alternative organizational structures that allow power to flow “from the bottom up.”
• Efforts to create new, community-based alternative systems and structures (economic, political, cultural, religious, etc.) that are liberating, democratic, and environmentally sustainable and which promote healthy, sustainable communities.

General Support vs. Project Support

The majority of grants awarded by PDF are for general support. We believe that the people on the ground know how best to spend the money. However, if an organization’s mission is not within PDF’s priorities but the organization has a program or project that is within the priorities, i.e. if the organization is a direct service organization, but has an organizing component, then we would recommend that groups apply for a specific program or project.

NOTE:

Application forms must be requested each year online prior to submitting an application. When you submit an LOI, a member of the foundation staff will be contacting you within the next five business days regarding the status of your request.

Full applications are due at the "full proposal" deadline above. 

The Foundation is dedicated to providing financial assistance to organizations committed to improving our world. Solutions to the problems of today's world still lie in the values of innovation, practicality, hard work, and compassion.

The Foundation considers applications for grants in the following areas:

• Education
• Social Service
• Health care
• Civic and cultural
• Environmental

The categories above are not intended to limit the interest of the Foundation from considering other worthwhile projects. In general, the Foundation guidelines are broad to give us flexibility in providing grants.

The majority of our grants are made in the U.S. However, like Dr. Scholl, we recognize the need for a global outlook. Non-U.S. grants are given to organizations where directors have knowledge of the grantee.

NOTE: TWe began accepting applications at 12 a.m. March 10, 2023, and reached our submission maximum in 14 hours. Submissions for 2023 are no longer being accepted.

About the Foundation

The Olive Tree Foundation, Inc., is an independent philanthropy established in the United States in 1997.

Our mission: The Olive Tree Foundation strives to support U.S.-based nonprofits that provide food, shelter, medical care and education for those in need; make arts and culture more accessible and equitable; invest in community and youth and adult development; and protect the environment.

Grantmaking Focus

Organizations eligible to apply for grants from The Olive Tree Foundation focus on:

Basic necessities

• We support nonprofits that provide food for the hungry, shelter the indigent and infirm and provide medical (physical and emotional) care to those in need.

Youth education and development

• OTF support nonprofits that develop the academic skills of youth. Key objectives should include character-building; fostering ethics, teamwork, self-esteem and self-confidence; broadening horizons and aspirations; strengthening unique abilities and talents; developing community awareness and involvement; improving academic, communication and interpersonal skills.

Adult education and development

• We support nonprofits that promote literacy and workforce development through various programs that empower adults to become self-sufficient and self-sustaining.

Community development

• We support nonprofits involved in the protection of civil rights and the creation of environmental infrastructures that enhance quality of life in the communities they serve.

Arts and Culture

• We support nonprofits that improve the quality of life in communities through arts and cultural enrichment and/or renovate structures that preserve a historical heritage.

NOTE: To gain access to the Citi Foundation’s grant making platform, organizations must complete a short registration form to help them determine their eligibility for this RFP. This deadline to register is designated as "Letter of Inquiry" deadline above.

Background

The Citi Foundation is launching its first ever global innovation challenge (“Challenge”) to identify and provide philanthropic support to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) developing innovative solutions to social and economic challenges facing low-income communities. Challenges will be administered via global requests for proposals (RFPs) with specific eligibility criteria. The first of these global innovation challenges will focus on food security, an issue of significant importance in communities across Citi’s global footprint. Addressing food insecurity will strengthen the financial health of families, which directly aligns with the Citi Foundation’s mission of catalyzing economic opportunity in underserved and marginalized communities around the world.

Funding Overview

The Citi Foundation is focused on the role that NGOs play in addressing food insecurity in communities around the world. This is a purposefully broad question intended to surface locally relevant and potentially game-changing ideas.

In this first Challenge, Foundation support will include:

• Grants of $500,000, to be used over a 24-month period, to 50 finalists in select communities where Citi has a presence.
• Grants are meant to be catalytic in nature, supporting the piloting or expansion of ideas and projects in the field of food security. In addition, the Citi Foundation will offer post- funding support by connecting grantees to Citi subject matter experts and employee volunteers as well as hosting learning opportunities to promote shared lessons and best practices on the topic of food security.

Funding & Selection Priorities

For this RFP, the Citi Foundation will prioritize projects in four areas: Access, Affordability, Availability, and Resilience, with the end goal of investing in programs that aim to improve access to food for low-income communities, reduce the financial burden to vulnerable families, and increase community resilience. In addition, the Foundation seeks to support a diverse portfolio of grantees that are committed to inclusion and sustainability as defined by their local contexts.

Enabling Food Access

Across the world, nonprofit organizations are on the front lines working to meet the needs of a growing number of individuals and families experiencing food insecurity and the economic strain of overall household expenses. The Challenge seeks to support community-based NGOs to improve or scale direct access to food.

Programs could include (but not be limited to):

• Providing technical assistance to strengthen existing food initiatives operated by community-based organizations, including support for new partnerships or coalitions to improve food access
• Innovative programming to leverage existing small, local grocery stores and/or neighborhood-based farmers’ markets to improve low-income communities’ access to food
• Supporting the creation of toolkits, courses, and educational resources to embed food initiatives into existing programs already reaching low-income communities, such as housing, financial inclusion, workforce, educational, and health programming

Addressing Food Affordability

With record food prices and soaring energy costs, people globally face high costs, which make it difficult to afford food. This is particularly true in low- income countries where people spend almost half of their income on food.1 The Challenge seeks to support community finance efforts that enable low-income individuals and communities to address the affordability of food, thereby reducing their financial burden.

Programs could include (but not be limited to):

• Pilots involving community financing to raise income opportunities (e.g., direct cash assistance, microloans, debt management and reduction, household and food budgeting)
• Providing technical and financial assistance to food retailers and food enterprises working in low-income communities to offer affordable and nutritious food
• Improving awareness of and streamlining enrollment into government support programs

Improving Food Availability

One of the six key strategies to address food insecurity in the 2022 UN State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report is to reinvent the supply chain to lower the cost of food, particularly by shortening supply chains in urban areas so that residents can access fresh food. The Challenge seeks to support innovative solutions or pilots that could address challenges in the food supply chain while also catalyzing positive community benefits, such as spurring the creation of new jobs and businesses.

Programs could include (but not be limited to):

• Providing resources and capacity building to community-based food delivery organizations
• Providing access to storage solutions to prevent food waste
• Developing mobile applications, open data sources, interactive maps, and other technologies to enhance the efficiency of local food supply chains

Supporting Community Resilience

The growing frequency and intensity of natural disasters and conflict, along with an increasingly volatile world, is jeopardizing the entire global food system. The potential harm to lives, livelihoods, and quality of life can be reduced by implementing strategies to manage disaster-related risks. The Challenge seeks to support communities to more effectively prepare for and respond to crises that disrupt food security, ensure a secure food supply for the future, and make communities more resilient to food- related external shocks.

Programs could include (but not be limited to):

• Supporting new or expanded collaborations for preparedness and planning, including coordination of rapid-response efforts
• Developing tools and/or resources that help communities improve their resilience by setting priorities and allocating resources to manage risks for their prevailing hazards