Supporting Our Communities

A dedicated initiative designed to help local nonprofits strengthen their organizations and empower their mission. Nonprofits receive community development support and fundraising and organizational capacity building. We focus our efforts on making an impact in the following areas that we are passionate about: 

Affordable Housing

• Create affordable housing and the sustainability of safe, clean and desirable neighborhoods

Small Business

• Focus on development assistance as well as lending solutions for small businesses

Workforce Development

• Focus on financial education, workforce development and economic self-sufficiency

Financial Literacy

• Education on key topics related to personal finances and wealth building

Organizational & fundraising capacity grant recipients receive:

• Board Development
• Our team works closely to build strong Boards who can make an impact
• Strategic planning
• We develop strategic plans that help build a long-term plan
• Investment policy
• We can review or create investment policies that address the unique needs of the nonprofit
• Interactive workshops
• We can lead workshops and seminars to educate and engage the team

Sponsorships

Our Nonprofit Giving Program includes our community giving efforts related to sponsorships. Our contributions are designed to be strategic and impactful and reflect our institutional values: Listen and respect, collaborate and innovate, and serve with purpose.

These are evaluated on a case by case basis. Preference is given to organizations that have a long standing or mission aligning relationship with FF, the involvement of the employee/s with the organization, and the ROI for the bank. For consideration contact your local business partner.

Grant Funding Guidelines for Shaw's & Star Market

Our Foundation funds organizations that strengthen the neighborhoods we serve. 

Priorities

We support nonprofit organizations whose mission is aligned with our priority areas:

• Hunger
• Youth and Education
• Health and Nutrition

Organizations we fund must serve the community where we operate. To learn more about our operating area, please view our online map at Albertsons.com, found here. We work with existing and new partners that we proactively seek out and identify as collaborators to achieve our mission and goals. Grants made in a limited geography will be considered by the local Public Affairs Staff, found here. Amounts vary by region.

Disclaimer: The Will Smith Foundation is not affiliated with the actor, Will Smith.

The Will Smith Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is committed to providing positive life experiences for children by partnering with other non-profit organizations that are focused on children and how to make their lives better in Texas, Hawaii and Africa.

About Will

Will Naylor Smith: March 19, 1999 -June 3, 2007

William Naylor Smith was born March 19, 1999 into a ranching family in South Texas. Before he could walk, he was on a horse. By the age two, he was in Africa accompanying his parents on safari. Will opened up his heart to the world by sharing anything and everything he could with friends, family, neighbors and strangers. Will was a "giver" from the start. Whether it was a smile, a laugh, stories of his adventures or giving his possessions to other kids, Will wanted to share his passion for life with the rest of the world.

The only thing Will didn’t like was to be left out of anything. He wanted to do it all. Whether it was snow skiing, bowling, basketball, baseball, football, mountain-climbing, tree-climbing, snowboarding, hunting or fishing, Will wanted to be a part of it, and he would try and try until he got it right. 

But perhaps Will's favorite thing to do was share with others. That is one thing he did not have to try to get right. Will looked at life much like a grown-up, showing compassion and generosity that was so unique in a child his age. All of these things ended for Will on June 3, 2007 when he lost his life in a tragic car accident in Hawaii. 

The world was only fortunate enough to have Will Smith for eight short years. He was a very special person. It was not until his death did anyone realize how many people this small child had reached and affected. Will's generosity and love of life has inspired the creation of The Will Smith Foundation to continue his benevolence. Even though Will is not physically with us any more, his kind and giving spirit will continue to fill the hearts and enrich the lives of many.

We Fund only non-profit organizations supporting children in need. 

Note: There are two elements of the environment program. This page details information for the "Marine Resources Conservation" program area. See details for "Environmental Health" here. 

Marisla was established in 1986 as a private, non-operating charitable institution. 

Environmental Program - Marine Resources Conservation The Environment Program concentrates on activities that promote the conservation of biological diversity and advance sustainable ecosystem management. Primary emphasis is on marine and coastal biodiversity conservation with a geographic focus on California, Northwest Mexico, Hawaii, Chile, and the Western Pacific (Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia).

Lithia 4-Kids Program

Since 1946, Lithia has been committed to making our communities a better place.Through Lithia 4Kids, we create strategic partnerships with select not-for-profit organizations. By joining forces we hope to make a difference. We believe the children within our communities are key to the future, so it only makes sense to support programs that focus on youth development. Children who are confident and learn to make the right choices early are better equipped to tackle challenges they may later face as adults. 

• Serve a diverse population in local or regional community;
• Positively impact the local community;
• Encourage and expand opportunities for the community to become involved or volunteer;
• Support real-world, value-directed efforts that build and grow community support for future generations.

Our Commitment

We commit to initiatives in our communities through funding, events and volunteerism. We designate a portion of our annual budget to organizations that exist to enrich the lives of children and their families. It is one way we measure our success as a company. 

Our Communities

From coast-to-coast, including Alaska and Hawaii, Lithia folks are a giving group. Because we believe our people best understand their own communities and specific needs. We empower individual stores to manage their involvement at the local level. At Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE: LAD), volunteering is some of the most meaningful and rewarding work we do. We know actively engaged employees, loyal customers and empowered communities are a collaborative formula for success.

NOTE: We have a two-step process and make grants four times per year.  We accept LOIs on a rolling basis, but please note we will stop accepting applications for 2022 grants on 9/2/22, one month before our final board meeting of the year.

About Us

Our Mission

Youth, Environment & Community: We partner with nonprofit teams working to mitigate climate change, protect ecosystems, educate and advocate for youth and reduce child poverty.

Our Vision

Partnering with Community: We envision a transformed philanthropic sector based on meaningful relationships with nonprofits in the lead in the cultivation of a healthy and resilient planet and in support of our youth reaching their full potential.

Our Funding Priority Areas:

Youth

Youth education, youth advocacy and reducing childhood poverty – these are the broad funding focus areas for our grants supporting youth. While we do make exceptions, in general we prioritize the following in each category:

• Education: school-based programs for youth focused on educational attainment. We also reserve a small portion of our education grants budget for development of youth leaders.
• Advocacy: organizations working to support foster youth and prevent and treat child abuse.
• Reducing poverty: in the short term, organizations focused on childhood hunger; in the long-term, educational attainment and family support such as housing and education support.

Environment

Our environmental grants support climate change mitigation and organizations working to protect ecosystems. We recognize both represent huge issues with multiple strategies to address. In general we prioritize grants in the following way: 

• Protecting Ecosystems: organizations working on habitat restoration and clean water protection. We also reserve a small portion of our environmental grants to support the next generation of environmental stewards.
• Climate Change Mitigation: In Hawaiʻi we focus on organizations working towards mitigation strategies. In Oregon we include mitigation strategies as well with a particular emphasis on policy implementation and defense.

Community

The great majority of our grant budget goes towards grants in support of youth and/or the environment. However, we do award a small amount of community grants, typically in response to an acute need. An example is that, at the onset of the pandemic, we made grants to community organizations addressing the dramatic spike in hunger.

Funding

Our maximum grant award is $50,000.

NOTE: The Spring process is for larger grants ranging from $50,000 to $150,000 and in the Fall is for smaller grants ranging from $10,000 to $49,000.

We envision a society that preserves the natural resources of the world, creates opportunities for children and youth to thrive, provides adequate care for the afflicted and most vulnerable, and supports women. To pursue this vision, The Joseph & Vera Long Foundation contributes financial support to not-for-profit organizations involved in the communities of Northern California and Hawaii.

Our primary approach is to invest in organizations that are dedicated to strengthening and supporting the community and committed to the responsible and effective use of the Foundation's assets. The Foundation periodically approves large, multi-year strategic grants focused on achieving a well-defined impact. These grants are made at the discretion of the Board of Trustees and may not be solicited. The Foundation also makes responsive grants that aim to meet the needs of the community.

Program Areas

Programs or projects must closely align with our priorities in one of the four program areas we support:

• The Environment
• Youth in Nature
• Youth Arts
• Maternal Health
• Healthy Aging

NOTE: We have “pawsed” our Dogs Trust USA open Grants round for 2023, focusing our efforts on our Professional Development partnerships and Dog School programs for the moment. However, we may actively reach out to organizations directly to engage with them for joint projects.  

Dogs Trust USA is aware of the large number of dogs abandoned and in need of loving homes across the United States, and that there are many organizations working tirelessly to help dogs live happy and healthy lives. We want to help them do even more, and we run a grants program to help other USA-based 501(c)(3) non-profits like ourselves to deliver projects which will make lasting improvements to dog welfare across the country.

The grants program will support projects in the following target states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

We will support well governed groups who can deliver well-planned projects that have the potential to make a strong impact. We are happy to receive applications for innovative projects that other organizations can learn from, and that contribute towards encouraging responsible dog ownership, a reduction in dog abandonment, an increase in adoption from shelters or effective management of dog populations through spay/neuter programs. All projects must be sustainable and make a measurable difference to the lives of dogs.

Our maximum grant that can be awarded for organizations who we have not previously funded through our grants program is $25,000.

The Laura Jane Musser Fund wants to encourage collaborative and participatory efforts among citizens in rural communities that will help to strengthen their towns and regions in a number of civic areas including, but not limited to, economic development, business preservation, arts and humanities, public space improvements, and education.

Priority is placed on projects that: 

• Bring together a broad range of community members and institutions
• Provide the opportunity for diverse community members to work together
• Contain measurable short term outcomes within the first 12 to 18 months
• Include community members actively in all phases of the process 
• Work toward an outcome of positive change within their community

Projects must demonstrate:

• Support from a diverse cross-section of community members and institutions
• Matching financial and/or in-kind support from the local community
• Significant volunteer participation
• Reasonable plans to complete the project within 18 months or less

Funds will be available for: 

• Planning (up to $5,000) - These funds may support costs like: consultant or staff time, meeting costs, mailings, secretarial support, refreshments, local travel, childcare, etc.
• Note - this stage is optional and not a required phase prior to applying for or receiving an implementation grant. If an organization receives a planning grant from the Musser Fund, this in no way implies a commitment on the part of the Musser Fund to provide the organization with any subsequent implementation grant.
• But organizations that receive a planning grant may apply for subsequent implementation support after their planning activities are completed.      
• Implementation (Up to $25,000) - These funds are available to implement community based rural projects that originate in, have been planned by, and involve diverse people from the local community.
• Capital campaigns will not be supported.
• The projects should result in a tangible outcome within at least the first 18 months.
• Projects will be eligible for either planning or implementation funds during any one grant period.

What the Program will Cover:

• New programs or projects within their first three years
• A planning, and/or implementation phase