RSF Seed Fund Eligibility & Application Process

The RSF Seed Fund is a modest-sized fund, which is supported annually by unrestricted gifts to RSF rather than from an endowment. Requests for grants far exceed funds available, so please ensure that your project meets the Eligibility Criteria below before submitting an application.

RSF Seed Fund Eligibility Criteria

• Alignment with RSF’s mission and focus areas (please refer to the What We Value section of our website).
• Nonprofit status: The RSF Seed Fund accepts proposals from organizations that have either:
  • 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status per the IRS, or
  • A fiscal sponsor with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status per the IRS.
• Individuals doing charitable work (grants cannot be made to individuals for educational or capital expenses).
• New initiatives, defined for the purposes of this Fund as:
  • Organizations in the first two years of operation;
  • New projects or programs from existing organizations (NOT including projects that are expanding in geographic scope only).

The RSF Seed Fund will not awards grants for multi-year operating needs, ongoing capital, scholarships, travel, or attending conferences and workshops. The Fund does not make grants to foreign organizations or to U.S. for-profit companies. We will consider applications from U.S. 501(c)(3) organizations doing work in foreign countries.

RSF Seed Fund Application Process

The deadline to submit a grant proposal to the RSF Seed Fund for the annual grant cycle is March 15th.

Grant applications must include the following:

• Indicate your application is for the RSF Seed Fund on the front page;
• Contact information (name, address, phone number, fax number, and e-mail address);
• Amount you are requesting;
• Description of your project or initiative;
• Short summary of how you will use the grant;
• Project plan or a description of how you expect to accomplish your work;
• Brief explanation of how your project or initiative furthers the mission of RSF;
• A copy of your 501(c)(3) letter of determination or that of your fiscal sponsor.

Proposals should note exceed four pages at 12 point type (not including your 501c3 letter) and should NOT be stapled. Additional supplemental information will NOT be reviewed by the advisory committee. We do not accept handwritten applications or applications sent by fax.

Proposals to the RSF Seed Fund will be considered in light of the following:

• Credibility, feasibility, and sustainability;
• Fostering collaborative work;
• Additional financial or volunteer support;
• Intended results or outcomes;
• Beneficial economic, ecological, and social impact.

Please email your grant application to:

caitlyn.kowalczyk@rsfsocialfinance.org

If you do not have email access you may mail your applicaiton to:

Caitlyn Kowalczyk
RSF Social Finance
Attn: Seed Fund
1002A O’Reilly Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94129

Proposals must be postmarked by March 15 to be considered.

Do not call RSF to inquire about the status of your proposal. All applicants will be notified after the advisors to the fund have met to review the proposals.

Selected grantees will be required to submit a report within a year of the date the grant was awarded.