As we are in the midst of our major fundraising campaign, we wanted to send this FAQ that highlights the OUTSTANDING work that our AMAZING grants team has done so far. Did you see our recent exciting announcement about the Darwin Curtis award? Want to know more about what is happening in the world of grants? Well, read on!
Who is on this AMAZING grants team?
It takes a village! Erik Jensen is our lead grant writer, working with a dream team that includes Brian Davidson, Heather Kopeck, Katie Baxter, Sarah Vital, Kim Chapin, Kate Garfinkel, Sean Franey, Ann Drummie, Sarah Walsh, Mike Greenberg, and Bill McMorris. This dedicated group has spent endless hours identifying grant opportunities, writing and submitting applications, making personal appearances, obtaining licenses and paperwork…and much more. THANK YOU team!!!
We also want to give a huge shout-out to all of our SFBACC members who tirelessly volunteer. Listing our club’s many contributions and goals on grant applications truly brings to light the countless hours that our members contribute to our sport and community.
How does SFBACC qualify for grants?
Grants are awarded for specific projects that benefit a community and align with donor’s goals. Our team was faced with the challenge of making our DI project relatable to grant givers who are not necessarily familiar with our great sport of curling. So what is the approach? In short, our proposals have focused on growing our youth and adaptive curing programs (two populations that are disproportionately affected by the limitations of curling on arena ice), adding accessible features to the building, and bringing a new business/community center to a developing area in Oakland.
What grants has SFBACC applied for?
- The Olympic Club Foundation
- Darwin Curtis (Chicago Community Trust; USA Curling)
- The Home Depot Foundation
- Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund
- Games 4 Good Foundation
- DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation
- Port of Oakland
- City of Oakland
- Various Matching-based Grants (SVGives, Network for Good)
What grants have been approved thus far?
- The Olympic Club Foundation—$5,000
- Darwin Curtis (Chicago Community Trust; USCA)—$8,500
- SVGives—$,4000
- Network for Good—$150
What is our grant fundraising goal?
Currently we have secured 88% of the $20K that we targeted for grants in our original fundraising proposal. We are fully expecting to surpass our goal shortly, which will help offset dollars that are still short in other areas. Also, we will continue to seek grant opportunities for many years to come!
Erik Jensen, what would you tell our membership about our grant process?
Grants come in all shapes and sizes, but they are all fundamentally about trust and credibility—that an organization can deliver on its mission statement. Trust is inherent to our sport. Curlers have to trust the ice, their teammates, and themselves. Where a granting organization’s goals overlap with the SFBACC’s mission is where non-profit magic is made. Our club has been lucky enough to find partners that see both the potential of our sport and of our organization. For instance, we have found a new partner through this DI journey in the Olympic Club Foundation. Curling stood out to their team as a tool to empower community development, in particular through youth. They saw curling as a platform to leverage the grass-roots efforts of community organizations into youth participation at any level of competition, be it recreational or on the Olympic stage (88% of curlers representing the USA in the Winter Olympics began curling in a junior program). I would go one step further in that their team saw curling as a fundamentally different sport for them to fund. They saw curling as an inherent departure from the “beat their s*&^ in” mentality that is unfortunately present in many youth sports. In this and other grants, our club has appealed as a partner with the agency to instill in our membership the values of personal growth, teamwork, and community.
Well said Erik!
Is SFBACC also looking for corporate donations and/or sponsorships?
Yes! Many of the folks on our grants team are also working to secure corporate dollars, including donations, matching gifts, sponsorships, and advertisements. Our list of grants is not inclusive of the companies that we are approaching for this type of financial support.
What does the future hold?
SFBACC’s long history as a non-profit sports organization that prides itself in diversity, volunteerism, community outreach, and curling development have allowed us to secure some key initial funding thus far. Continuing these efforts and realizing new opportunities will qualify us for many more grant opportunities in the future. Our work is only starting and the future is BRIGHT!
What if I know about a grant opportunity or want to help?