When we first started covering the LaureL Foundation (“L” intentionally capitalized) here at IP, the funder had not yet established a website and shared little about its grantmaking practices and priorities. But more recently, this grantmaker has shifted some of its focus and become more accessible to local grantseekers.
Here’s an update with information you need to know about the LaureL Foundation and how to secure a grant from this funder in Northern California.
The Bay Area and Silicon Valley are top priorities
Laure L. Woods created this foundation in 1995 to perpetually support topics of personal interest to her. Woods briefly focused her attention on Southern California, and the foundation is still based in South Pasadena. However, she has dedicated most of her foundation’s grantmaking to programs in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley since settling near Palo Alto. The foundation aims to “improve the lives of disadvantaged children living in Northern California,” and it especially looks for organizations that “incorporate the natural world, animals and the empowerment of girls into their programs.”
Typical LaureL grants
The LaureL Foundation is open to awarding many different types of grants. It provides program support and expansion grants, challenge and matching grants, funding for advocacy efforts and capacity building support. The foundation also considers requests for general operating support, capital improvements and seed money. However, it does not provide funding for lobbying efforts or to individuals. Recent grantees include Pets in Need, Youth ALIVE!, Human Rights Watch, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Peninsula.
The STEM Fund
In addition to the above grant types, the LaureL Foundation has a donor-advised STEM fund that focuses on K-12 STEM education in the Bay Area, Lyme disease and climate change. Lyme disease has always been an important issue for this funder because Woods has personally suffered from late-stage Lyme disease. But these days, the LaureL Foundation has broadened its topics of interest, placing a special emphasis on STEM opportunities for young girls.
Applying for a grant
The LaureL Foundation now has an accessible grantmaking process that begins with submitting an initial letter of inquiry. Although the foundation does not accept full grant proposals unsolicited, it welcomes introductory letters of two to three pages at any time of the year. The foundation has a streamlined grant application process and often doesn’t even require additional documentation unless organizations have not received a LaureL Foundation grant in the past or are requesting $50,000 or more.
Learn more about this funder in our updated profile of the LaureL Foundation, which is part of our Bay Area & NorCal Funding Guide.