Under the terms of the Will of S. Sidney Stern, all funds must be used within the United States and grants cannot be made to individuals, political candidates or campaigns, lobbying projects or programs to directly influence legislation. A recipient organization must be exempt from income taxation under Federal law as a 501(c)3 and, when applicable, California law. Any organization applying for a grant must also be sanctioned by and listed on GuideStar Charity Check/Candid: GuideStar Charity Check.
The Board accepts, reviews and votes on grant applications throughout the year. There are no deadlines for submission. Requests for grants are considered within eighteen months of receipt of a completed proposal. You will be notified of the Board’s decision no later than that date. Please do not contact the Trust unless we have contacted you.
After a grant has been approved, funds are forwarded to the grantee for use in accordance with the conditions of the request and with any other conditions that the Board requires. Significant change in the approved purpose of the expenditure can be made only upon written authorization of the Board.
The award of a grant does not imply future financial support.
Permission from the Board must be obtained before the name of the Trust or name of any member of the Board of Advisors is used in publicity.
Sidney Stern Memorial Trust Grant Proposal Requirements
1. A 1-2 page cover letter on official organization letterhead, including date of proposal, full name of organization including “dba” and/or “aka” information, a description of the population served, the amount requested, and contact information with title, phone number with extension, and email address. Include the address to which the check should be mailed, if other than the address on your letterhead. Please notify the Trust if contact information has changed.
2. If a proposal is requesting funds under the auspices of an “umbrella” organization, include the umbrella organization’s full GuideStar information, other tax-related information, and written confirmation of its financial responsibility. If a different organization is sponsoring, please include a signed copy of the fiscal sponsorship agreement and any amendments. If you are a supporting organization, please provide an attorney’s opinion letter explaining your type of organization and pertinent GuideStar information.
3. A concise description of the purpose and activities of the organization. A grant will be considered for “general operating support” unless otherwise specified for a particular allocation, which requires a description of the project for which the allocation is requested.
4. A copy of the organization’s annual budget for the most recent fiscal year. Include the budget for proposed project(s) and a list of other sources of funds for the particular project(s.) Please DO NOT include detailed financial documents (for example, 990 forms, financial audit, annual or impact reports.)
5. A list of the current Board of Directors and their affiliations.
6. A list of corporations and foundations from whom the organization has received funds and the amounts of those contributions for the last and current fiscal year.
7. The percentage of the organization’s budget which comes from government funds, including federal, state and local.
8. A copy of the most recent IRS tax-exemption letter for the organization and/or for the umbrella organization.
9. If “doing business” in California, provide a copy of the organization’s California Franchise Tax Board’s tax-exemption letter, which includes the organization’s 7-digit number as allocated by the CA FTB.
10. If an organization acts globally, provide written confirmation that all Stern Trust grant funds will be expended within the United States. Include one sentence with details regarding how those funds will be expended.
A completed grant proposal must be emailed to:
(CC to: peterh@hawaii.edu)
For additional assistance, contact info@sidneysternmemorialtrust.org.