Our Grant Philosophy

Once we have determined that a prospective grantee fits within the scope of our mission, we fund organizational capacity-building activities as well as specific projects and programs; we rarely support capital projects and only if they directly advance our mission. Many of our grants are multiyear commitments.

Our grants are designed to leverage Lodestar’s assets to the fullest extent possible. Not only do we try to maximize strategic impact by focusing on projects that support systemic changes in the way nonprofits conduct business, we generally leverage our funds by establishing challenge and matching fund requirements which often are applicable to our grantees and their boards as well as third parties. We generally require our grantees to report to us periodically for at least two years after funding to let us know how the grant has impacted their work.

Along with our financial support, we provide substantial technical assistance to our grantees through our own staff and through outside consultants. We work with prospective grantees, often over extended time periods and in incremental funding steps, to help them achieve their goals.

Click here to explore our grants.