For Current Grantees
What are the reporting requirements for WSJF grantees?
Grantee Reporting Requirements
Interim Reports
Multi-year grantees must submit interim reports for every year of the grant life-cycle, and a final report at the end of the grant cycle. Interim reports are due three months prior to the yearly anniversary. Reporting dates will be included in the grant contract. In addition to the narrative report, please submit an update on accomplishments to date on the current year’s accountability plan and a revised accountability plan for the upcoming grant year.
Single-year grantees who are considering applying for renewal funding should contact program staff three to six months prior to the end of the present grant-term. If invited to re-apply, a report on progress toward the present grant year’s goals, objectives, accountability plan, and spending should be submitted with the new proposal application.
Final Reports
All grantees are required to submit final reports, which are due two months after the end of the grant period, unless otherwise specified. For multi-year grants, the final report is a cumulative, comprehensive examination of the entire grant term. Please note that the Foundation typically provides no more than two or three years of consecutive funding. Since all reports have been revised recently, grantees should contact Charles “Chuck” Hoblitzelle, Grants Manager for current forms and instructions. choblitzelle(at)whittiertrust.com.
For Potential New Grantees
How can you apply for a grant from the Walter S. Johnson Foundation?
How do I apply for a Grant?
Step 1) Determine your eligibility
We support organizations whose work qualifies as charitable, according to the IRS definition. This includes organizations with a 501(c) 3 status, public agencies, and projects sponsored by public charities. Only organizations serving the WSJF’s targeted regions of Northern California and Nevada are generally eligible for grants. We do not make grants to individuals, towards arts or film projects, or contribute to capital campaigns or endowments. We do not make grants to international organizations. For county chapters of state organizations, proposal invitations are generally only offered to the state organization.
Step 2) Determine your project’s fit
Review our funding priorities and list of previous grants to determine whether your efforts advance one or more of the Foundation’s goals and objectives. If you determine that your project/program aligns well with our strategy, please proceed to Step 3. Please review our Funding Priorities. If you are unsure as to your programs "fit" with our priorities, you can contact us via email (not phone contact).
Step 3) Contact Us
If you have determined that your project is eligible and it is a fit for the WSJF funding priorities, please contact our Program Director: Yali Lincroft (ylincroft@whittiertrust.com) to see whether your organization is a good candidate for a proposal invitation. Often, a Letter of Inquiry is requested prior to a full proposal submission. WSJF does not accept unsolicited proposals.
Step 4) Submit a proposal (by invitation only)
If you have been invited to submit a proposal, a Walter S. Johnson Foundation representative will send a proposal packet electronically. Please submit your application by the deadline that you have been given. This is typically several months before the board meeting at which your proposal will be considered. When completed, submit the proposal and attachments electronically to our Program Director: Yali Lincroft (ylincroft@whittiertrust.com). Please send the documents in WORD or EXCEL format (not pdf).
Depending on the grant's size, it can take 2-6 months for program staff to conduct the necessary due diligence (which may include a site visit, reference checks, and program/financial assessment) to present funding recommendations to our Board of Trustees. During the review process, staff will keep you informed about your proposal’s status.
Step 5) Proposal review and funding determination
Program staff will notify you if and when your proposal will be presented to the Board of Directors and when to expect a decision. The Board meets four times each year to make funding decisions (February, May, July/August, and November). Proposals are generally due 3 months prior to the board meeting. Please note that the Foundation typically provides no more than two or three years of consecutive funding to its grantees.
Grantees
List of current and past Walter S. Johnson Foundation grantees.
Who are our Grantees?
LARGE GRANTS
- Boosted Diplomas, $150,000 for 2 years (GR24-01Y) - Educational support for foster youth in Washoe County, NV.
- Children's Advocacy Alliance, $150,000 (GR24-02R) - Addressing the needs of transitional-age youth in Nevada, particularly housing and placement challenges.
- Lutheran Social Services of Northern California, $250,000 for 2 years (GR24-03Y) - Create a job developer position to work with transitional-age youth in San Joaquin County, CA.
- National Center for Youth Law, $150,000 for 2 years (GR24-04Y) - Support for its Reproductive Health Equity Project for Foster Youth program in Sacramento County, CA.
- Parents by Choice, $250,000 for 2 years (GR24-11Y) - Support the rapid expansion of their youth employment programs in San Joaquin County, CA.
- Make It Home, $150,000 (GR24-12R) - Support the development of their furniture restoration vocation program for transitional-age youth in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA.
- California Local Conservation Corps Foundation, $100,000 (GR24-13R) - General support for this newly formed membership foundation serving California's 14 local conservation corps.
- Transition Age Youth Research & Evaluation Hub (TAY Hub) housed at the University of California, Berkeley, $100,000 (GR24-14R) - General support for the core activities of the TAY Hub.
- Fund for the Education Success of Students Experiencing Homelessness, Child Welfare, and Juvenile Justice (housed at Amalgamated Funds), $250,000 (GR24-15R) - Participation in the pooled FES Fund addressing the needs of highly mobile students.
- iFoster, $400,000 for two years (GR24-16Y) - Support to expand its Transition Age Youth AmeriCorp programs in Clark County, NV.
- California College Pathways (CCP) Pooled Fund (fiscal agent: Whittier Trust), $600,000 for two years (GR24-17Y) - Participation in the pooled CCP Fund addressing the foster youth educational outcomes in higher education in California.
- American Bar Association Fund for Justice in Education $300,000 (GR24-27R) - Support for the Legal Center for Foster Care and Education.
- Aspiranet, $200,000 for 2 years (GR24-28Y) - Increase housing resources to serve TAY youth in rural Northern CA.
- Foundation for California Community Colleges, $280,000 for 2 years (GR24-29Y) - Support Student Ambassadors Program and Refurbished Laptops for Foster Youth programs.
- National Foster Youth Institute, $160,000 for 2 years (GR24-31Y) - Support foster youth advocates in national policy discussions including youth advocates for CA and NV.
- Workforce Connections (fiscal agent: New Ways to Work), $400,000 for 2 years (GR24-32Y) - Support "Next Stop: Your Career" disconnected youth initiative.
- Olive Crest, $75,000 (GR24-33R) - Support to address acute youth mental health crisis in Southern NV.
- SchoolHouse Connections, $200,000 (GR24-34R) - Technical assistance for the new FAFSA Simplification Act.
SMALL GRANTS
- Educate Tomorrow, $10,000 (GR23-72D) - Fostering Academic Achievement Nationwide.
- Pathways to Hope for Children, $16,000 (GR24-20D) - Strategic planning efforts in Shasta County, CA.
- West Coast Children's Clinic, $17,500 (GR2-07D) - Expanding and strategically assessing the CAN tool in identifying trafficking victims.
- Raise the Future, $20,000 (GR23-47D) - Supporting foster and at-risk youth in Clark County, NV.
- Michelson 20MM Foundation, $20,000 (GR24-18D) - Digital Equity Pooled Fund for Northern CA.
- Juma Ventures, $20,000 (GR23-70D) - SNAP E&T support in Northern CA.
- Regents of the University of California, Berkeley, $30,000 (GR23-40D) - Sustainability planning and communication support for CCWIP.
- Child and Family Policy Institute, $15,000 (GR24-10D) - No. CA student participation in the 2024 CA Foster Youth Education Summit.
- National Youth Employment Coalition, $20,000 (GR24-06D) - CA and NV youth participation in the 2024 NYEC Annual Forum.
- Advokids, $4,500 (GR24-05D) - Support for the study on minors' attorneys' obligations in juvenile dependency proceedings.
- John Burton Advocates for Youth, $2,010 (GR24-08D) - Books to distribute at CCP Blueprint Conference.
- National Youth Employment Coalition, $5,000 (GR24 56D) - Support for annual conference, including representation by CA youth advocate.
- Child and Family Policy Institute of California, $20,000 (GR24 24D) - Support youth engagement project in partnership with the CA Dept of Social Services.
- National Association of Counsel for Children, $10,000 (GR24 26D) - Support review of current tech stack to recommend current and future tech needs.
- CalMatters, $10,000 (GR24 25D) - Support for reporting on educational access for vulnerable students.
- John Burton Advocates for Youth, $20,000 (GR24 24D) - Support for California College Pathways conference.
- Community Support Network, $20,000 (GR24 19D) - Support for TAY housing in Sonoma County, CA.
- Treehouse Foundation, Inc., $20,000 (GR24 21D) - Communications support for education and foster youth issues.
- Child and Family Policy Institute of California, $3,000 (GR24 22 D) - Conference support for California Department of Education rep to national Dept of Ed convening.