Open Hearts Foundation
GRANT PROGRAM
Open Hearts Foundation’s grant making program impacts communities in need by providing direct support to emerging and growing nonprofit organizations, whose origins and mission align with the Open Hearts Philosophy.
Through a competitive grant making process, the Foundation vets, identifies, and funds these charities across the United States, helping them to feed the hungry, provide the most basic human necessities, offer lifesaving medical or mental health programs, and care for those populations who need it most.
We continue this work by raising awareness for their cause, partnering with them to share their stories, and staying connected through their successes and their challenges. Many of our charity partners match our grants with the generosity of their donors, helping them to serve even more in their community.
The Open Hearts Foundation has invested more than $1,799,545.00 in grants to a wide range of causes. In our early years, these causes have been honored at the annual Open Hearts Foundation Gala.
To learn about our work in the COVID-19 Pandemic, click this link.
GRANTMAKING IN 2023
The Open Hearts Foundation announced its latest grantmaking cycle in alignment with its Open Hearts Philosophy, which is inspired by Jane Seymour’s mother, Mieke Frankenberg. This philosophy drives the Foundation’s mission forward and this latest grant cycle will fund $250,000 to charities across the United States.
Assistance League, Coachella Valley
A $12,000.00 grant to support the Operation School Bell Program, which will provide school clothing and hygiene kits including 3 shirts, a pair of shoes, 6 pairs of socks, 6 pairs of underwear, and hygiene supplies for 5,000 Coachella Valley socio economically disadvantaged public Pre-K, elementary and middle school students.
Children of Inmates
A $15,000.00 grant to support care coordination which will help address the financial, housing, basic needs, and other hardships of children of inmates, as well as the costs of food, clothing, diapers, basic supplies, educational supplies and other critical needs so families and unaccompanied youth can stabilize and begin to heal.
Conejo Community Outreach
A $15,000.00 grant to support the diaper bank, relieving the stress of the cost of diapers, the hard decisions that low income, foster or young families face when it comes to “stretching” the use/length of time their child is in a diaper or using brands that may give their babies rashes/allergies. Funds will also be used to support more families on the waitlist.
Foster Angels of South Texas
A $15,000.00 grant to support the Life Set Program providing basic needs and life-enhancing opportunities to foster youth, ages 18 to 22, to identify and address their specific needs including short-term housing, life coach matching, job, and internship opportunities, and tutoring or academic support, and to provide them with general support to give them the hope and care they have been lacking in the absence of a family.
Kids Community Dental Clinic
A $15,000.00 grant to add a new school site to impact 900 children with free dental screenings, in clinic care, preventative treatment, oral health education, and free oral hygiene kits, helping children with infections, rampant decay, and any cavities to gain access to treatment to prevent other serious oral health diseases.
Scholars Latino Initiative
A $14,000.00 matching grant to support Latino/a/x high school students with early college seminars, leadership development, school equipment supplies, and supportive mentorships.
As part of SLI's year-end campaign, this matching grant helped raise nearly $100,000 to support college access for remarkable young people who are more motivated than ever to make our world a better place as leaders, teachers, doctors, lawyers, and scientists.
“My goal is to receive a superior education compared to what my parents were able to obtain in Mexico,” said SLI scholar Jimena. “They have given me a better life, and I aspire to make the most of this opportunity so that one day I can repay them with the life they truly deserve.”
Solidarity Sandy Springs
A $12,000.00 matching grant to raise the level of nutrition through the food pantry that serves food insecure neighbors and assures a continued supply of fresh produce, protein, and dairy, feeding 700-750 families a week and filling the systemic gap in nutrition for children and families under the poverty level.
This matching grant inspired other donors to provide matching donations and, with the generosity of 184 donors, they raised over $88,000 to benefit their programs.
Stepping Stones
A $14,000.00 grant to support the Step Up program serving 88 homeless, unaccompanied youth with a place to live and learning the skills they need to not just get by, but prosper, including living accommodations, life-skills classes including finance, safety, career soft skills, and cooking, community volunteer activities, and their graduation, when the youth will be ready to take on the world of “adulting” all on their own
The Right Path
A $7,000.00 grant to provide therapeutic horsemanship services to impoverished children and youth with disabilities and challenges from within the rural communities surrounding its location south of Drumright, OK. This grant will specifically support services for children with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.
Volunteer Center South Bay, Harbor, Long Beach
A $12,000.00 grant to provide over 4,000 school bags filled with more than 70,000 education and wellness materials including books, science kits, toothbrushes, teddy bears, crayons, coloring books, and math tools to the most underserved first graders in the South Bay, Harbor and Long Beach schools. When the gifts are delivered to a classroom, volunteers also take the time to visit and read stories to the children, sharing a lesson on volunteering and empathy.
Bluebird Cultural Initiative
A $15,000.00 grant to support at risk youth from difficult home situations or foster care and elder community members who are often homebound or have other needs, with home-delivered meals, toiletries, and other basic needs care. The charity enriches the understanding of the history and cultural traditions of Native American peoples of the Great Plains.
Chinle Planting Hope
A $7,000.00 grant to continue to support the R.E.A.D. in Beauty (Reading Empowers Adventures and Dreams) Bookmobile and literacy program which encourages children to read, strengthen their literacy skills, and broaden their horizons.
Amber Drinen shared, "I just want you all to know, from the bottom of our hearts, how grateful we are. We would not be where we are today without the support of organizations like yours. We do not take for granted this support and we are so thankful. "
Claire’s Place Foundation
A $12,000.00 matching grant to support the Work Proudly program, which supports families in the Cystic Fibrosis community by helping participants identify and gain remote, flexible careers that they can maintain while caring for themselves or others and receiving career counseling, case management, tuition assistance, equipment for working from home, and social support from others.
Our grant was successfully matched with the generosity of their donor community!
Home Again Los Angeles
A $15,000.00 matching grant to support the Home Again LA Mobile Resource Center and bridge and/or eliminate the digital divide to make human services, such as access to rent and utility assistance, community partner referrals, nonperishable food items, and personal care kits, available to communities with limited transportation and accessibility to agencies focused on the service of women and families with children enrolled in free lunch programs in targeted low-income neighborhoods.
Home Again LA was able to more than match our grant, doubling their funds thanks to the generosity of donors in their community.
Lending Hearts
A $10,000.00 matching grant to continue support of the virtual and in-person Lending Hearts Integrative Oncology Wellness Program for children and young adults living with cancer and their families, supporting the mental, social and physical impact of cancer on the body both during treatment and beyond; the need to not only live with cancer but maintain life with cancer.
Sharia’s Closet
A $15,000.00 matching grant to provide free emergency clothing, hygiene kits, and other supplies to vulnerable neighbors in San Diego with ten to twelve outfits and basic hygiene products giving them stability and a sense of dignity, respect, and self-confidence all at no cost.
Sharia’s Closet is hosting a matching campaign for the end of the year and they are more than half way to their goal.
Sonoma Family Meal
A $15,000.00 grant to open a food insecurity meal distribution site in Guerneville, Sonoma County and distribute approximately 160 meals weekly to low-income, food insecure families, greatly enhancing their mental and physical wellbeing.
The Children’s Lifesaving Foundation
A $15,000.00 matching grant to support programs dedicated to enriching and transforming the lives of homeless and underserved children and families in Los Angeles through camps and experiences that provide academic, social, and domestic support.
CLF just started their matching campaign and they are a third of the way to their goal.
Voices for Children, Tampa Bay
A $15,000.00 matching grant to provide support and advocacy for the abused, neglected and abandoned children in the foster care system to ensure they have the resources and enrichment opportunities they need to feel safe, loved and cared for including clothing, basic human needs, supplies for school, emotional support for traumatized children during stressful and difficult situations with Courthouse Facility Dogs, and the Holiday Toy Shop.
This year, Voices for Children not only doubled our matching grant, but they almost tripled it, surpassing the $15,000 match to raise an additional $25,230.
Grantmaking Guidelines
The Open Hearts Foundation has a framework for its grantmaking program in alignment with the Open Hearts Philosophy that defines how the Foundation provides grants across the United States.
Utilizing best practices in trust-based philanthropy, here are the guidelines and practices for the Open Hearts Foundation grantmaking program:
In alignment with the Open Hearts Philosophy, the Foundation seeks to fund nonprofits founded by an individual or small group of volunteers who have faced an adversity and are turning that adversity into an opportunity to help others through charitable work.
Grant funds will range between $5,000 and $15,000 per non-profit on an annual basis
The Open Hearts Foundation only funds 501c3 nonprofit organizations directly serving communities in the United States of America.
Our priority areas will support charities serving vulnerable women, children, and populations impacted by poverty or low to no equitable access and providing or expanding services to offer medical, human, or basic needs (e.g., food, shelter, clothing, and other basic needs) or unmet needs that directly benefiting these communities
Nonprofits which have demonstrated responsible use of funds and effective program outcomes with a minimum of two years of fiscally healthy operating programs and successful outcomes since its founding
Nonprofits which may be at risk for gaps in funding due to lack of equitable access
Nonprofits with an annual budget of $1 million or lower are our priority. The Foundation will consider nonprofits with a larger budget who are beginning a new initiative that meets a new need within their communities
The Foundation will NOT make grants for or to:
Direct aid to individuals
Influencing legislation or elections
Faith based programming, sectarian religious organizations, or churches
Nonprofits or programs that will regrant funds to individuals. i.e. City Funds, Community Organizers, another philanthropic emergency fund, scholarships, etc.
Organizations that discriminate on the basis of age, disability, ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, race or religion
Building plans or improvements or operational costs
How to Apply:
The Foundation will accept grant applications through a request for proposal (or RFP) usually on an annual basis. All grant proposals received must include a.) a one-page Letter of Intent and b.) two YTD budgets including an annual budget for the nonprofit and an itemized budget for the program or service seeking funds. Additional instructions:
Include in the Letter of Intent the program and need for funding, the community it will serve, and the anticipated impact
Explain how the origin of the nonprofit aligns with the Open Hearts Philosophy – who was the organization Founded by, why did they seek to help others through charitable work?
Include the organization’s annual budget including year to date revenues and expenses
Include an itemized budget for the program or service seeking funds detailing revenues received or pending and direct expenses for the program or project explaining how the amount requested will be used to serve
Include the organization’s mission statement and strategic goals
Because the Open Hearts Foundation is a public foundation and is responsible for the careful stewardship of our donors’ donations, organizations receiving funding will submit a brief Final Report within a 90-day period after the grant is provided to the Open Hearts Foundation. The Final Report will explain how the funds were used and the impact they achieved, including successes and challenges. Their stories will be shared with the public as part of our mission to empower their work and raise awareness for their cause. Previously funded charity partners may resubmit a new Letter of Intent and Budget on an annual basis after a Final Report has been submitted for their previous grant.
Open Hearts Foundation Emergency Relief Fund:
From April 2020 to March 2022 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Open Hearts Foundation provided grants through an Emergency Relief Fund in support of emerging and growing non-profits on the frontlines who served vulnerable women and children. Read more about the Emergency Relief Fund by clicking here
Grantmaking in 2022:
In the summer of 2022, the Open Hearts Foundation established new grant guidelines that align with our Open Hearts Philosophy. Through our internal vetting process, sixteen grants were provided to emerging charities across the United States. Click the button below to read the announcement or click this link to learn more about our charity partners in 2022.
Impact Reports
Nonprofits which receive grants from the Foundation have certain obligations, including grant reporting and grant recognition. The impact of their grants and the stories of their service are life changing.