Application and Guidelines

In the interests of balancing predictability and flexibility, the Foundation has decided to adopt a three-year grant cycle. The following procedures and guidelines will govern the Foundation's grant application and review process during the current grant cycle, which will end on December 31, 2013. The Foundation will evaluate its procedures and guidelines during the grant cycle and expects to issue revised procedures and guidelines in late 2013 for the 2014-2016 grant cycle. The Foundation reserves the right to change its guidelines and procedures during any grant cycle.

The directors of the Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation will meet twice a year – once in the spring and once in the fall – to make decisions on grant proposals that the Foundation received at least 75 days before the nearest meeting. The first communication should be with a letter of inquiry. The next deadline for LOI's will be Friday, July 12, 2013. If invited, the deadline for Fall 2013 proposals will be Thursday, August 15, 2013. The Fall meeting of the Directors will be held in mid-November 2013. This timeline allows the Foundation’s directors sufficient time to conduct thorough evaluations of the proposals, including site visits or interviews when appropriate. Funds will be disbursed within 30 days of the meeting at which the grant is approved. The Foundation will award grants up to $50,000. If an organization receives a grant from the Foundation, it must wait three years before applying to the Foundation for another grant. The Foundation will not fund multi-year requests. The Foundation will not fund organizations whose overall budget is greater than $5 million dollars.

The Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation will only consider proposals for support for a specific project or program. The Foundation will not consider applications for general support, operating expenses, capital expansion, endowment funds, seed grants, scholarships, awards, or research and planning.

Letters of Inquiry should be no more than two pages and must include the following:

• Name of the organization
• Name and title of contact person and their contact information
• Amount requested
• Brief description of the organization
• Brief description of project for which funds are being requested
• For dance, music and theater, please include a link to an online work sample

All grant applications must include the following:

• A cover letter with contact information and amount requested
• A narrative describing your organization and its history
• A detailed description of the project
• A complete budget for the project
• A detailed description of how the requested funds will be used.
• A budget for the entire organization
• A copy of the Internal Revenue Service determination letter, confirming charitable status
• Any press releases, articles and/or work samples pertaining to the organization and the specific project for which support is sought.

Please do not send any materials that must be returned. The Foundation will not be responsible for returning photos, slides, videos, CDs, DVDs, original art work, original documents, and the like.


All proposals should postmarked, hand delivered or electronically delivered through email or our online application form NO LATER than 5pm on the day of the deadline. No exceptions!

Please note that our address has changed! Please disregard the Pine Street address and send all inquiries to:

Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation
2184 Sutter Street, #265
San Francisco, CA 94115

Please submit proposals by mail or by utilizing our Online Grant Application form. Please do not fax grant proposals unless one of the directors has specifically authorized you to do so.