Grant Guidelines

• Program must fall within one or more of the three LADF Pillars;
• Program must be located in the Greater Los Angeles Area. Geographic priority is LA County;
• Request must come from an organization (no funding will be made to individuals);
• Grants will be made only to organizations with open, non-restrictive membership that operate open to all regardless of race, creed, sex, sexual orientation, religious belief, or nationality. Nothing in the guidelines shall prohibit a program from specifying an age, sex, or physical capacity classification, as long as it is reasonable under all the circumstances, and is consistent with applicable law;
• The organization must be certified as tax exempt under Section 501© (3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code and is not a private foundation as defined in section 509(a) of that Code. The organization must be in good standing with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the California Franchise Tax Board and the California Secretary of State;
• Applicant acknowledges that it has a written policy that addresses its commitment to keep children safe from sexual abuse by preventing, recognizing and responding to situations both on and off the playing field that in any way compromises their safety.

All grants must be received via the online grant application portal. The link to apply is on this page. Information requested on the application include the following:

General Information

• Request amount and one sentence summary of program
• Organization mission statement
• LADF history/affiliation (if applicable)
• Relevant Foundation pillar
• EIN/Tax ID number
• Primary contact : name, title, email and phone number
• Brief organization history

Program Related Criteria

• Program summary
• Overall program goals
• Statement regarding how program is aligned with LADF pillar(s) (Program must be directly linked to one or more LADF pillars)
• Overall program impact -- LADF will give particular attention to programs that may have an especially meaningful impact upon their participants. By this we mean that participation in the program significantly enhances the Sports + Recreation, Health + Wellness and Education + Literacy outcomes that the organization measures. Please provide metrics that objectively assess the impact of the program.
  • For example: If your organization provides college access programming, relevant program outcomes could include high school graduation rates, increased attendance, percent accepted to college, etc.
• How many youth will be served by the program for which you are applying for grant funds?
  • Quantity (number of youth served) -- We will give priority to programs that will reach large numbers, large proportions of their targeted populations or investing significant time/resources if serving a smaller group of youth.
• Who will be the staff implementing their program, their specific roles and what are their qualifications?
• Quality of staff -- Grant proposals should describe in detail the nature and background of staff who will operate the programs. We will prioritize programs run by experienced, trained personnel.

Cost/Budget Criteria

• How will the requested funds be used to support this program?
• What are other sources of funding applicable to the project/program? Please provide names of funding sources and amounts.
  • The organization must demonstrate sustainability beyond funding from LADF. This criterion is most applicable to established groups. It may be modified in the case of new groups in the most resource-deprived areas.
• Does the program currently exist and will it be offered on an ongoing basis
  • Continuity - All Foundation grants will be for a finite period of time. Priority will be given to those requests that show signs of planning for subsequent financing when our grant concludes. Pilot programs are rarely eligible for funding and will be reviewed on a case by case basis.
• Cost in relation to impact -- The Foundation will look closely at the overall costs of the program in relationship to the various other criteria, especially impact. Programs with high-dollar cost in relation to impact must be especially strong on other criteria if they are to be justified.

Visibility/Opportunities for Activation

• How LADF will be recognized for contribution and/or what are potential opportunities to activate?

Required Attachments

• Organization's budget, program budget and most recent 990
• 501c3 determination letter
• List of Board of Directors

• Reapplication - Typically, an organization can only be considered for one grant per year
• Renewals - Grants are generally awarded for a one-year grant period. Current grantees are eligible to reapply for funding after the current grant period ends, and the final report is submitted to and approved by the Foundation. Nonprofits that have received two consecutive grants must wait twelve months from the end of their second grant period before applying for a new grant.

  • For example if you applied in January 2019 and were awarded a grant in May 2019, your grant term would be complete on May 1, 2020 and your report would be due on May 31, 2020, thus you would be eligible to reapply for the August 1, 2020 deadline.

There are limited funds available to support special events or fundraisers; where possible these opportunities will be reviewed monthly by the Grant Committee. Requests should be submitted within six-to-eight weeks of the event to allow time for a response.

For in-kind donations, please visit dodgers.com/donations.