Our Grants
For listings of grants made, please see FY2003 Grants, FY2004 Grants, FY2005 Grants, FY2006 Grants, FY2007 Grants and FY 2008 Grants.
What and Where we Fund:
Geographic Focus
The Christensen Fund (TCF) focuses its grantmaking on maintaining the rich diversity of the world—biological and cultural—over the long run, by focusing on five geographic regions:
- The Greater Southwest (Southwest USA and Northwest Mexico)
- Central Asia and Turkey (currently focusing on the mountains and associated valleys of Northeast Turkey, the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan)
- The African Rift Valley (especially Southwest Ethiopia and also Northern Kenya)
- Northern Australia (currently focused on Arnhem Land, Far Northern Queensland, the Kimberley and the Torres Strait Islands)
- Melanesia (sub-region of Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu)*
Grants within the regional programs are generally directed to organizations based within those regions or, where appropriate, to internationally based organizations working in support of the efforts of people and institutions on the ground.
Grant size is typically in the $50,000 to $100,000 range over one or two years, with larger multiyear grants being available generally to our established local partners and per invitation only.
*New Melanesian applicants should apply initially for up to 12 months duration. Projects longer than 12 months will currently only be considered for previous grantees.
Global Biocultural Initiative
Applications are welcome within the following framework: to support efforts aimed at building and sharing global knowledge, wisdom and practice of stewardship of biocultural diversity, landscape integrity and resilience, as well as supporting global institutions and policies that sustain diversity, in particular around agrodiversity and food sovereignty.
Maximum grant size at this time is $200,000 over two years (Larger grants are by invitation only.)
San Francisco Bay Area Program
We support activities by Bay Area organizations that connect our mission and program area with Bay Area communities in the arena of working with Diaspora communities from our focus regions and building understanding of our mission. Bay Area grants are mostly in the range of $20,000 to $40,000.
APPLYING FOR A GRANT
Deadlines - The Fund awards grants on a rolling cycle, but because of a high volume of applications we plan our grants well in advance. We therefore encourage prospective applicants to submit their inquiries or pre-proposals by deadline dates noted below, preferably during the calendar year immediately preceding the proposed project. In general, inquiries or pre-proposals should be submitted by the following deadlines or as invited by a Program Officer.
August 31 - For consideration for the following calendar year. This deadline is in advance of the October Board meeting when grant projections for the following year are reviewed.
March 31 – For consideration within the remaining current calendar year - funds permitting. This deadline is in advance of the May Board meeting when grant projections are revised and reviewed for the remainder of the year.
For events such as conferences and workshops, please apply at least four months in advance of their starting date to enable timely review and grant processing.
What happens after you submit an inquiry or a pre-proposal? First you will receive an online confirmation that we received your submission. Then staff endeavors to send an initial response to all submissions within four weeks. If you have not received a response by that time, please contact grants@christensenfund.org (only use this email for submitted requests). Should the request be considered for funding, the full review process requires more information and typically takes four to six months from the initial inquiry or pre-proposal submission date.
Full Proposals TCF accepts full proposals only at the invitation of a Program Officer. It is during the full proposal process that we require detailed information about the proposed grantee organization such as its founding, governance and financial documentation. Generally, final decision on the request is made within six weeks after submission of a full proposal. The full review process from the initial inquiry or pre-proposal submission date typically takes four to six months.
Nonprofit status Grantseeking organizations need to be US 501(c)(3) or a similar not-for-profit organization, government unit, university or museum either in the USA or in another country.
Questions on Online Submissions Many common questions can be answered by viewing our Frequently Asked Questions page. If you have other questions or difficulties in submitting a request for funding, you may contact us by e-mail at info@christensenfund.org or by phone at (650) 323 8733.
To start a dialogue—either to “Explore an Idea,” or if you are ready, to submit a pre-proposal and “Request a Grant”—please follow one of the links below:
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Submission Options
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EXPLORE AN IDEA
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REQUEST A GRANT
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Quickly explore our interest in your grant concept before requesting a grant.
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Request financial assistance by providing more detailed information.
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*If unable to complete online, use the text version and email or fax it to us:
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Last Revision Date: 04/25/2008
