The Foundation is dedicated to improving the quality of life, primarily to benefit San Francisco Bay Area residents through contributions, grants and scholarships for the education and welfare of children and their families.

The Foundation will make grants only to organizations that are exempt from federal tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and are not classified as private foundations under section 509(a) of the Code.

Grants are normally given to qualified nonprofit organizations located in or directly serving residents of the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Foundation has an established interest in providing grants and scholarship for the education of children of all ages and all ethnic backgrounds in the areas of:

• Arts
• Technology
• Education
• Science

The Foundation does not generally provide support for:

• Grants to individuals or loans.
• Organizations in support of activities to influence legislation.

The Foundation does not assume an obligation for permanent support of any activity. However, it will consider grants for two to three years when the goals of a project require further financial support. The Foundation will also not consider full proposals from any organization more frequently than once every twelve months.

The Foundation only accepts applications online.  Please contact the Executive Director either by phone or email prior to submitting an LOI.  Programs that are invited to apply will receive a link to the online application.

The Foundation staff will review applications and letters of inquiry to determine whether the request is complete and conforms to the Foundation's basic policies, goals, objectives, and areas of focus. Depending on the size of your grant and other factors, our staff may research your request through telephone inquiries, meetings, and/or site visits.

The Foundation’s Board of Directors will generally consider grant proposals within 90 days of receipt. Once a final decision has been made, the applicant organization will be notified in writing.

All recipients of grants must return a completed Grant Agreement and submit a report detailing the results of the project or program for which funds were contributed, including an accounting of how Foundation grant funds were spent. The Grant Contract will specify the type of evaluation report required at the end of the grant period.

In addition to the Application information, the following items are required with your grant proposal:

• Concise description of your organization, including purpose and goals.
• Description of the project or program for which funds are being requested.
• The target population the project or program addresses.
• Plan of action including (as a separate attachment) the agency's budget and a project budget, the most current annual financial statement, current income and expense statement, and a copy of the annual audit, if available.
• Other funding sources for the project or program, including both committed and pending sources of support.
• The expected results including measurable objectives where applicable.
• A list of the Board of Directors including their primary organizational affiliations.

Members of the Foundation are involved in many community activities as volunteers, donors, and members of boards of directors or advisory boards. The Foundation requires disclosure by the directors of the Foundation of their involvement in organizations that are applicants to the Foundation and abstention from voting on the application of an organization in which they are involved. The Foundation also requires disclosure by staff of any overlapping involvements with applicants to the Foundation.

Letters of inquiry and grant proposals should be addressed to:

Miriam deQuadros

Executive Director

Joseph and Mercedes McMicking Foundation

1004B O'Reilly Avenue

San Francisco, CA 94129