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Yes. If you have questions or need to discuss ideas that you have, our staff is available to assist you. 

• For questions regarding the application, please contact Gavin Nichols at gnichols@saafdn.org or 210.242.4720, or Jennifer Cook at jcook@saafdn.org or 210.228.3753. 
• For questions regarding the Artist Fellowship, please contact Stephanie LaFroscia at slafroscia@saafdn.org or 210.228.3754.   
• For questions regarding the grant system and accessing the grant application, please contact Catherine Garcia at cgarcia@saafdn.org. 

We expect notification of grant awards to occur within the last two week of May.  Payments will come in two installments.  For the first installment, checks and contracts processing will begin immediately after award decisions are made which is typically 10 business days, but it can vary depending upon the workload in our Finance department.  The second installment will be paid in the spring of 2022. 

Applications are reviewed by San Antonio Area Foundation staff and a community advisory committee of volunteers. 

We make grants of a set amount based on the budget size of the organization. We reserve the option to make partial grants if we believe it is appropriate. 

For this application process, it will be two years. We will require reporting before making the second-year payment.

Applications will be accepted for organizations that work with middle schools and high schools in one or more of the identified high school feeder patterns: East Central High School, Lanier High School, McCollum High School, SW Legacy High School, Wagner High School.

No. Organizations are not required to have a formal partnership agreement with the school districts they are partnering with.  However, it is preferred that organizations have a formal partnership agreement with the school districts they are partnering with. 

No. Organizations may only submit one application for this grant process.  Organizations may reference/include multiple programs in your organization’s application.  If doing so, please include outcomes and budget information on all the programs the application references.   

Youth voice is a process that elevates young people in the role of allies and subject matter experts, rather than subordinates.  It provides the space for youth to form their own thoughts, and share their knowledge, observations and reactions to their environment while playing an important role in decision making.    

Art-based strategy integrates various forms of creative skills, processes, and experiences into non-arts contexts and programs to more deeply engage participants across learning styles, strengthen connections and trust between participants, and provide participatory program elements that allow participants to more fully contribute. Art-based strategies emphasize the creative, collaborative process and are not intended to perfect artistic skills or emphasize a finished “product”.  This may include but is not limited to fine and performing arts, new media, literary arts, and traditional cultural practices. 

No. Only organizations considered for the Youth Leadership Development grants will be considered for the Artist Fellowship opportunity.  If interested in this opportunity, organizations should complete the Artist Fellowship section of the grant application. 

Successful applications for the Artist Fellowship will demonstrate organizational competence with art-based strategies. The artist, artist collective or cultural group must be identified in the application. Please contact Stephanie LaFroscia at slafroscia@saafdn.org for any questions regarding this aspect of the application. 

No. Priority for the grant application is focused on supporting organizations and programs that demonstrate a commitment to advance equity and racial justice and center youth voice.  Organizations that clearly communicate impact in a compelling and significant way will perform best.   

Organizations awarded should expect to report on their proposed program’s impact at least twice a year.   

The program budget helps us better understand how your organization aligns with and addresses the goals of this initiative.  The three-year financial summary and budget narrative help us understand the financial stability of the organization.    

We are not requiring organizations to submit financial statements for this application process.  If questions about an organization’s financial stability arises during the review process, we may request them. 

This is a general operating grant. Organizations may choose where to apply their funds based on their organization’s needs.  

For this grant, eligible youth are those that attend one of the middle schools or high schools in the identified feeder pattern. 

Implementation partners are eligible to apply for a grant as long as the project they are submitting a proposal for is different than their contracted work with the Future Ready initiative.

Yes. Receiving a grant through any of our grant processes in 2020, including the COVID-19 Response grant and the Annual Responsive Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 grants, will not affect an organization's eligibility to apply for this grant. 

Organizations considered for funding should be able to demonstrate a collaborative relationship with the school their youth attend.  If the organization currently does not partner with the school their youth attend but are establishing a relationship for partnership next school year, the organization will be considered for funding.  

It is preferred you indicate the number of youth served annually.