GGS Early Literacy Grant Program

Overview

Our History

Bella Vista Foundation (BVF) is the legacy of sisters Georgiana Gerlinger Stevens and Jean Gerlinger Kirkwood, who gave generously throughout their long and eventful lives in the Bay Area and beyond. Georgiana started her own foundation, the GGS Foundation, in 1992, to support literacy, healthy living, and youth development and empowerment. Jean founded the Kirkwood Family Foundation, later renamed the Bella Vista Foundation, in 1999 with a focus on environmental restoration and support for young children. In 2019, the boards of directors of both foundations, composed of family members, decided to merge under the Bella Vista name.

Building Critical Skills

The GGS Early Literacy program promotes literacy for children, including acquisition of reading, writing, and comprehension skills, and application of literacy skills to critical thinking and self-expression.

Organizations We Fund

Those serving at-promise students from preschool through third grade in Marin and San Francisco counties

Programs We Fund

* Programs that are entirely dedicated to early literacy programming, with strong evaluation methods in place and a proven record of effectiveness. Requests may be for general or program support. OR

* Programs that are community-based and infuse literacy into in-school and/or out-of-school programs, with a particular focus on students facing adversity (e.g. English Language Learners). Requests may be for specific program support, to strengthen evaluation methods, and/or for projects designed to build collaboration with other literacy programs.

Eligibility

_You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website._

* The Bella Vista Foundation awards grants to public charities operating under an IRS 501(c)(3) status or fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) organization.
* The foundation only supports non-sectarian programs.
* Only one request from an organization will be funded in a 12-month period.
* If your organization’s last application to the foundation was declined, please contact the program officer for your grantmaking area before you apply again.

Ineligibility

* The foundation does not award grants to individuals.
* The foundation does not make grants to support endowments, events, concerts, annual appeals, videos or films, medical research, or capital campaigns.
* The foundation does not provide funding to programs that are solely virtual.
* This includes software applications.
* The foundation does not award grants to public or private schools or their affiliated foundations.