Lodestar Foundation Grant

The Lodestar Foundation Grant focuses on maximizing the impact of philanthropic efforts through strategic funding aimed at encouraging philanthropy, collaboration, and supporting long-term partnerships among nonprofits. The foundation emphasizes the importance of systemic change and aims to leverage resources effectively. Grants are available to organizations aligned with these goals, with a commitment to fostering public service and volunteerism. The foundation also engages in field-building activities to promote its mission and enhance collaboration in the nonprofit sector.

NOTE: The Lodestar Foundation does not have an open request-for-proposals process. We encourage you to reach out to us if you fit within our funding criteria and you seek our support through a grant.
Our Grant Philosophy
The Lodestar Foundation is focused in its grantmaking and will consider funding only organizations, projects, and programs that further our mission, although we also choose to support special projects from time to time. Moreover, our grants are designed to fully leverage our assets as much as possible. Not only do we try to maximize strategic impact by focusing on projects that support systemic changes in the way nonprofits conduct business, but we also often leverage our funds by establishing challenge and matching grant requirements which may be applicable to our grantees and their boards as well as third parties. We require our grantees to report to us periodically for at least two (2) years after funding to let us know how the grant has impacted their work.
In addition to making direct grants, we also engage in field-building activities to build knowledge and to educate others in the areas of encouraging philanthropy and fostering collaboration.
Encouraging Philanthropy
To implement our strategy of encouraging philanthropy, we focus on strengthening organizations that primarily exist to encourage philanthropy, volunteerism, or public service generally for the public good. We support donor networks as well as nonprofits that have as a primary mission the desire to generally (a) grow philanthropy, (b) promote the concept of volunteerism (but not individual volunteer programs), or (c) support, encourage or train citizens to participate in public service.
Collaboration
We support those nonprofits that have made the joint decision to explore and/or implement permanent relationships. We also initiate and support efforts to build resources and knowledge about collaboration as a strategic capacity-building tool for nonprofits.
Special Projects
In addition to our two strategic funding areas, we make investments in a number of important projects that deserve to be highlighted. A number of our grants in these project areas qualify as Philanthropy and Collaboration grants and are listed in one of those two categories, as well as being listed as Special Projects.

Eligibility

Our Geographic FocusWhile The Lodestar Foundation is based in Phoenix, Arizona, and a number of our grants support local nonprofits, we are opportunity-driven and our grantmaking is national and international.  We constantly seek opportunities that are aligned with our mission and strategies and that include funding partners to participate with us.We encourage you to reach out to us if any of the following apply:You are not currently engaged in philanthropy but, after visiting our website, you are considering adopting the philosophy that helping others will provide you with a happier life, a life with more meaning and purpose.You are engaged in philanthropy and have comments on our philosophy, mission or our strategies (including the use of leverage).You have an interest in investing with us to advance our philosophy and mission.You are a foundation doing work that is similar or complementary to our work; we welcome partnerships with foundations making grants that are consistent with our work.You fit within our funding criteria and you seek our support.