Pre-3 Support Grant Program

Overview

_NOTE: Before starting the application process, please contact us to discuss your organization’s work._

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.

Pre-3 Support Program

The Pre-3 Support program focuses on building resiliency among families facing adversity or trauma by helping parents and caregivers cope with toxic stress.

Programs We Fund

Those which:

* Build connections between parents/caregivers, their communities, and supportive local services
* Infuse trauma-informed practices into their work with parents/caregivers
* Foster a safe and supportive environment that builds parents’/caregivers’ self-confidence
* Provide opportunities for parents/caregivers to gain parenting education, training, and support
* Utilize research-based practice and ongoing measurement and monitoring to continuously improve 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.
* We fund those serving pregnant women, mothers, fathers, and primary caregivers of children ages 0-3 from low-income communities who face adversity or trauma in Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties. 
* 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 award grants to public or private schools or their affiliated foundations.
* 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.