Grants from Social Venture Kids

Social Venture Kids is SVP's teen philanthropy group. 

Each year they select a community issue they would like to address. They raise funds, research the issue they’ve selected, solicit and evaluate grant applications, and make annual grants totaling $10,000 or more.

2011-2012 Giving Priorities

SVK’s topic for the 2011-2012 grantmaking cycle is hunger. Hunger is a growing problem in King County, and it adversely affects adults and children alike. According to the United Way of King County, the number of visits to King County food banks has increased greatly since 2008. SVK believes that access to nutritious food is a necessity. Lack of healthy food contributes to diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular complications. Hunger also inhibits the ability to focus in school and at work.

SVK is looking invest in organizations and programs that do the following:

• Provide healthy food to those with food insecurity.
• Provide services to stop long-term hunger.
• Collaborate with other organizations to provide systematic support.
• Find permanent solutions to food insecurity.
• Tries to create legislative change to reduce food insecurity.

Giving Criteria & Process

SVK members host a speaker panel and conduct research to educate themselves about the issue before requesting letters of inquiry (LOI) from local nonprofits.  Once received, members review and discuss each LOI at length.  They also score each using a rating tool to maximize objectivity.  Criteria are weighted by importance and may include:

• Fit with giving priorities
• Program execution
• Financial health and funding sources
• Mission/program match
• Outcomes, innovation, and measurability

After reviewing the LOIs, SVK members invite five organizations to submit full proposals. The review process is repeated and SVK conducts site visits with those organizations. One to three grant recipients are selected and announced in May.  Please check the Key Dates below and be aware that the turnaround from receipt of the LOIs to request for full proposals (RFP) is quick. SVK members take the application process very seriously and respect the effort that it takes to complete. 

Eligibility

Applicants must be classified as a 501(c)(3) public charity, and their programs must serve communities in King County.

SVK will not consider grant requests from individuals, religious organizations for sectarian purposes, pure sports teams, or any organization that discriminates on the basis of race, sexual orientation, gender, age, marital status, national origin or physical ability. SVK will not make grants to support auctions or fundraising events, debt reduction, endowment funds or capital campaigns.

Reporting Requirement

Grant recipients are required to submit a progress report in May 2013.

Letter of Inquiry Form

Please use this form to create your letter of inquiry, and email it as a pdf attachment to: info@svpseattle.org by January 13, 2012.  If you cannot email the application, please fax it to (206) 728-0552, or mail it to SVP, 1601 2nd Avenue, Suite 615, Seattle, WA 98101.  Please direct questions to info@svpseattle.org.

Key Dates

See a list of some of SVK's past grantees >>