Step 4: WHAT WE FUND
The S.H. Cowell Foundation takes a collaborative and hands-on approach to grantmaking. We view the organizations and communities we fund as partners, and we work hard to build mutual trust and respect.
The S.H. Cowell Foundation has five Program Areas:
Our grantmaking is rooted in a strategy that is both place-based and complementary. Our program areas are designed to complement one another within each community we serve, providing support on a number of levels for low-income children and families.
Cowell looks for low-income communities across Northern and Central California where there is a readiness and commitment to embrace social change.
Within each community, the Foundation seeks to make clusters of grants to support schools, youth development organizations, family resource centers, affordable housing and other critical community needs. We strive to fund projects, programs and initiatives that touch the lives of community members on multiple levels (at home, school, work, and play) in order to increase the likelihood of lasting, positive community change.
No two Cowell-supported communities are exactly alike. In some places, our grants might focus on better services for struggling families; improved teaching at local schools; or building youth centers and affordable housing. Elsewhere the emphasis might be on supporting organizational development; furthering collaboration among community organizations; or increasing civic participation. And many of our grants focus on helping an organization grow from one stage of development to another.
We hope that our support for these diverse, but inter-related activities will enable community organizations to grow comprehensively, and achieve the following concrete results:
- Stronger community organizations and institutions
- Improved neighborhood quality of life
- More effective family functioning
- Student success in, and out of, school
- Children and youth better prepared for adulthood
