The Silva Watson Moonwalk Fund

OVERVIEW: The Silva Watson Moonwalk Fund awards grants to organizations across the country; however, the majority of grants go to support LGBTQ, health, and wildlife organizations located in California.

IP TAKE: The Moonwalk Fund is a bit of a black box making it hard to get a grant here. It also appears to have no clear giving strategy. According to 990s, it tends to award general operating support grants rather than those to support specific projects or programs. It lacks transparency and does not maintain a website. Grantmaking appears to have slowed lately, perhaps because of the larger projects it has backed in recent years. Grantseekers will need to network here to get on this funder’s radar.

PROFILE: Located in Larkspur, California, the Silva Watson Moonwalk Fund was established in 1997 by Douglas Watson and Larry Silva. The fund was named after the day humans walked on the moon, the day the founders met. This low-profile funder does not maintain a website and only employs one formal staff member. After examining its tax filings, it appears as if the fund predominately supports organizations located in California, particularly those working in San Francisco, the Bay Area and Los Angeles.

Grants for LGBTQ

In the LGBTQ funding space, the Moonwalk Fund appears to support smaller, community-based organizations. Past grantees include the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, National Center for Lesbian Rights, Lyon-Martin Health Services, the Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center of San Francisco and Lyric, a San Francisco based organization that works LGBTQ youth. The fund also helped create the Lily Tomlin Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center in Hollywood, and helped fund the PBS documentary We Were Here.

Grants for Public Health and Access

While the Moonwalk Fund does not appear to have a clear giving strategy, tax records show that it does make grants for health and healthcare. Past grantees in this space include Project Angel Food, Okizu Foundation, Zen Hospice Project, and Fenway Community Health Realty Corporation.

Grants for Environment, Animal Welfare and Wildlife

The fund does not have clearly defined program areas, but financial records show that the environment and wildlife are priorities. Previous grantees in these areas include Performing Animal Welfare Society, In Defense of Animals, Canal Alliance, and Environmental Traveling Companions.

Important Grant Details:

The Silva Watson Moonwalk Foundation’s grantmaking has declined steadily over the past several years from about $400,000 to about $55,000 in a recent year. Grants range from $1,000 to $50,000, with an average grant size of about $5,000. The fund preselects its grantees and does not accept unsolicited grant applications or requests for funding. A mailing address and phone number are provided below.

PEOPLE:

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CONTACT:

Silva Watson Moonwalk Fund

c/o Vivian L. Schneider

62 Rose Lane

Larkspur, California 94939

(415) 891-8792