Durfee Foundation
/OVERVIEW: This Los Angeles-based funder seeks to help local nonprofit leaders be creative, avoid burnout and encourage new leaders to emerge in the region. Almost all grants stay inside the Los Angeles Metropolitan area, and each Durfee program has its own set of requirements and application guidelines posted on the foundation website.
IP TAKE: Nonprofit leaders seeking a break and some inspiration will find a lot to like about Durfee. It supports creative individuals and community leaders who need a little boost to keep going.
Grantseekers will want to keep an eye on the foundation’s webpage as programs are occasionally shut down and replaced by new priorities.
PROFILE: The Durfee Foundation was built upon the success of the $5 billion Avery office supplies company and takes a very unique approach to grantmaking. It seeks to support “extraordinary people who are making a better Los Angeles.” The foundation is named after Avery’s late wife, Dorothy Durfee Avery, who established the grantmaking entity with her husband in 1960. R. Stanton Avery invented the first commercial self-adhesive label machine and founded Avery International, which is now the Fortune 500 merger company Avery Dennison. Avery the man has been described as somewhat of a rebel, studying liberal arts instead of following his father into the ministry and taking a year off school to travel in China. It was here that Avery first experienced hardship, poverty, and the need for nonprofit organizations around the world. Durfee is relatively small in size and staff, and grantmaking is generally organized through one of the established programs: Sabbatical, Stanton Fellowship, Springboard Fund, and Lark Award.
Over the past 50 years, the foundation has awarded more than $30 million in grants, most of which are in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. At the end of a recent year, the Durfee Foundation reported over $31.5 million in total assets and over $1 million in annual grants. In past years, the Stanton Fellowships received as much funding as the other programs combined.
The Stanton Fellowship supports up to six fellows with $100,000 each over a two-year period to contemplate intractable problems in their sector and develop solutions for the people of Los Angeles. Grant seekers should review the deadlines and application procedures before applying.
The Sabbatical Program provides “up to six organizations $60,000 each for their leaders to travel, reflect or otherwise renew themselves in whatever manner they propose, for a minimum of three consecutive months.” Although other funders have criticized this program for being indulgent when there are serious needs to be filled, avoiding the “burnout factor” remains one of Durfee’s top priorities and it works well for nonprofit leaders. Grant seekers should review the deadlines and application procedures before applying.
The Springboard Fund provides unrestricted two-year grants of up to $70,000 to support dynamic leaders of new social-benefit ventures in Los Angeles. Grantees receive a mentor to provide advice and assistance throughout the duration of the grant. Review the application procedures and recent grantees before applying.
Lark Award supports Los Angeles nonprofits by providing the resources to support the collective care and well-being of their staff. It prioritizes organizations “led by and serving BIPOC communities” and “that play key leadership roles in the communities they serve.” Grant seekers should review the deadlines and application procedures before applying.
Durfee rewards individual initiative and leadership and describes itself as a patient grantmaker, one that’s willing to wait many years for outcomes that may or may not be measurable. Grants and fellowships generally fall in the $50,000 to $100,000 range. Grant seekers can apply for Durfee program grants online, and each program has its own set of deadlines and requirements. To get in touch with the Santa Monica office with general questions, send an email to admin@durfee.org or by phone at 310-899-5120.
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