Tomberg Family Philanthropies
/OVERVIEW: The Tomberg Family Philanthropies consists of two separate donor-advised funds. Grantmaking focuses on education, environmental initiatives, health and poverty alleviation in the U.S. and abroad.
IP TAKE: Comprising two separate donor-advised funds, the Tomberg Family Philanthropies make small grants to support global development, health, K-12 education, conservation, clean energy and health. Across all areas the philanthropies place a strong emphasis on underserved communities. Tomberg tends to support pilot projects, evaluations and capacity building initiatives over periods of up to three years. About half of all grants go to U.S.-based organizations, with the remainder going to organizations that support poor communities in developing nations.
A fairly accessible funder, Tomberg runs an open application process for grants sourced from both of its funds. They do require that you confirm whether your work meets their grant stipulations, so do the self-assessment online. Call them if you have general questions. The philanthropies accept letters of inquiry from July to early September and invite full proposals in November. Grants range from $5,000 to $15,000 for a maximum of three years, which means this multi-year funder likes to help develop its grantees through extended support.
PROFILE: The Tomberg Family Philanthropies comprises two donor-advised funds, the Philip and Helen Brecher Charitable Fund and the Marty Tomberg Charitable Fund. The philanthropies support projects and organizations that address education, the environment, health and poverty alleviation. Grantmaking focuses on “projects that help their recipients build capacities themselves that will last far beyond the end of the specific project.”
Grants for Global Development
The Tomberg Family Philanthropies support global development through their education and poverty alleviation funding areas, although this funder does not outline specific goals for its education funding. Recent education grants have prioritized programs in Africa including AfricaAid, which supports education and mentoring programs for girls in Africa, and Educate!, an organization that aims to “teach youth to solve poverty for themselves.”
The philanthropies’ poverty alleviation grants tend to fund large organizations that work globally to improve the lives of the world’s poorest communities. Past grants have gone to CHF International, which empowers vulnerable communities to build better relationships with governments and industry, and the Grameen Foundation, which is known for bringing financial services and critical information on agriculture and health to poor communities around the world.
Grants for K-12 Education
The Tomberg Philanthropies’ education program also supports initiatives for K-12 education in the U.S. Areas of interest include underserved students, elementary literacy and charter schools. One recent grant supported a student-produced news program at Polson Middle School on the Flathead Indian Reservation, which has experienced tensions between native and not-native students. Other past grants have gone to the Harlem Children’s Zone, the KIPP Foundation and Helping Enrich D.C., an organization that aims to improve students’ reading skills by empowering them to explore the world through books.
Grants for the Environment and Climate Change
Tomberg’s funding for the environment has supported a broad range of causes and organizations around the world. Global grantees include the Foundation for Integrated Education and Development, which works toward “sustainable solutions in the struggle between the ideals of rain forest preservation and the realities of life in the Ecuadorian Amazon,” and the social enterprise organization KOMAZA, which combats deforestation in Africa. In the U.S., Tomberg has supported the Sacramento Valley Open Space Conservancy, the Sierra Club and City Blossoms, a D.C.-based organization that creates safe and healthy green spaces that are available to residents of all income levels.
A significant portion of Tomberg’s environment grants also fund initiatives for climate change. Past grantees include the Carbon Disclosure Project, the Micro Energy Credits Corporation and Solar Cycle, an organization that recycles plastic and aluminum for use in solar energy production.
Grants for Global Health
The Tomberg Philanthropies do not name specific priorities for their health funding, but grantmaking appears to prioritize reproductive health and general healthcare for underserved people. One grantee, Partners in Health, works with governments, hospitals systems and drug companies to help people around the world obtain urgent medical care. Other global health grantees include Médecins sans Frontières, the University of California San Francisco’s Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health, Pro Mujer and Women for Afghan Women.
Grants for Public Health
Tomberg’s U.S. health funding mainly supports initiatives aimed at increasing and improving healthcare for underserved communities. The philanthropies recently supported the production of a new edition of Hesperian Health Guides’ publication “Where There Is No Doctor.” Another recent grant went to Virginia’s Nova Scripts Central, which helps low-income and uninsured children and adults gain access to the medications they need. Other public health grantees include Arizona’s West Yavapai Guidance Clinic Foundation, the Whittier Institute for Diabetes and Endocrinology and the Prevention of Blindness Society of Metropolitan Washington.
Important Grant Details:
The Tomberg Family Philanthropies makes grants through two separate donor-advised funds: the Philip and Helen Brecher Charitable Fund and the Marty Tomberg Charitable Fund. Grants range from $5,000 to $15,000. The philanthropies tend to support short-term initiatives including pilot projects, new programs, program evaluations and capacity building for terms of up to three years. About half of Tomberg’s grants stay in the U.S., with the remainder supporting global initiatives for the developing world. The philanthropies offer profiles of current and past grantees on their education, environment, health and poverty alleviation program pages.
The Tomberg Philanthropies request that prospective grantees begin the application process with their online grant qualification assessment. Qualifying organizations may submit letters of inquiry via the LiveImpact grant management system during a designated period between July and September of each year. Selected applicants will be invited to submit full proposals in November, with a proposal due date sometime in December. This funder offers detailed guidelines and instructions on its application page. General inquiries may be submitted to the foundation via email.
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