Flora Family Foundation

OVERVIEW: The Flora Family Foundation’s makes grants for climate change, marine conservation, global development and poverty.

IP TAKE: Many of this Foundation’s grantees are projects and organizations that have been considered by the Hewlett Foundation, but don’t fit into a neat category. And while it is not the most accessible, Flora gives to a broad range of small, grassroots groups. It researches its own work to fund, so securing a grant here is not straightforward.

However, reach out to them, as well as to Hewlett, to learn more about current and upcoming opportunities. Don’t bother here with letters of inquiry or similar since they don’t consider them.

PROFILE: Established in 1998, the Flora Family Foundation began after Walter Hewlett, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard and the former chair of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, became frustrated with having to turn away worthwhile proposals that did not adhere to the Hewlett Foundation’s grantmaking guidelines. Walter, along with a few of his siblings, took the matter to Herant Katchadourian, a Stanford professor and Hewlett Foundation board member, with the idea of establishing another family foundation. The resulting foundation funds grants in three, very specific program areas: The Gap Program, the Climate Protection Program and the Marine Conservation Initiative.

The foundation has two main categories of grantmaking. Program-related grants are covered by the three above mentioned focus areas. Additionally, at the start of each yearly funding cycle, sixty percent of the foundation’s grantmaking budget is allocated evenly among Family Council members—consisting of the five children and eleven children of William and Flora Hewlett—to distribute as they see fit. Grants below $25,000 are approved by the foundation president and are called Council Grants, while grants over $25,000 must be approved by the board and are thus called Board Grants. Some of this funding may be awarded to program-related investments, the rest may be spent in various fields such as education, arts and culture, international development, women’s advancement, health, the environment, human services, economic development, humanitarian assistance, cultural preservation, and international security.

Grants for International Development

The Flora Family Foundation’s Gap Program broadly supports organizations that are working to “address the gulf in wealth between the world’s rich and poor” and "improve the lives of the poor in selected developing countries.” At present, the foundation concentrates its grantmaking to Haiti and Africa. The Haiti Initiative awards grants to organizations working toward the redevelopment of rural Haiti, women and girls’ empowerment, and the provision of basic services such as water and electricity. Grants to organizations working in the country tend to be on the high end of the foundation’s grantmaking scale, with most between $50,000 and $100,000. In Africa, grantmaking focuses on issues that impede global development, women's and girls’ empowerment, children’s rights, land rights, water and sanitation, and food insecurity. The foundation appears to prefer supporting small, grassroots groups rather than larger international organizations.

Grants for Climate Change

The Flora Family Foundation’s Climate Protection program supports organizations that work to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The program is “chiefly concerned with coal combustion and the reduction of short-lived climate pollutants such as methane and black carbon.” Past grantees include the Climate and Health Research Network in support of its methane abatement work in the Caspian Sea region. In addition, Columbia University’s Earth Institute received support for its Climate, Science, Awareness and Solutions program.

Grants for Marine Conservation

The Flora Family Foundation’s Marine Conservation program supports “research and projects with global implications for ocean health.” Marine conservation is one of the only areas of grantmaking in which the foundation imposes geographic limits, as it primarily supports groups working in California and Fiji. Past marine conservation grantees include California Trout to support its Eel River Estuary Project and to the Wildlife Conservation Society in support of its “project to develop women-led mud crab enterprises.” Other grantees include the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Seacology, and Environmental Defense Fund.

Grants for Women and Girls

While it is not a stated focus area, the foundation often makes grants for women and girls through its Board Grants or Family Council Grants. FFF has awarded women’s advancement related grants to organizations such as the Global Fund for Women in support of its sexual and reproductive health rights program, as well as, Women’s Link Worldwide for general operating costs. The foundation may also award grants related to the advancement and empowerment of girls and women through the foundation’s Gap Program, which seeks organizations improving the lives of low-income populations in certain developing countries.

Grants for Journalism and Media

The Flora Family Foundation makes substantial investments in arts and culture, and puts journalism at the forefront of those pursuits. It supports a wide range of journalistic initiatives throughout the U.S. and beyond, from traditional newspapers to social media, and from established journalists to empowering citizens on the street, covering issues and cultures all around the globe. Past journalism grants include Principe Productions, Internews, Non-Stop Media, the New Media Advocacy Project, and Warscapes, among many others. The Flora Family Foundation funds start-up expenses, program initiatives, capital improvements, media productions, and general operations. Of this general operating support, the foundation is keenly aware of its value, stating, “This form of support is particularly valuable to nonprofit organizations.” Formally, the foundation has no geographic restrictions on its giving. But taking in the totality of its past grantmaking reveals that it does favor particular geographic regions, which most often coincide with where its board members and/or family members reside. San Francisco and the Bay Area is unquestionably the foundation’s favorite location, but Nashville, Tennessee also receives extra attention.

Grants for K-12 Education

The Flora Family Foundation’s support for K-12 education stems mainly from its Gap Program, which “addresses the gulf in wealth between the world’s rich and poor,” and addresses education as a means of improving the lives of people living in poverty in the U.S. and abroad. This funder also supports education through its Council Grants and Board Grants. These grants mainly support organizations in the United States Past grantees include Innovations for Poverty Action, Black Teacher Project and the Youth Community Service program of Palo Alto, California. 

Other

Grantmaking interests reflect those of the members of the foundation’s Family Council, which includes education, arts and culture, international development, women’s advancement, health, the environment, human services, economic development, humanitarian assistance, cultural preservation, and international security. In 2020, many of the Family Council members turned their efforts to supporting response efforts to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and abroad.

Important Grant Details:

The foundation selects grantees by invitation only and grants tend to be between $2,500 and $100,000, with occasional grants of $125,000 to $150,000. The foundation does not technically impose geographic restrictions on its grantees; however, it notes that it usually awards grants to specific developing countries. To get more detailed information about the types of nonprofits receiving Flora Family Foundation support, explore its grantmaking page.

The Flora Family Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant applications or requests for funding. Reach out via email with general inquiries.

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