Become a Grantee Partner

Become a Grantee Partner

We’re committed to building a just and sustainable Georgia—and we’d love to explore that work with you. Because meaningful change starts with strong relationships, we invite potential and former grantee partners to submit a Letter of Connection (LOC) for our Environmental Justice & Protection and Social Justice Portfolios. We accept LOCs on behalf of organizations, formal/informal collaborations, and formal/informal networks.

You can submit an LOC at any time, but it must be received by the grant portfolio’s due date for consideration in the current year. Our staff and a board committee review each LOC, and we’ll let you know within two months of the respective LOC due date if you’re invited to submit a grant application. Invited applications are reviewed at our spring and fall board meetings. We share decisions right after each meeting, and funding is disbursed once we receive the signed grant agreement.

If you already have an active grant with us, you only need to submit an LOC if you’re interested in shifting from a project grant to a general operating grant.

We look forward to learning about your work and connecting with you.

Eligibility

Potential grantee partners must

• Be a 501(c)3 organization or use fiscal agent who is a 501(c)3 organization.
• Work in Georgia with sustained and meaningful commitment to areas outside of metro Atlanta. Particularly those communities that have been historically under-resourced.
• Be working to build power within one or more communities to address inequitable systems that harm Georgians.

The Sapelo Foundation does not

• Fund capital campaigns or brick-and-mortar building projects.
• Sponsor events.

Priority Areas & Issues

Our two main grant portfolios each focus on two priority areas. Within those areas, we’ve outlined key issues we care deeply about. Potential grantee partners with a significant programmatic focus on one or more of these issues will be prioritized for funding.

• Environmental Justice & Protection
  • Land & Water
    • Water supply & access
    • State & federal conservation advocacy
    • Sustainable & equitable land use and protection
    • Coastal environmental advocacy and resilience
  • Climate & Clean Energy
    • Data center proliferation
    • Electric membership cooperative organizing
    • Local and state clean energy advocacy
    • Weatherization and energy efficiency in low-wealth communities
• Social Justice
  • Civic Engagement
    • Voter education & ballot access
    • Census
    • Youth civic participation & leadership
    • Civic power-building in under-resourced communities
    • First Amendment issues, particularly free speech & assembly
  • Justice Reform
    • Alternatives to arrest and incarceration
    • School discipline & youth justice
    • Licensing reform & workforce access
    • Restorative justice

Resources

The following resources may be useful as you consider submitting a Letter of Connection.