GO Grants

No, this step is optional. But we will need it so we can get you the funds. After you apply and receive your conditional approval online, please email, text or call your program officer to provide this information via a method of your choice. Please do this promptly to avoid delays in disbursement.

This grant is available on a first-come, first-serve basis for the first 25 organizations. This application is designed to be completed in one sitting. You will not be able to save your progress. If, for any reason, you cannot complete your application in one sitting, you will have to start at the beginning.

Make sure to review our EIN requirements to ensure that you have all of the necessary information according to the type of application you will be submitting:

• Applying with your organization’s EIN
• Applying with a fiscal sponsorship
• Applying on behalf of a Tribal Nation

If you are applying under the umbrella of a fiscal sponsor, or on behalf of a federally recognized Tribal Nation, you will need their prior approval and the contact information for the person authorized to sign the contract to receive and disburse the GO Grant funds.

You have within one year of the date the contract was signed. This gives everyone the same amount of time, regardless of when in the fiscal or calendar year they received their award.

No, there are no additional administrative dollars set aside for GO Grant fiscal sponsors. That said, you can choose to share a portion of your award amount with your fiscal sponsor according to your organizational needs and agreements.

We are looking for organizations whose executive team and/or Board includes at least 51 percent representation from one or more of the communities listed:

• Native American, Latino/Hispanic or other people of color
• LGBTQIA+
• Persons with experience with homelessness and/or mental health or substance use disorders
  We recognize the unique perspectives, expertise and insights that are possible when organizations are led by people who have “lived experience” navigating the issues they are working to address, such as personal or familial experience living unsheltered, with mental health and substance use challenges.

To establish if your organization meets this requirement, look at the demographics of the people in your organization’s leadership, including: board members, program leadership, and executive team members.

No, in our Eligibility Checklist, we are asking about the budget and leadership of the specific organization, project, or collaboration which will use the funds.

This fund is about building resilience in Mendocino County by broadening the definition of mental health and substance use disorder treatment and housing services beyond the euro-centric “Western” interpretation. We believe a healthy community is one that supports, celebrates and resources a diverse bounty of traditions and culturally specific ways of healing.

• Mental health
  We are looking at a more holistic definition of mental health, one that acknowledges the impact of colonization, oppression, stigma, and the lack of structural support for healing as mental healthcare. Mental health includes efforts to address systemic racism, generational trauma, and centers cultural stewardship and restoration as healing modalities.
• Cultural practices as community healing
  This fund includes supporting the celebration of Native American and Hispanic/Latino traditional healing and cultural restoration as cornerstones of community wellness. This might look like offering GO Grants to support restoring and revitalizing indigenous languages, Native American gathering materials, Native American and Latino foods, dance, traditional medicines, and culturally honored ways of healing for mental health and substance use disorders, including ceremony and ritual, for example.

An EIN follows this format: XX-XXXXXXX. Below are a few places you might be able to find your organization’s EIN:

• An EIN is public information and can often be found on GuideStar.org
• The notice that was issued by the IRS when you applied for your EIN.
• You may have used your EIN to open a bank account, or apply for any type of state or local license.
• Previously filed tax returns should include your organization’s EIN.
• Ask the IRS to search for your EIN by calling the Business & Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933.

You will need to provide the following information:

• the full name of your organization
• the EIN number of your organization
• the contact information of the Executive Director or someone otherwise authorized to sign the contract on behalf of your organization. This includes: first and last name, title, email, phone and address.
• banking information, including the name on the account, the name of the bank, the account type, account number, and routing number.

Yes, in this case, if you have a fiscal sponsor, you can apply with your fiscal sponsor’s EIN number. Fiscal sponsorships can create an opportunity for organizations who have not yet secured a 501c3 nonprofit status to receive grants and donations to fund projects. Note: There are no additional administrative dollars set aside for GO Grant fiscal sponsors.

When applying, you will need to provide the following information about your fiscal sponsor:

• the full name of the organization
• the EIN number of the organization
• the contact information of the Executive Director or someone otherwise authorized to sign the contract on behalf of the organization. This includes: first and last name, title, and email.
• banking information, including the name on the account, the name of the bank, the account type, account number, and routing number.

Prior to applying, we encourage you to communicate with your fiscal sponsor. They will be responsible for signing the contract as well as receiving and disbursing the GO Grant funds.