Applied Materials Foundation
OVERVIEW: Applied Materials funds homelessness, basic needs and human services programs through its civic engagement focus area. It also funds education, arts and culture, and environment programs in the communities where its employees live and work.
IP TAKE: This is a very approachable funder that accepts applications for its education, arts and culture, civic engagement and environmental grantmaking programs twice a year. Its funding is geographically limited to California’s Bay Area, Austin, Texas and other cities where Applied Materials as a business presence. Look out for RFP’s and special initiatives that relate to its core areas of interest. Note that if your work doesn’t service or isn’t based in one of its geographic areas, you won’t secure funding here.
PROFILE: The Applied Materials Foundation is the charitable arm of Applied Materials, an electronics manufacturing company that specializes in semiconductor chips and flat panel displays. The aim of its grantmaking is to “deploy strategic charitable investments and human resources around the world.” It broadly funds nonprofit organizations through four focus areas: Education, Arts and Culture, Civic Engagement and Environment. Applied Materials also runs a signature initiative, Generation Girl, which supports nonprofits that “help girls gain the confidence, skills and opportunities to succeed.”
Grants for K-12 and STEM Education
Applied Materials’ education grantmaking broadly invests in “efforts to increase access to high quality education throughout the world.” Its grantmaking involves both direct funding for public and private schools, and education-related nonprofits. It funds a wide variety of programs, including STEM education, educational outreach aimed at girls, teacher training and leadership development, and college readiness. Past grantees include Breakthrough, Downtown College Prep, Impact Bay Area, Silicon Valley Education Foundation, and National Alliance for Partnerships Inequity Education Foundation.
Grants for Arts, Culture, and Arts Education
Applied Materials broadly supports Arts and Culture in communities where its employees live and work. Its support includes arts education programs in and out of schools, cultural institutions like museums and theaters, and sponsorship of “culturally-specific performances.” Grantees include Silicon Valley Creates, San Jose Museum of Art Association, Opera San Jose, Cinequest, Community School of Music and Arts, and Movimiento de Arte y Cultura LatinoAmericana.
Grants for Democracy, Civic Engagement and Community Development
Applied Materials conducts grantmaking to benefit democracy and community development work through its Civic Engagement program, which broadly funds organizations that provide food and shelter, develop youth leaders, and “build the capacity of the nonprofit sector.” This area of grantmaking invests in organizations that help people develop stability, as well as to “develop the capacity of the nonprofit sector.” This funding area prioritizes programs that promote “systemic, collaborative approaches to eliminating homelessness,” “access to nutritional food, clean water and affordable housing,” and “innovations that improve efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery.”
The foundation supports both major, national nonprofits and local, grassroots outfits in the communities where its employees live and work. Grantees include United Way, City Year, Sunnyvale Community Services, People Acting in Community Together (PACT), People for Open Space, and Greenlights for NonProfit Success.
Grants for Environmental Conservation
The Applied Materials Foundation’s Environment grantmaking prioritizes youth education, as well as “community-based projects with the goal of building a more sustainable future for all.” It funds programs such as youth outreach, climate change and clean energy policy, and innovative solutions to sustainability. Past grantees include O’Neill Sea Odyssey, Trust for Public Land, Austin Parks Foundation and Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center.
Grants for Women and Girls
The Applied Materials Foundation’s Generation Girl initiative supports programs that “address girls’ lack of self-efficacy and confidence.” The initiative also works towards evolving perceptions about traditional gender stereotypes, as well as increasing girls’ access to high quality STEM education. Grantees include Girlstart, Techbridge Girls, Girls Empowerment Network, Girls on the Run of Silicon Valley, and the Girl Scouts.
Important Grant Details:
Grants may range from $10,000 to $100,000, with select grantees receiving more. Applied Materials does not provide detailed information on its past grants, but grantseekers may review its program area blogs for more information on the foundation’s grantmaking habits. The foundation strongly prioritizes grantmaking in San Jose and the San Francisco Bay Area, but also gives in communities where it has a business presence in states such as Texas, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Colorado, Georgia, and Montana.
Applied Materials accepts applications for its education, arts and culture, civic engagement and environmental grantmaking programs semi-annually, with application due dates on January 15 and June 15. Applications for the Generation Girl program are accepted by invitation only with a due date of September 15. The foundation provides grant guidelines on its website. Applicants must complete an eligibility quiz before proceeding with the application.
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