CS Fund/Warsh Mott Legacy
OVERVIEW: CS Fund/Warsh Mott Legacy award grants in civic engagement, regulation of emergent technology, and traditional agricultural and agroecological practices.
IP TAKE: The foundations’ progressive politics carry a lot of weight when it comes to deciding which organizations to fund. Conservative groups should look elsewhere. This is a supportive, sensitive funder that works to help its grantees grow beyond its support.
CSF and WML accept unsolicited letters of inquiry throughout the year. Both organizations request that grant seekers refrain from sending full proposals unless invited to do so.
PROFILE: The CS Fund/Warsh Mott Legacy consists of two private family foundations that share common program areas, staff, boards and funds. Maryanne Mott and Herman Warsh established the CS Fund (CSF) in 1981 and the Warsh-Mott Legacy (WML) in 1985. The foundations seek to address “issues not widely recognized or supported by civil society and the general public, contending with root causes of problems, and seeking systemic solutions.” They prioritize long-term support, and have supported some of their beneficiaries for over three decades. CSF/WML’s common funding areas include Emerging Technologies, Food Sovereignty and Rights and Governance.
While CSF/WML prioritizes support for these program areas, it may occasionally “make other grants outside [its] established program areas to support innovative strategies for progressive social change.”
Grants for Global Development and Food Systems
CSF/WML conducts grantmaking related to global development through their Food Sovereignty program, which supports “traditional agricultural knowledge and agroecological practices.” The program funds work related to preserving native and heirloom seeds, improving soil, and protecting and restoring native pollinator populations. Global development grants tend to focus on organizations working in the Global South. Past grantees include the Xerces Society and the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa. To learn more about CSF and WML grantees, review their grants page.
Grants for Civic Engagement and Democracy
CSF/WML’s Rights and Governance program is committed to racial justice and equity and “securing the constitutional rights and democratic governance needed for movements for justice to succeed.” It provides general operating support and occasional project-specific funding to groups whose work involves protecting and advancing the rights to free speech and assembly; making the federal government more transparent, effective, and accountable; and building a progressive legal movement to counter conservative and corporate influence. The program also seeks to ensure that US national security policies respect constitutional rights, domestic laws, and international treaties, and supports efforts to make the rules of global commerce more democratic, just, and sustainable. Past democracy and civic engagement grantees include The Brennan Center, Constitutional Accountability Center and Public Citizen Foundation. To learn more about CSF and WML grantees, review their grants page.
Grants for Science Research
The foundations’ Emerging Technologies program seeks to mitigate the serious negative social, environmental, and political consequences that can accompany technological developments. It highlights three specific types of technology as particularly deserving of attention: nanotechnology, synthetic biology, and geoengineering. CSF/WML advocates for “precautionary assessment, regulation and oversight” of these technologies. Past technology grantees include Climate Justice Alliance, Biofuelwatch US, and Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. To learn more about CSF and WML grantees, review their grants page.
Important Grant Details:
Grants typically range from $10,000 to $40,000. The CS Fund accepts unsolicited LOIs throughout the year and does not have any deadline requirements. According to the fund’s website, submitted LOIs are considered as soon as possible. Applications are not to exceed three pages. Applicants invited to submit full proposals must have that information to the appropriate staff member by the first Monday in January to be considered for the spring grantmaking cycle and the first Monday in August to be considered for the fall grantmaking cycle. The board meets in April and November to make funding decisions.
Proposals to the two foundations are “considered collectively, and grants are made by both entities. The boards of directors of CSF and WML also make recommendations to the donor-advised TOP Fund at the Marin Community Foundation.” Grant seekers can learn how to apply here.
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