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Home Page of the 1200 Foundation
About the 1200 Foundation
The Working Poor
Current Grants of the 1200 Foundation
Contribute to the 1200 Foundation
Frequently Asked Questions about the 1200 Foundation
Contact the 1200 Foundation

 

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Frequently Asked Questions

Our Frequently Asked Questions section is divided into the following categories:

Membership

How do I become a member?
To become a member of the 1200 Foundation, email us at 1200foundation@pacbell.net or call us at 510-595-4203. You may also download a copy of the Donation Form by clicking on the following PDF document (Donation Form), complete the form, and send it to us.

How can I become more actively involved beyond donating money?
Please contact us to see how you can volunteer to serve on one of our committees or projects.

Donations

What is the recommended donation amount?
The original premise behind the 1200 Foundation was to have each donor give $100 a month for a yearly total of $1200 – all tax deductible. We appreciate monthly donations in amounts greater than $100, and we also welcome one-time donations in any amount. .

How do I set up a monthly donation?
You can choose to donate monthly either through deductions from your checking account or by charges to your Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover credit card. Your pledged amount will be deducted from your checking account or charged to your credit card on the 5th or 20th of the month. Please click here to see the Donation Form with specific instructions.

How do I donate if I don’t want automatic monthly deductions?
We accept individual donations in any amount. Checks should be payable to the 1200 Foundation and mailed to:
1200 Foundation, 2079 Oakland Avenue, Piedmont, CA 94611.

How do I change my monthly donation?

You can terminate or change your agreement at any time by giving written notice to us in such time and manner as to afford us a reasonable opportunity to act on it. Notices should be mailed to: 1200 Foundation, 2079 Oakland Avenue, Piedmont, CA 94611.

Do I get a statement of my donations for tax purposes?
Yes, you will receive a statement in February for donations made in the previous year.

How much of my donation would be used for your overhead?
Well over 90% of all donations received are given out in grants. Our overhead costs are very low for three reasons.
(1) Our association with the East Bay Community Foundation enables us to draw on their expertise and experience with Bay Area non-profit organizations and the use of their facilities for meetings.
(2) We use volunteers rather than paid staff for all ongoing organizational activities.
(3) Our monthly donation program lets us avoid the usual costs associated with fund-raising.

Why shouldn’t I give directly to an actual program rather than to you?
The 1200 Foundation identifies and monitors the organizations making the biggest difference for the working poor right here in the East Bay. These are not necessarily the large national non-profits that most of us know by name. They are smaller community-based organizations targeting their services to local needs. We visit these programs and organizations and monitor them on an ongoing basis, making sure that our collective donations are having the greatest positive impact for the working poor here in our very own community. As a member of the 1200 Foundation, you are invited to participate in these activities.

Grants

How does the 1200 Foundation select recipients for grant awards?                  
Our grant committee identifies candidate grant recipients and determines if each candidate program supports the foundation’s core goals of effectively serving the working poor. Next, the committee determines if the funding will make a significant difference to the program and will offer the best possible return on the foundation’s investment. Grant recipients are required to submit periodic reports. These reports, and our interaction with the recipients, make it possible to evaluate the effectiveness of the funded programs.

What organizations have received 1200 Foundation grants?
We have awarded grants to the following outstanding Bay Area non-profit organizations.

  • The Bread Project trains low-income and unemployed persons in commercial baking and food preparation skills.
  • Building Skills Partnership, a coalition between California janitors’ union SEIU 1877 and responsible businesses, presents worksite programs in a number of different areas for janitorial employees.
  • C.E.O. Women creates economic opportunities for low-income immigrant and refugee women by teaching entrepreneurship, English and communication skills so they can establish successful livelihoods and small businesses.
  • Opportunity Junction (formerly known as OPTIC) fights poverty by helping low-income adults get the confidence and competence to get good jobs that enable them to support themselves and their families.
  • Saint Vincent’s Day Home’s Family Learning Program provides educational workshops, classes, and advocacy that encourage families to become self-sufficient and pursue their educational and employment goals.
  • Sophia Project serves children and families who are at risk of recurring homelessness and its effects.
  • Street Tech is a non-profit organization offering low cost computer training, certification, and job placement for deserving adults from disadvantaged communities in the Bay Area.
  • Wardrobe for Opportunity provides professional clothing and career support to low-income jobseekers in the Bay Area.
Learn more about these organizations on our Current Grants page

How do programs benefiting the working poor apply for grants?
The 1200 Foundation partners with the East Bay Community Foundation (EBCF) to identify organizations serving the working poor. EBCF’s grantmaking priorities and guidelines can be found on their website at www.ebcf.org under “Grantmaking Overview/Grant Guidelines.”

Working Poor 

Can you recommend some sources where I could learn more about the working poor, especially in California and the Bay Area?                        
Yes, the following recent publications provide in-depth information about the working poor:

More Information

Do you have a brochure I could send to a friend?
Yes, just send us an
email or call us at 510-595-4203 asking for a brochure and giving us your name and mailing address.

I still have other questions that you haven’t answered here.
Send us your questions by email to: 1200foundation@pacbell.net or call us at 510-595-4203.