Frequently Asked Questions

Tides is comprised of five separate legal entities – Tides Network, Tides Center, Tides Foundation, Tides Two Rivers Fund and Tides Inc. Tides Network employs the majority of Tides staff who service to other Tides entities. Tides Two Rivers Fund and Tides Inc. operate our two Tides Converge centers in San Francisco and New York.

Tides Foundation serves as a grantmaking organization, holding  over 400 donor advised funds, as well as Collective Action and Single Entity Funds. The vast majority of Tides Foundation grants are made based on partner recommendations. Tides Foundation does not take unsolicited grant requests. Tides Center primarily offers fiscal sponsorship and nonprofit acceleration services.

Related FAQs

• What is fiscal sponsorship?
• Are donations to Tides tax-deductible?
• What are the different Tides entities and affiliates?

By accepting payment of the grant, you agreed that any portion of the grant not used for the stated purpose be repaid to Tides by your organization. You may request a reallocation of funds for a different purpose. Any change of purpose must be requested and approved in advance, in writing to [email protected]. Reallocations or changes to a grant’s purpose may be considered but are not guaranteed to be approved.

Related FAQs

• We received a grant from a fund at Tides in the past and would like to cultivate a relationship with the fund advisor. Can we do this?
• To whom should we submit grant reports?
• We received an unrestricted, general operating support grant from Tides that requires a progress and/or final report, and we are based in the United States. What should be reported?
• We received a grant restricted to a specific project from Tides that requires a progress and/or final report. What are the reporting requirements?

To submit all reports, please visit www.tidesgrantreports.org and follow the instructions on the website. If you do not have internet access, please mail one copy of your report, Attn: Grants Administration, to Tides Foundation’s office at 1012 Torney Ave, San Francisco, CA 94129. Please refer to your award letter for any additional reporting instructions, and please do not send additional materials unless requested.

Related FAQs

• We received a grant for a specific purpose. We are not able to use all the funds for this purpose. Do we need to return the funds or can we request that the grant be reallocated?
• Our grant award letter does not mention a grant period. How long is it?
• We received a payment but not an award letter.
• What does it mean if our grant letter states that our grant was on the recommendation of an anonymous donor advised fund?

Briefly describe the use of the funds and activities undertaken as a result of the grant by addressing the impact and assessment, challenges encountered, evaluation and lessons learned and a general organizational budget.

Most annual reports are sufficient if submitted with a cover letter.

Related FAQs

• To whom should we submit grant reports?
• We received a grant restricted to a specific project from Tides that requires a progress and/or final report. What are the reporting requirements?
• Our grant award letter does not mention a grant period. How long is it?
• Can we find out the name of the individual donor to credit them in our materials or send them a thank you letter and other mailings?
• What does it mean if our grant letter states that our grant was on the recommendation of an anonymous donor advised fund?

Organizations outside the U.S.: If your organization received a grant award letter from Tides but did not receive a Mandatory Report Form, email [email protected] to request a reporting template. If your organization is not registered with the United States IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity, your organization likely has received an Expenditure Responsibility grant. If that is the case, your organization must use Tides Foundation’s Mandatory Report Form to detail funds received or spent during a calendar year. The form asks for confirmation of basic grant information, a statement of compliance with the grant award letter, and fiscal information. If you do not spend all of the funds granted during the first year, your organization is required to complete an additional mandatory report form for every year until all of the funds are spent. If your organization has spent all the funds, you must provide a financial statement detailing your use of the Expenditure Responsibility grant monies only. A narrative report must also accompany the final expense report. Please note: Tides will not issue any new grants or disbursements to organizations with outstanding overdue mandatory reports until the report is received. You may additionally be required to submit narrative progress or final reports which may be 2 – 3 pages detailing the activities undertaken as a result of your grant.

U.S.-based organizations: If your organization is a 501(c)(3), reporting requirements are outlined in your award letter. Unless otherwise noted, for both progress and final reports, the narrative portion should be up to two pages and describe the use of the funds and activities undertaken as a result of the grant by addressing the following: – Impact and Assessment – Challenges – Evaluation and Lessons Learned – Funding and Finances. We also require financial information for the purpose of the grant. Please do not send additional materials unless requested.

Related FAQs

• To whom should we submit grant reports?
• Our grant award letter does not mention a grant period. How long is it?
• Can we find out the name of the individual donor to credit them in our materials or send them a thank you letter and other mailings?

As consistent with regulations guiding donor advised funds, our donors have agreed not to receive goods or services in exchange for donations that they recommend for funding. They are not eligible to receive memberships, event tickets or tables, special notification for discounts on event tickets or tables, or any gifts that are more than an incidental benefit.

If you received an Expenditure Responsibility grant, there is a time period in which the funds must be spent. The grant period is listed on your grant award letter and will either be 12 or 24 months, unless otherwise specified. For all other grant types, the grant period is one year (12 months), unless otherwise specified.

Related FAQs

• We received a grant for a specific purpose. We are not able to use all the funds for this purpose. Do we need to return the funds or can we request that the grant be reallocated?
• To whom should we submit grant reports?
• We received a grant restricted to a specific project from Tides that requires a progress and/or final report. What are the reporting requirements?
• We received a grant award letter but have not received our check or wire. How do we receive payment?

If you have received a grant award letter, the payment method will be indicated in the first paragraph. Wires can take up to five to seven business days to post to your account. Checks are mailed separately from the award letters. If your organization uses a fiscal sponsor, the payment will be sent to your fiscal sponsor and you have received a hard copy of the award letter. We recommend that you first check with your finance department and/or your local bank (if the funds were wired) to locate the payment. Please contact the Grants department at [email protected] if there appears to be an error.

Related FAQs

• To whom should we submit grant reports?
• Our grant award letter does not mention a grant period. How long is it?
• We received a payment but not an award letter.
• Can we find out the name of the individual donor to credit them in our materials or send them a thank you letter and other mailings?

Tides sends wire payments and grant award letters on the same date. If you have not received an award letter within a business day of receiving a grant payment, please contact the Grants Department at [email protected].

Related FAQs

• Our grant award letter does not mention a grant period. How long is it?
• We received a grant award letter but have not received our check or wire. How do we receive payment?
• What does it mean if our grant letter states that our grant was on the recommendation of an anonymous donor advised fund?

The second page of the award letter specifies the credit that should be used publicly. If you would like to send a thank you note or otherwise recognize this grant, please email [email protected]. These materials are forwarded to the donor at their request.

Related FAQs

• We issue benefits to our donors that may be based on their level of giving. Who should receive these benefits?
• What does it mean if our grant letter states that our grant was on the recommendation of an anonymous donor advised fund?
• Can we meet with Tides staff to talk about our work?
• We received a grant from a fund at Tides in the past and would like to cultivate a relationship with the fund advisor. Can we do this?

If the grant award letter does not specify a fund or individual’s name, then that grantmaking partner has asked us to use an anonymous credit. Donors sometimes come to Tides because they wish to remain anonymous and we honor that request.

Related FAQs

• We received a grant from a fund at Tides in the past and would like to cultivate a relationship with the fund advisor. Can we do this?
• Can we meet with Tides staff to talk about our work?
• Can we find out the name of the individual donor to credit them in our materials or send them a thank you letter and other mailings?

While we would love to meet you and hear about your work, we are simply unable to honor such requests due to staff time and resource constraints.

Related FAQs

• Can we find out the name of the individual donor to credit them in our materials or send them a thank you letter and other mailings?
• What does it mean if our grant letter states that our grant was on the recommendation of an anonymous donor advised fund?
• We received a grant from a fund at Tides in the past and would like to cultivate a relationship with the fund advisor. Can we do this?

It is at the discretion of our fund advisors whether or not to contact grantee organizations. We do not share contact information with grantees unless requested to do so by the fund advisor.

Related FAQs

• Can we find out the name of the individual donor to credit them in our materials or send them a thank you letter and other mailings?
• What does it mean if our grant letter states that our grant was on the recommendation of an anonymous donor advised fund?
• Can we meet with Tides staff to talk about our work?
• We received a grant from Tides in the past. Can we renew our funding?

Because Tides primarily holds donor advised funds, renewed funding is based on the recommendation of our fund advisors. Unless specifically requested, please do not send renewal solicitations, newsletters, or other correspondence that you might typically share with an individual donor. The only follow-up information that we need is a grant report, if the report was a required part of your grant.

Related FAQs

• Can we find out the name of the individual donor to credit them in our materials or send them a thank you letter and other mailings?
• What does it mean if our grant letter states that our grant was on the recommendation of an anonymous donor advised fund?
• Can we meet with Tides staff to talk about our work?
• We received a grant from a fund at Tides in the past and would like to cultivate a relationship with the fund advisor. Can we do this?