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Tides provides grantmaking and other support to social change leaders to help build a world of shared prosperity and social justice.
A Tides Collective Action Fund (CAF) is a purpose-driven fund that relies on an independent advisory committee to make recommendations to Tides for grants in support of a specific charitable purpose.
How does a CAF work?
- The independent advisory committee (IAC) is composed of individuals committed to the fund purpose and with expertise or experience to support the achievement of that purpose.
- The committee reviews grant requests, then makes recommendations to Tides that align with the CAF’s charitable purpose and goals.
- Tides reviews the recommendations for legal compliance and support of Tides’ mission and values and then makes a final decision on the grant request.
CAFs can accept charitable contributions from a variety of sources, including individuals, donor advised funds, private foundations and corporations.
Do grants from the CAF support political candidates or campaigns?
No. Tides Foundation is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and CAFs are prohibited from funding partisan political activity.
Can Tides overrule the recommendation of the Independent Advisory Committee?
CAFs benefit from the input of the independent advisory committee. The intent is to follow its recommendations. However, Tides may reject recommendations that are inconsistent with the CAF’s purpose, don’t support Tides’ charitable mission, or are not in compliance with applicable law.
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Tides does not provide funding or fundraising assistance to our fiscally sponsored projects.
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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.
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Opening a fund at Tides generally takes 2-3 weeks upon receipt of a completed fund application. Please note that any complexities or clarifications uncovered during the application review process may prolong the timeline to open a fund.
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Tides offers a wide range of fund options to meet philanthropic objectives across the globe. Fees can range from 1% on standard donor advised funds to 5% for funds supporting a single domestic or international project or organization. Tides staff can review your proposed fund activity and give a clear assessment of potential fees.
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No. Funds at Tides must be opened with a minimum of $100,000 of committed funding for US-based activity or $50,000 for funds supporting a single domestic or international project or organization.
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The first step in opening a fund at Tides is determining mission alignment. If The Tides Approach aligns with your vision, reach out to us via the Partner With Us form, and Tides staff will contact you for an initial assessment.
Once ready to open a fund, you’ll receive a short online application to collect necessary information for opening a fund and for final assessment of fit with Tides.
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There are two major eligibility requirements to open a fund at Tides: mission alignment and confirmed funding.
Mission alignment
All funds and their grantmaking purposes must be aligned with Tides vision, mission and approach.Confirmed funding
You must have a minimum of $100,000 of committed funding for US-based activity or $50,000 for funds supporting a single domestic project or organization.Related FAQs
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For donor-advised funds, the donor or donor advisor plays a role in recommending grants. Single entity funds and global support funds are for a single pre-selected grantee; donors generally intend for funding to be regranted to the designated grantee. For a collective action fund, the donor or donor advisor may play a role in recommending grants as part of an independent advisory committee (IAC) but may not have control over grant recommendations. CAF donors may not earmark contributions for a specific project or organization, unless the subgrantee and related grant proposal has been pre-approved by the IAC and Tides.
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Donor(s) and/or designated donor advisor(s) may recommend grants for any donor advised fund. Fund manager(s) may recommend grants for single entity and global support funds. An independent advisory committee recommends grants from collective action funds.
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Tides Foundation seeks to promote the principles of trust-based philanthropy in its grantmaking while also securing sufficient reporting from grantees to ensure use of grant funds in compliance with 501(c)(3) rules. For all donor-advised funds, annual reporting is required for expenditure responsibility (ER) grants. For single entity funds and global support funds, annual financial and narrative reports are required and due on March 31st. Tides Foundation may request other reporting from grantees based on fund and compliance needs.
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Donor advised funds generally give to more than one group or entity. Single entity and global support funds only give to one entity. Collective action funds may give to one or more groups or entities.
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All funds may be named for an individual.
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At this time, no fund may grant directly to individuals.
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Donor advised funds generally receive funds from one donor and are subject to significant restrictions on any payments to donors, donor advisors or related parties. Single-entity funds and global support funds receive funds from multiple funding sources and make payments to one pre-designated grantee. Donors do not receive compensation or reimbursement through granted funds but fund managers may if they are employed or engaged by the grantee. Collective Action Funds generally receive funds from multiple sources; Tides monitors grants from Collective Action Funds to avoid improper conflicts of interest.
Still Have Questions?
If you have a question for our team, we would love to hear from you. Please note, Tides does not accept unsolicited letters of inquiry, proposals or applications for funding.