A small portion of The Riordan Foundation’s giving is directed towards Los Angeles County community efforts that support young children and their families. Within this broad category, our emphasis is on improving children’s literacy and education. Please note that this grant is by invitation only.

While this grant is by invitation only. If you feel strongly that your agency falls under the foundation's mission and focus, then we invite you to submit a one to two page letter of inquiry.

Guidelines

The Riordan Foundation makes Agency Grants to non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations with a demonstrated track-record of notable programming and effective leadership, a passionate investment in the community, children, and education, and sound fiscal management. Organizations will only be considered if they meet the following basic requirements:

As Agency Grants are a small portion of our annual giving, we unfortunately must decline more requests than we award.

How to Apply

There is no standard application form for Agency Grants. The customary point of initial contact is to submit a 1-2 page letter of inquiry to The Riordan Foundation. If the Foundation believes the project to be a potential match, we will request a full proposal. Letters of inquiry can be submitted anytime within the calendar year.

When submitting a letter of inquiry, please do not include excessive materials, such as video and audio tapes. Please be advised that as a general rule, we do not conduct initial phone interviews or site visits prior to reviewing a proposal. Please allow 90 days following submission of a proposal before contacting the Foundation regarding the status of a request.

Limitations

The Riordan Foundation does not provide funding for the following:

Sample list of Agency Grant Recipients

FAQs for Agency Grants

Do you provide funds for organizations supporting teenagers or leadership development programs for older students?
Our guidelines restrict The Riordan Foundation to K-5 literacy programs. There are leadership development programs and opportunities for high-school and college students and working professionals offered through the Loyola Marymount Riordan Community Service Awards (visit their website), UCLA Riordan Programs (visit their website), and the Junior Chamber of Commerce Riordan Volunteer Leadership Development Program (visit their website).

I don’t work for a school, but my organization is interested in one of the Rx for Reading programs. Are any of those grants available to non-school entities?
The Riordan Foundation will consider a small number of qualified non-school agency requests for the Rx for Reading technology grant programs (Computers in the Classroom and English Language Development only). Recreational Reading Mini-Grants, and the Waterford Early Reading Program are not available to non-school agencies. The Foundation may consider agencies for potential Rx for Reading grants at our own discretion. If you would like to submit a request for a specific Rx for Reading program, the process is the same for submitting a general Agency Grant request. Do not use the online Rx for Reading applications. Please indicate which program you are interested in and explain how the program will help meet the needs of your organization’s constituency.

What about programs for adult literacy?
Our guidelines restrict us to K-5 literacy programs.

Can individuals get a computer through the Agency Grant program?
The Riordan Foundation only supplies computers as part of our Rx for Reading technology grant programs for elementary school classrooms. We do not donate or purchase computer equipment for schools or individuals.

If I was declined, how long do I have to wait until I can submit another proposal?
Declined organizations may re-apply anytime during the calendar year. Please revist our guidelines to ensure there is a potential match.

More questions about Agency Grants? Email us: contact@riordanfoundation.org