How to Apply

The Lark Awards

Current Status:

March 18: Application Opens
May 13: Application Closes
July 20-August 6: Site Visits
August 13: Award Notifications
October TBD: In-person Orientation

Apply

For any inquiries, please reach out to admin@durfee.org.

Eligibility

Organizations eligible to apply must:
  • Be a nonprofit organization, or operate under fiscal sponsorship (government agencies and educational institutions are not eligible)
  • Be located in and work in Los Angeles County
  • Have at least 3 full-time paid staff
  • Have been in operation for at least 5 years
  • Have a budget under approximately $2 million
  • Be an outstanding organization with a demonstrated track record of community leadership
  • Have a strong commitment to improving the organization’s culture of collective care
  • Not be a current participant in Durfee’s Sabbatical, Stanton or Springboard programs

 

Durfee is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We seek organizations whose mission, values, and staff are rooted in and reflect the communities they serve. We encourage applications from organizations that work with historically marginalized communities, including but not limited to BIPOC, LGBTQ, and low-income communities, among others.

Questions? Please contact Durfee at admin@durfee.org

Review Criteria

Applications for the Lark Awards will be reviewed by a panel composed of peer leaders, program alumni, and Durfee staff.  The panel will consider and score each application through the three categories and questions below.

Finalists will be invited to a one-hour site visit and interview with panelists and Durfee staff. The panel will select the 15 organizations based on these conversations. Panelists will also be provided honorariums.

Culture & Values
  • Does the organization foster a culture of care, respect, and equity, both internally with its staff and externally with the community it works with?
  • Regardless of scale, does the organization currently have any staff wellness programs, including even small, informal ways of showing care and appreciation for the staff?
  • Is there a strong sense of teamwork, collaboration, and community within the organization’s staff?
Community Leadership 
  • Is the organization recognized as a leader in the community it works with?
  • Are the staff and board reflective of the communities they work with?
  • Will the investment in the collective care of the staff have broader reverberations in the organization’s programs and the community it works with?

 

Organizational Readiness
  • Is the organization structurally and financially poised to take advantage of this opportunity?
  • Is the organization’s board and/or leadership supportive?
  • What is the level of urgency for the Lark Awards in this moment?
  • Is the organization comfortable with a more collective and staff-driven decision-making process to determine the grant uses?
Frequently Asked Questions

We believe that people are at the center of change. We believe that it is in our collective best interest to take care of the people who are doing this important community-centered work, and that everyone deserves to rest.

In addition to restoring the energy and health of nonprofit teams, Durfee hopes to spark change in both nonprofit and philanthropic culture, to encourage more investment in the people who are making change.

We want to know your organization. Please share your answers to the questions in however many or few words you need. Applications will not be judged based on spelling, grammar, length, or writing styles.

Videos should be no longer than approximately 3 minutes. Similar to written responses, we are more interested in your organization and responses than technical skills. Video responses will not be judged based on production quality or editing skills. Past selected partners have submitted edited Zoom recordings and simple phone videos. Videos can include multiple staff members or a single representative. It’s up to you!

Durfee trusts organizations to have their own definitions of care and staff well-being based on their staff’s collective needs and interests. However, staff well-being is distinct from professional development because it focuses on rest, renewal, and the cultivation of a healthier work-life balance. Durfee invites an expansive and exploratory approach to this work.

The funds can be used for staff-wide activities, individual uses, or both. Durfee does not need to approve the activities, as long as they are determined by the staff and used solely for collective care and staff well-being. Past Lark partners have used the funds for weekly well-being activities or outings, break room improvements, “no-work” retreats, paid mental health days, and individual stipends. Organizations are encouraged to choose what is relevant to their staff, rediscover well-being practices, innovate, and experiment.

As part of the grant period, each organization will determine the best way to use the funds. The program includes a coach who can offer guidance and facilitation support as needed. Durfee is looking for organizations that have experience with, or are open to, collective decision-making processes that include meaningful input from staff.

While Durfee recognizes these are important, the Lark Awards are intended solely for staff well-being and collective care.

The Lark Awards were created in response to a need to support smaller nonprofit organizations, whose staff often experience high levels of burnout and exhaustion due to limited resources. Larger organizations are encouraged to review the Sabbatical program for other ways to support individual leaders within their organization.

Unfortunately, Lark is a one-time award and is not renewable. Durfee is a small foundation and seeks to share its modest resources with as many organizations as possible. The hope is that the program acts as a catalyst and supports continued staff well-being work after the grant period.

These are organizations whose mission, values, and staff are rooted in and reflect the communities they work with. Durfee is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and highly encourages organizations that work with historically marginalized communities, including but not limited to BIPOC, LGBTQ, and low-income communities, to apply.

You are encouraged to call the foundation to discuss this further. Generally, the Lark Awards are focused on small, freestanding nonprofits that do not operate under the umbrella of a larger entity.

Unfortunately, no. To apply, the organization must have at least three full-time paid staff employed by the organization.

If your organization is going through an active leadership transition, please contact Durfee to schedule a call and discuss further.

Durfee Lark Awards funds are issued to nonprofit organizations to support staff collective care and renewal. Under IRS code, these funds are considered charitable support to organizations. However, there may be additional tax liabilities that organizations and employees should be aware of. Durfee cannot provide tax advice, but notes that if some or all funds are earmarked for individual use, a personal tax liability could exist for staff members depending on the amount and method of distribution. Durfee advises organizations to seek advice from their accountant before disbursing funds.