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SPARKPLUG FOUNDATION

Sparkplug Foundation

Contact information:

Park West Finance Station 

P.O. Box 20956 

New York, NY 10025
Phone: 877-866-8285
Website: http://www.sparkplugfoundation.org  

Type of foundation: Independent

Types of grants: Small, one-time project or capacity-building grants. Some grants are made to individuals and non-501(c)(3) organizations.

Description: The Sparkplug Foundation is a family foundation, funded and administered in part by Palestine-born and first-generation American Jews. The Foundation supports projects in three areas of focus: music, education and grassroots organizing. The Foundation supports grassroots, "on the ground" organizations. It focuses on providing "start-up" costs to new organizations. Preference is given to small organizations, projects that run on small budgets and projects less likely to receive corporate, institutional or government funding.  

  • Music: The Foundation supports the development of music by helping to launch new voices and ideas, generally by funding emerging professional musicians or music-development programs.
  • Education and teaching: The Foundation supports projects that deal with the "whole student" and with learning as a community activity. This includes literacy projects that involve kids and parents, projects that use the neighborhood as a classroom, projects that address educational disparities, etc.
  • Other funding areas: The Foundation is interested in supporting the development of emerging democratic movements. In addition, the Sparkplug Foundation is currently looking to support communities working on sustainable energy, local democracy and justice in the rebuilding of the U.S. and global economies.  

Sample grants:

  • $10,000 to Community Radio Collective WFTE-FM (Scranton, PA) in start-up funding for a progressive community radio station (2008).
  • $10,000 to Hudson Valley Community Radio (Dobbs Ferry, NY) for its signal enhancement project (2008).
  • $10,000 to Mondoweiss (Jackson Heights, NY) for capacity-building for educational and news analysis website on the Middle East (2009).
  • $6,000 to Radio Free Nashville for creation of a bilingual news division (2007).
  • $5,000 to Beyondmedia Media Education (Chicago) for media activism by formerly incarcerated young women in Chicago (2008).
  • $4,000 to Radio Rootz, an urban youth media training center in conjunction with WBAI FM/Pacifica Radio (2004).
  • $3,000 to United Workers Association (Baltimore, MD) for a low-wage worker-led radio project.

Fit for public broadcasting: This Foundation is a good fit for smaller community radio stations, especially those that serve diverse populations.

Eligibility: There is no support for video/film. Generally no support for operating costs or for equipment (software is OK). No support to organizations with budgets over $1 million.

Deadline: May

How to apply: All interested applicants must phone the Foundation to talk through their proposed project prior to submitting an application. Once this is done, the Organization Application form should be completed and mailed in.

Giving range: $10,000 and below

Assets: $6,304,024 (2008)

Total giving: $259,925 (2009)