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Evolving Our Grantmaking: Updates to Our Letter of Interest Process

Updated April 2025



At Cal Wellness, we’ve begun a
strategic planning process that will shape our future priorities and goals.  As we take this time to reflect and define the next chapter of our work, we are making some adjustments to our Letter of Interest (LOI) process through which the foundation receives and reviews proposals from California nonprofit organizations. 

Previously, we accepted LOIs year-round.  However, in this time of strategic transition, we will accept LOIs only during specific submission windows in April and July for program areas listed in the chart below.  In the summertime, we will share an update on the LOI submission timeline for the rest of 2025. 

What’s Changing?

 🔹 Quarterly LOI Submission Cycles – Instead of a continuously open LOI process, we are shifting to specific submission periods that are:

✔ Now – April 30
✔ July 1 – 31

 During the periods in between, our team will review all submitted LOIs.  Grantseekers can expect to receive a response within 60 days after the submission period closes.

🔹 No Pre-Letter of Interest Calls – To ensure equitable access to funding opportunities, we are no longer offering pre-LOI calls with program officers. If you believe your work aligns with our strategic priorities, we encourage you to submit an LOI directly for our review. 

  A Commitment to Feedback– If your LOI is declined, you will receive specific feedback via email to help you understand our decision. 

Why These Changes?

During this year of strategic planning, we are experimenting with a different way of reviewing LOIs.  Rather than reviewing one LOI at a time, this approach will allow us to be more efficient by reviewing groups of proposal related to a program area.   Our goal is to respond to grant applicants sooner and with more specific and meaningful feedback. 

We remain committed to funding organizations advancing health equity and racial justice across California and will share more details about our future grantmaking approach later this year.

Learn More:

Program Areas Accepting Letters of Interest As of July 1, 2024

Open

  • Youth Justice
  • Community Environments

Not Accepting

  • Violence Prevention and Healing Justice

Open

  • Economic Mobility & Wealth Creation
  • Economic Safety Net

Not Accepting

  • Post Secondary Education & Health Professions Training

Open

  • Universal Coverage and Access to Care
  • System Transformation

Not Accepting

  • Priority Populations

Open

  • Equity in the Nonprofit Sector
  • Reimagining Social Justice

Not Accepting

  • Mobilizing Movements and Power Building
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