All Stars Accelerator Program

Our 2023 Cohort will be announced in January 2023

All Stars Accelerator Program: Overview

  • The All Stars Accelerator Program provides 3 years of general operating support ($25,000 each year) plus quarterly capacity building trainings, customized one-on-one coaching and technical assistance, and peer networking and connection.

Please watch the recording of our recent Information Session for more information.

Learn more about our program criteria.

Preview the application questions here.

The All Stars Accelerator Programall stars

Each year, All Stars selects a cohort of innovative Bay Area nonprofits to participate in a three-year intensive program that is designed to help build the organizational capacity, financial sustainability and community impact of those organizations working to disrupt the cycle of poverty for Bay Area youth.

This is not just a grant program – we are looking for organizations that are willing and able to fully participate in the program. This includes not only attending all program trainings and completing all necessary reports, but also actively engaging with fellow program participants, All Stars Helping Kids, and program partners.

All Stars Accelerator Program: Program Criteria

ORGANIZATIONAL CRITERIA:

  • • Your nonprofit is in good standing with the IRS (registered 501(c)3, in the process of filing, or fiscally sponsored).
  • • Your nonprofit is not an affiliate or chapter of a larger nonprofit or national organization.
  • • Your annual budget is between $50,000 (min) and $750,000 (max).

PROGRAM CRITERIA:

1.  Your program(s) is already serving/operating in one of the following Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara.

2.  Most (> 50%) of the youth/young adults served by your program/service qualify as under resourced or underserved. This includes but is not limited to:

  •   – Family qualifying as low income
  •   – Attending a Title I school
  •   – Ethnic background
  •   – Gender identity
  •   – Under employed or Unemployed
  •   NOTE: If you aren’t sure or do not have access to this information, please refer to one of these links for assistance:
  •   Kids Data; School Accountability Report Card; Zip Data Maps

 

3. You work to improve the lives of youth/young adults (pre-K through 24 years old) through innovative approaches in Career Readiness/Access, Education Readiness/Access, and Wellness Readiness/Access.

Program Description
Career Readiness Your program or service helps youth/young adults prepare for or assists with finding a job, developing a skillset or life skills needed to be successful in a job or career e.g., workforce development, entrepreneurial training, trade school / apprenticeships, etc. Examples of All Stars grantees in this category include: The Hidden Genius Project, United Roots, Team, Inc., Razing the Bar, Youth Beat, Career Girls, and RepresentEd Leadership.
Access to Education

Your program or service helps youth/young adults strengthen their education performance and/or increases educational opportunities e.g., increases academic performance, reduces absentee/truancy, increases critical thinking or social skills, etc. Examples of All Stars grantees in this category include: Upward Roots, Camp Phoenix, San Francisco Achievers, Chapter 510, WriterCoach Connection and Audacity Performing Arts.

* PLEASE NOTE: Each year we receive a high number of applications from tutoring organizations. To help us better understand how your organization is INNOVATIVE in this space, please describe the methods, models, and/or approaches that make your program/service unique or more impactful than the other organizations in this space.
Health & Wellness

Your program or service helps youth/young adults improve their mental or physical health e.g., improves emotional well-being, provides coaching that builds support and confidence, provides education on nutrition and exercise, etc. Examples of All Stars grantees in this category include Mindful Life Project, Oakland Lacrosse, Project Commotion, Camp Common Ground, BAWSI, My Digital Tat2, Oakland Genesis and Put Me In!

* PLEASE NOTE: Each year we receive a high number of applications from mentoring organizations. To help us better understand how your organization is INNOVATIVE in this space, please describe the methods, models, and/or approaches that make your program/service unique or more impactful than the other organizations in this space.

ACCELERATOR APPLICATION GUIDE & FAQs

What makes All Stars funding different from other opportunities?

We believe that the cycle of poverty for youth can be disrupted by helping economically disadvantaged youth and young adults get an education, find a good job, and stay physically and mentally healthy.

• We offer more than a cash grant—we provide a cohort-based learning experience to improve and grow your nonprofit. We also offer coaching, technical assistance, and consulting expertise to our funded nonprofits.

• We evaluate our grantees based on agreed upon milestones.

• We believe change takes time and we invest in our nonprofit partners over three years.

• We encourage innovation by supporting emerging and impactful nonprofits in the Bay Area.

• We are dedicated to increasing the effectiveness of nonprofits in the Bay Area.

• We serve as a hub and convener for peer learning, making connections, and change.

• We pool capital with other interested donors and foundations to invest in nonprofits, amplifying your support and mitigating your risk. We believe together we can do more.

What is the Application Process?

• Information Session (optional) will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, July 27th at from 10:00am – 10:30am to discuss the process, the application, and answer any questions.

• Application Opens: The on-line application opens Monday, August 1st at 8:00am and closes Wednesday, August 31st at 11:59pm.

• Independent Reviewers: A team comprised of nonprofit professionals, board members, former All Stars grantees, philanthropists, and foundations will review the applications from September 1 – 26th and recommend up to 15 semi-finalists to move on to the Virtual Site Visits.

• Virtual Site Visits: Up to 15 semi-finalist applicants will be invited to participate in a 1-hour Zoom call with All Stars staff, the nonprofit’s ED, and a board member. This will take place during the October 3rd – 19th timeframe.

• Pitch Coaching: Up to 10 finalists will be invited to Pitch Day and will spend time working on their pitch with a professional Pitch Coach at the end of October / early November.

• Pitch Day: On November 10th, up to 10 finalists will participate in a Pitch Day, making the case for support in a live 4-minute pitch and 10 slides to our esteemed panel of judges! IT’S POSSIBLE!

• The next cohort of up to 5 grantees will be selected and invited to the 2023 Cohort in mid-November 2022. They will formally be announced in January 2023.

If at any point your organization does not make it to the next round, you will have the opportunity to receive feedback IF you would like feedback. PLEASE NOTE: We will only provide suggestions on HOW to strengthen your application. We WILL NOT provide insight into WHY your organization was not selected to move on to the next round.

We want your application to shine and encourage questions! Please reach out to Julie Brown at julie@allstarshelpingkids.org with any questions about the application or process.

When are funding decisions made?

• On-line grant application opens August 1, 2022 and closes at 11:59pm on August 31, 2022.

• Up to 10 semi-finalists will be invited to participate in a Pitch Day, set for November 10, 2022 where they will make a case for support – either in-person or virtually – in front of a panel of All Stars board members and donors.

• Those not invited to join the 2023 Cohort will receive a 1-time grant of $1,000 and their pitch deck for participating in our process.

• The 2023 Cohort will be announced publicly in January 2023.

If selected what can I expect ?

• A general operating support grant of $25,000 annually, for three years.

• Participation in a peer-learning cohort with up to four other youth / young adult serving nonprofits along with All Stars alumni organizations.

• A team of dedicated professionals ready to partner with your organization to help you reach the next level.

• Technical assistance, training, and capacity building sessions four times per year with best-in-class presenters.

• Expert coaching and consulting from All Stars nationally recognized staff and board members.

• Connections to other philanthropic organizations, youth/young adult serving nonprofits, and community- based entities.

• While we firmly believe you get out of the program what you put into it, please plan to commit 2 hours a month for the program.

 

How does All Stars define success?

• We work with you to collaboratively talk about progress and define the indicators that demonstrate the success you are seeking.

• We help you set goals for improving your organization and becoming more sustainable. Together, we monitor progress towards that.

• We look at the connections that are fostered between and among the cohort and track collaborations that are important in your organization making progress.

• We consider breadth AND/OR depth success! While we strongly desire to impact the lives of more youth/young adults served in our five Bay Area counties, serving them in a meaningful way through deeper connections is ALSO considered success and strongly encouraged!

All Stars Accelerator Program: Committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

We are committed to maintaining a professional working environment that recognizes, understands, respects, and encourages the unique contributions of each intern, employee, donor, grantee and partner. We cannot grow effective leaders if we do not include the voices of everyone in inclusive and equitable ways.

Read full DEI statement here.