How to Apply

The Durfee Foundation provides a grant of $60,000 for the purpose of supporting a three-month Sabbatical for nonprofit leaders. The Foundation also provides a Staff Support Fund in the amount of $15,000 to the organization to 1) reward interim leaders and/or 2) create or augment professional and well-being support to the staff.

We welcome applications from co-directors but only one at a time in the same application cycle, as the foundation does not offer the grant to more than one leader at the organization in the same application cycle. We strongly encourage that you and your co-director(s) have a discussion before applying to determine which of you would be more suited for the Sabbatical award based on the review criteria. If you are selected as an awardee, your co-director will be allowed to apply in the next round of applications.

No, the Sabbatical Program is limited to applicants who both work and are rooted in Los Angeles County.

No, the program requires a sabbatical of three consecutive months. The purpose of the program is to provide nonprofit leaders with a real break from their work. Evaluation shows that this cannot be accomplished in one month. We are sympathetic to the preparation difficulties that a longer break presents but believe that a strong nonprofit that is thinking about its future should be able to give a valued leader a longer break with the financial assistance that the Sabbatical grant provides.

No, the sabbatical must be for three consecutive months for the reasons stated in the prior answer.

Fellows must begin their Sabbatical within one year of receiving the award. Most fellows leave for their Sabbaticals 9 to11 months after receiving the award, allowing ample time for the organization to prepare.

Yes, leaders of small nonprofits are eligible for the program as long as there is a strong leadership structure and at least five full-time staff. Historically, organizations with budgets of less than $1.5 million have not fared as well during the selection. All applicants must demonstrate that existing staff can carry on the work of the organization as usual while the candidate is away. If your organization’s budget is less than 1.5 million, we encourage you to take a look at our Lark program, which supports the collective care and renewal of staff at small community-centered organizations with deep roots in their Los Angeles communities.

Yes, applicants from large nonprofits are eligible. However, the program requires that nonprofits receiving the Sabbatical award must demonstrate financial need to underwrite the candidate’s leave. Organizations with substantial endowments or large reserves may not be qualified.

Durfee is not able to mandate changes in government human resource policies, which would be required to accommodate a sabbatical. We don’t provide Sabbatical support to educational institutions because the academic calendar generally offers more regular blocks of break time than are available to nonprofits. In addition, while we recognize that some schools operate as independent nonprofits, it would be untenable for the foundation to favor private over public schools. Finally, Durfee is a relatively small foundation whose resources are stretched to meet the needs of nonprofit organizations. We simply lack capacity to respond to the needs of LA’s large network of schools.

Major changes and transitions at the organization may be a red flag for the panel during the application review process. For example, if your organization is in the midst of constructing a new building, panelists will factor this into their decision given the difficulty of managing a construction project and timeline. However, it is not necessarily an impediment for the application. Please call our office to discuss this further.

No, only full-time paid staff are eligible for the program.

No, the program is open to paid staff only.

Unfortunately, no. The Sabbatical is designed for the most senior leader of the organization, who reports directly to the board, and carries the ultimate responsibility for managing resources and implementing programs. The candidate should ultimately be responsible for the organization and the staff member with whom the buck stops.

Unfortunately, no. The program is not designed for executive transition but to invest in leaders who are committed to staying in their position for at least the next three years.

The awardees are selected by a review panel of Sabbatical alumni, and Durfee trustees and staff. They are guided by the review criteria.

We would like to prioritize applicants who may not be able to self-finance regular, restorative breaks. We look at many factors when making a decision, such as low household income, financial obligations, and number of dependents. We acknowledge that these judgments are difficult to make and no panel can fully understand the life circumstances of each applicant. The criteria changes with each applicant year because the information is relative to the other applicants in the pool. To help the panel better understand any of your extenuating financial circumstances, please include this information in the Budget & Finances section of your application.