How to Apply

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 wellness based on their staff’s collective needs and interests. However, we do feel that wellness is distinct from professional development, because wellness focuses on rest, renewal, and the cultivation of a healthier work-life balance. We invite 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 wellness. Past Lark partners have used the funds for weekly wellness activities or outings, break room improvements, “no-work” retreats, paid mental health days, and individual stipends. However, we encourage each organization to choose what is relevant to your staff, (re)discover wellness 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 wellness coach who can offer guidance and facilitation support as needed. We are looking for organizations that have experience with or are open to collective decision-making processes that include meaningful input from staff.

While we recognize these are important, the Lark Awards is intended solely for the care and wellness of staff.

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. We encourage larger organizations to review our Sabbatical program for other ways to support the individual leaders within your organization.

Unfortunately, Lark is a one-time award and not renewable. Durfee is a small foundation and seeks to share its modest resources with as many organizations as possible. We hope that the program acts as a catalyst and supports continued wellness work after the grant period. Alumni will also be invited to annual convenings for wellness check-ins and further inspiration.

We welcome applications from community-centered organizations from a diverse range of fields, including but not limited to advocacy, art and culture, education, environment, health, social justice, etc. We will prioritize organizations whose staff work directly with the communities they work with, and therefore, are most in need of immediate wellness support.

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 therefore highly encourages organizations to apply that work with historically marginalized communities, including but not limited to BIPOC, LGBTQ, low-income communities.

We would encourage you 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. In order 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 us to schedule a call and discuss further.

Durfee Lark Awards funds are issued to nonprofit organizations to support staff’s collective care and renewal. Under the 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. The Durfee Foundation is not able to provide tax advice but here is some information and resources to help you navigate potential issues.

All or part of the Lark Award funds can be earmarked for individual use. Depending on the amount and the method of distribution, a personal tax liability could exist for staff members. If there is a liability, the amount will depend on individuals’ regular income tax rates.

Notably, “de minimis” (minimal) benefits qualify for exclusion from employee wages. The IRS has previously ruled that de minimis benefits are items with values of less than $100 that are not provided regularly. Another exemption may be medical expenses under section 213 of the Internal Revenue Code, for which organizations can provide reimbursements. We advise you to seek the advice of your organization’s accountant before disbursing the funds.

For more information, we recommend visiting IRS Publication 15-B and De Minimis Fringe Benefits pages.

For a list of medical expenses under IRS Section 213, we suggest visiting the following page.

Additionally, for a briefer summary of fringe benefits and their tax implications, we suggest visiting the following guide. However, these are not official government pages, therefore we cannot confirm the pages’ accuracy.