How are Donations to the Rossmoor Fund Used?
The mission of the Rossmoor Fund is to assist Rossmoor residents who are in need and to develop and fund educational and charitable programs for the Rossmoor community. 1) Individual Grants: The Fund accepts applications for grants from individual Rossmoor residents experiencing a temporary financial emergency. Often these emergencies are medical in nature, but grants have been given for many other urgent needs. 2) Organizational Grants: The Rossmoor Fund also provides grants to organizations which support the quality of life of residents, including grants for caregiver respite, food assistance and legal advice. 3) Educational Grants: The Fund sponsors educational forums to benefit all Rossmoor residents, such as seminars on topics of health or security that would benefit a sizable population.
Individual Grants
Individual grants will be made to assist individuals who are experiencing a financial crisis, and whose situation can be substantially improved by a financial grant. These grants are designed to address temporary personal emergencies. The Rossmoor Fund made its first individual grant to assist an 82 year old resident who had many serious health issues. She had to pay out of pocket for her prescriptions for a period of time, approximately $400, and could not cover the extra cost. Individual grants are usually based on recommendations from Rossmoor Counseling Services, and are confidential and temporary in duration.
To be considered for a grant, applicants should have incomes of not more than 300% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines outlined by the Department of Health and Human Services. For 2022 and 2023, this means that an individual’s income may not exceed $40,770, and a couple’s income may not exceed $54,930. The Fund is not designed to meet an on-going expense, and there are limits on the amounts that an individual can be granted within a certain time.
How to Apply For An Individual Grant
To apply for an individual grant, an individual must complete and return to the Rossmoor Fund a 1-page application form Click Here.
Individuals may also seek assistance with grant applications from the Rossmoor Counseling Services by calling (925) 988-7750. Counselors will help with the application process, maintain anonymity, and forward applications to the Rossmoor Fund board for prompt action.
Protecting Applicant Information
Confidential health and financial information of individual grant applicants is protected in the following ways:
- Any hard copies of grant applications and supporting documents are shredded once the application has been processed.
- Any copies of grant applications and supporting documents provided to board members by email are deleted from their computers, tablets or phones by each board member once the grant application has been processed, and the board member’s “trash bin” is then emptied.
- Grant applications and supporting documents are stored for some period of time in the Rossmoor Fund’s cloud-based record storage, but that site is password protected and accessible only to members of the Rossmoor Fund board.