Lululemon Centre for Social Impact 2025 Here to Be Grant (Up to $50,000 USD): (Deadline 28 June, 2024)

Our 2025 Here to Be grant accelerates the work of community-led non-profit organizations around the globe that are advancing the wellbeing of their communities.

About Here to Be

Powered by the lululemon Centre for Social Impact, Here to Be is our annual, application-based grant program. Since its inception in 2016, we have invested in community resilience by supporting grassroots organizations that are creating inclusive access to wellbeing practices.

Through Here to Be, our goal is to seed and sustain the work of community-led organizations that actively remove barriers to wellbeing in their communities and serve those most impacted by systemic inequities. We aim to provide philanthropic resources to organizations that may not traditionally have access to them and welcome a diverse group of new organizations to our Here to Be community every year.

We understand wellbeing to be a lifetime practice and that individuals and communities need different things in order to experience wellbeing. Given this, organizations funded by the Here to Be grant will take different approaches to this work but are united by their commitment to advancing wellbeing for all.

Defining Wellbeing

At lululemon, our purpose is to elevate human potential by helping people feel their best. We understand that everyone has their own unique definition of wellbeing. For some, it encompasses the holistic idea of mind, body, and soul. For others, it centers around specific factors, like having a sense of community or living in an inviting physical environment. We define wellbeing as a lifetime practice of three core elements. The balance of these three elements support us in feeling our best.

• Physical Wellbeing: Feeling empowered. I am able to give my body what it needs for health and quality of life.
• Mental Wellbeing: Feeling emotionally prepared. I am able to handle what life has in store for me.
• Social Wellbeing: Feeling connected to others. I am a part of something larger than myself and contribute to a supportive community.

We also understand that planetary health is a fundamental condition for our individual and collective wellbeing. As our business grows and our work progresses, we are evolving our definition of wellbeing to explicitly integrate our dependence on a healthy planet.

About Lululemon Centre for Social Impact

Our Purpose We disrupt inequity in wellbeing through movement, mindfulness, and advocacy. Our Vision We believe everyone has the right to be well, and we know the path to wellbeing is possible when tools, support, and resources are accessible to all. However, too often around the world, barriers persist, making access far too difficult for far too many people. This is especially true for those experiencing disproportionate rates of stress and trauma. The lululemon Centre for Social Impact is setting out to break the barriers that prevent access to wellbeing. We leverage our busines…

lululemon Here to Be Grant

Aim and Benefits of lululemon Here to Be Grant

Here to Be is a one-year grant program. In addition to funding, we provide optional offerings to leaders throughout the grant cycle to support their individual and organizational wellbeing.

Interested organizations can apply for up to $50,000 USD in operating support, which should not exceed 40% of their operating budget. If selected, the grant will be disbursed through our Donor-Advised Fund at Charities Aid Foundation America (CAF America). Please note that Here to Be grant recipients operating in China Mainland will be funded directly from lululemon China.

Requirements for lululemon Here to Be Grant Qualification

We welcome applications from organizations that meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Must be a registered non-profit or charity, or fiscally sponsored by one
• Must be working to advance wellbeing outcomes through physical, mental, and/or social wellbeing programming
• Must be community-led, have diverse and representative leadership, and serve populations most impacted by systemic inequity
• Must be operating in Australia, Canada, China Mainland, France, Germany, Hong Kong SAR, India, Ireland, Japan, Macau SAR, Malaysia, Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, UK, USA, and/or Vietnam
• Annual budget of less than $2 million USD preferred

What We Do Not Fund

We do not consider funding requests from:

• Individuals, groups with religious or political affiliations, or third-party fundraising groups
• Community clinics or health services that accept direct payment for services in any form, such as insurance or government
• Primary, secondary, and post-secondary academic institutions, parent-teacher associations, or museums
• Government entities or registered businesses, including social ventures or impact-minded businesses
• Organizations that are focused solely on planetary health, rather than at the intersection of environment and wellbeing
• Organizations that have received Here to Be funding for three consecutive years
• Organizations with annual operating budgets over $8 million USD
• Organizations with fewer than three board members or those that have been operating programming for less than one year

Additionally, the Here to Be grant cannot be used for:

• One-time events, retreats, workshops, or sporting events
• Regranting to organizations or individuals, including in the form of scholarships
• Incentives for government officials or lobbying
• Benefits to lululemon or its employees, whether through the purchase of lululemon products, incidental benefits for lululemon volunteers in excess of $50 USD, salary for lululemon employees or Ambassadors, or marketing to promote lululemon’s connection with your organization
• Interest-bearing accounts, endowments, real estate, or any other similar capital assets*
• Equipment or other capital assets with a combined value of $5,000 USD or more (whether single or multiple items)*

Interview date, Process and Venue for lululemon Here to Be Grant

Application Period

Letter of Intent – June 3 to June 28, 2024

The first step in the application process is to submit a Letter of Intent. The Letter of Intent gathers information about the organization, the communities it supports, and the proposed funding request. All Letters of Intent are due by June 28 at 5pm Pacific Time (PT). We will not accept late or incomplete submissions.

Application – August 6 to August 30, 2024

Applicants will receive an email notification on August 6 to let them know if they will be moving forward to the next stage of the application process. If an organization’s Letter of Intent aligns with the goals of the Here to Be grant program and meets the eligibility criteria, they will receive an invitation to apply. All applications are due by August 30 at 5pm Pacific Time (PT). We will not accept late or incomplete submissions.

Review Period

Application Review – September 2 to November 1, 2024

The lululemon Social Impact team will review each application in partnership with a Grant Review Council. We will evaluate organizations for operational and strategic alignment based on their approach to addressing barriers and systemic inequities in wellbeing and their impact on their communities.

Selection Period

Selection of Awardees – November 5, 2024

Applicants will receive an email notification of our funding decision on November 5. If selected, the grant will be disbursed through our Donor-Advised Fund at Charities Aid Foundation America (CAF America). The grant award notification will be conditional pending CAF America’s validation review of the organization.

Please note that Here to Be grant recipients operating in China Mainland will be funded directly from lululemon China.

Documentation Collection and CAF America Validation & Payment Process – November 5, 2024 to January 31, 2025

Here to Be grant recipients will be asked to sign agreements with lululemon and CAF America. During this period, awardees will need to complete and upload the following documents to the Grants Portal:

• lululemon Relationship Agreement
• CAF America Grant Agreement
• CAF America Bank Verification

After the documents are uploaded, CAF America may contact the awarded organizations for further documentation or follow-up during the validation process.

Please note that Here to Be grant recipients operating in China Mainland have a different document collection and payment process. Please refer to our Chinese FAQ document for more information.

Receive Funds and Award Announcement – February 2025

After the validation process is completed and organizations have been verified by CAF America, they will receive their funds by February 28. During this time, we will announce our 2025 cohort of Here to Be grantees with our collective.

*Dates may be subject to change without notice.

Application Deadline

June 28, 2024

How to Apply

Interested and qualified? Go to Lululemon Centre for Social Impact on grants.lululemon.com to applyWe recognize the time and resources required to assemble a successful application. We encourage interested organizations to review the eligibility criteria, application process, and reporting requirements to help inform their decision to apply. To support this, we have prepared worksheets containing the questions for the Letter of Intent and application. This will enable applicants to prepare their answers before filling out the online form on the Grants Portal. You can find the links to these worksheets on our FAQ page.

After you confirm your organization meets the eligibility criteria, click on the Apply for Funding button on the homepage banner, starting at 8am Pacific Time (PT) on June 3.

For organizations that are registered in China Mainland only: After you confirm your organization meets the eligibility criteria, click here to submit your Letter of Intent in Simplified Chinese, starting at 8am Pacific Time (PT) on June 3.

For more details visit: OFFICIAL LINK.