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Song Foundation

Annual Giving
$3.0M
Grant Range
Up to $1.0M00
Decision Time
1.5w
0

Song Foundation - Funder Overview

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $2.5-3.5 million
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: 1-2 weeks for initial screening; immediate funding possible for grants under $150,000
  • Grant Range: Varies widely (from small grants to $1 million+)
  • Geographic Focus: Southeast Michigan (Flint, Detroit, Dearborn, Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor)

Contact Details

Website: https://song.foundation
Mailing Address: The Song Foundation c/o Family Office, 8181 E. Tufts Avenue, Suite 600, Denver, CO 80237
EIN: 84-3950307

Overview

The Song Foundation was established in 2019 by Dug Song, co-founder of Duo Security (sold to Cisco for $2.35 billion in 2018), and Linh Song, Ann Arbor City Council member and social worker. Beginning operations in 2020, the foundation hired Khalilah Burt Gaston, formerly of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, as its first executive director in 2022 (now President). With assets totaling $27.8 million, the foundation has significantly grown its grantmaking from $325,866 in 2021 to $3.46 million in 2024. The foundation exclusively supports Black, Brown, and immigrant-led and -serving organizations in southeast Michigan, taking a trust-based philanthropy approach that emphasizes unrestricted operating grants, minimal reporting requirements, and streamlined application processes. The foundation is known for its Silicon Valley-inspired approach to rapid, flexible grantmaking.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Song Foundation operates on a rolling application basis with three grantmaking windows throughout their fiscal year (September 1 - August 31):

  • Small Grants (under $150,000): May receive immediate funding after staff review
  • Large Grants (over $150,000): May require a phone call or site visit before funding decision

The foundation emphasizes unrestricted operating grants and has also made unsolicited grants to organizations doing aligned work.

Priority Areas

The foundation invests in three main focus areas:

  1. Diverse and Emergent Leadership: Efforts that prepare, support, and build pipelines for children, youth, and young adult leaders to shape local policies and communities. Plans include launching a youth leadership fellowship program.

  2. Inclusive Technology and Entrepreneurship: Digital equity efforts that help grassroots organizations bridge the digital divide and make the local tech ecosystem more accessible, diverse, inclusive, and equitable.

  3. Transformative Social Justice and Activism: Civic engagement, grassroots organizing, and culture and movement-building efforts that shift narratives and disrupt the status quo.

What They Don't Fund

  • Organizations outside of southeast Michigan
  • Organizations not led by or serving Black, Brown, and immigrant communities
  • Only accepts one grant application per year per project

Governance and Leadership

Key Leadership:

  • Douglas (Dug) Song: Co-Founder and Board Member (formerly Chair); co-founded Duo Security
  • Linh Song: Chair of the Board; Ann Arbor City Council member and social worker
  • Khalilah Burt Gaston: President and Executive Director (compensation: $193,375); formerly managed a $500 million portfolio at W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Leadership Vision:

Dug Song: "When I think about our region, I envision it as one of the most inclusive and diverse tech ecosystems in the country."

Linh Song: "We are committed to supporting those who are ready to shift the status quo."

Khalilah Burt Gaston: "We believe in doing our own work" (referring to the foundation's approach of researching potential grantees rather than requiring extensive applications). "We're here to invest — beyond a check — in the ideas, people, and movements currently engaged in work that's aligned with our priorities."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Song Foundation accepts applications through their website at song.foundation. The application process is intentionally streamlined:

  • Application Length: 5-7 minute brief form designed to introduce your organization and work
  • Application Method: Rolling basis with three grantmaking windows per fiscal year
  • Required Documents: No additional documents needed beyond the brief application form
  • Technology-Assisted: The foundation uses internet scraping to pre-fill information about applicants, which applicants can then verify or correct

Decision Timeline

  • Initial Screening: 1-2 weeks from submission date
  • Small Grants (under $150,000): May receive immediate funding after screening
  • Large Grants (over $150,000): May include a follow-up phone call or site visit; foundation staff will reach out to coordinate

All funding requests are screened by foundation staff. If a grant fits the foundation's basic criteria, it is further reviewed with leadership, and applicants are updated during the process.

Success Rates

Over 30 grants were provided in 2023. The foundation made 23 awards in 2023 and 8 awards in 2022. Specific success rate percentages are not publicly available.

Reapplication Policy

Applicants may submit only one grant application per year per project. Specific policies for unsuccessful applicants to reapply are not publicly documented, but the rolling application with three annual windows suggests ongoing opportunities.

Application Success Factors

Trust-Based Approach: The Song Foundation "believes in doing our own work" to research organizations, reducing the burden on applicants. This means they value authenticity over polished grant writing.

Alignment with Geographic Focus: Organizations must be in or serve communities in Flint, Detroit, Dearborn, Ypsilanti, or Ann Arbor in southeast Michigan.

Community Leadership: Strong preference for organizations led by Black, Brown, and immigrant leaders and those serving these communities.

Equity-Centered Work: The foundation looks for organizations that "center equity in their leadership and program delivery."

Beyond the Check: The foundation emphasizes investing "beyond a check" in ideas, people, and movements. Show how you're building long-term capacity and impact.

Examples of Funded Organizations:

  • YouthTank Detroit (startup incubator for high school student-led businesses)
  • Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center
  • Women of Banglatown
  • Black Leaders Detroit
  • Detroit's Project Clean Slate (helping residents expunge criminal convictions)
  • ACLU Fund of Michigan
  • Detroit Justice Center
  • Student Advocacy Center of Michigan
  • Green Light Fund

Minimal Reporting Burden: Instead of traditional grant reports, the foundation hosts a "Joy Report" event where grantees share outcomes in a more informal, celebratory setting.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Keep it brief: The 5-7 minute application is intentional; don't over-prepare or over-polish. Authenticity matters more than grant writing expertise.

  • Geographic specificity required: You must serve one of the five priority communities (Flint, Detroit, Dearborn, Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor) with Black, Brown, or immigrant populations.

  • Fast decisions possible: Small grants under $150,000 can receive immediate funding, making this an excellent option for organizations needing rapid support.

  • Unrestricted funding available: The foundation provides unrestricted operating grants, not just project-specific funding, supporting organizational sustainability.

  • Community leadership is essential: Organizations led by and serving Black, Brown, and immigrant communities are the exclusive focus; this is non-negotiable.

  • Multiple opportunities annually: With three grantmaking windows and rolling applications, unsuccessful applicants have ongoing opportunities to engage.

  • Relationship-building valued: While unsolicited applications are accepted, the foundation also makes unsolicited grants to organizations doing aligned work, suggesting the value of being on their radar through sector engagement.

References

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