BetterWorld implements its mission through carefully selected organizational partners. We do not accept unsolicited grant proposals. We direct our resources to the organizations and programs that are in alignment with the interests of our founder.

We partner with organizations using two distinctive approaches: grant making and venture philanthropy.

Grant Making

BetterWorld's grant making is the result of fact-based research about programs and organizations that work within our three primary focus areas: Child Development, Health & Environment and Economic Development. Please visit these pages, as well as our grant making guidelines, to learn more.

We consider a grant as our investment in the process of creating solutions to challenging issues. Grants are based on our guiding principles, objectives and strategies, and our desire to make this a better world.

BetterWorld makes grants to organizations that are classified as tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Grants are made to public charities only, not to individuals or for-profit organizations.

Venture Philanthropy

At BetterWorld, our venture philanthropy objective is to reduce poverty and improve the economic prospects of small and medium-sized entrepreneurs through concentrated investments of money, human endeavor and expertise. We work with organizations that provide small and medium business entrepreneurs access to capital resources they might not otherwise find available to them. We invest our capital in undertakings designed to produce long-term benefits, operating income, goods or services.

We develop a strategy with our partners, agreed upon at the start, which anticipates our exit. We are active participants in each initiative to help guide it toward a successful result. We are not "passive investors."

Internally we refer to these concepts as our BetterWorld recipe... "RSP" methodology.

• "R" stands for "Regenerative." We want our funds and investments to regenerate and return to our 'pool' for recycling into other philanthropic projects.
• "S" stands for "Sustainable." We want our investment initiatives to survive our exit on their own merits and to stand on their own after we leave.
• "P" stands for "Profitable." We believe that managing to profitability produces efficiency and discipline.

By investing in profitable ventures that create good things for our world, while, at the same time, regenerating and reinvesting the capital into other socially and financially profitable ventures, we can make the world better one project at a time.

Grantmaking Guidelines

The BetterWorld Trust’s grantmaking is the result of fact based research about organizations and their programs which fall within the areas of focus as noted below:

We consider a grant as our investment in the process of creating solutions in response to many of the challenging issues facing our world.  Grants are based on BetterWorld’s guiding principles, objectives and strategies and our desire to make this a better world for all of us to live in.

The BetterWorld Trust makes grants to organizations that are classified as tax exempt under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.  Grants are made to public charities only, not individuals or for-profit organizations.  Our grants are initiated at the invitation of The BetterWorld Trust and not from unsolicited proposals.

If an organization is invited by The BetterWorld Trust to submit a proposal, they must provide a two to three page letter of inquiry that includes the following information.

Letter of Inquiry Information Required:

• Description of your organization; including mission, history, services provided
• Description of your program, project or organizational need; including the benefit to your community, and the anticipated outcome(s)
• Estimates of costs, budgets, list of other sources of funding for the program, and time frame for completion
• Plans for measuring and evaluating the program’s effectiveness and results
• Copy of the IRS 501(c) (3) ruling letter; and
• Name, address and phone number of contact person

We will review your Letter of Inquiry and will notify you only if and when your request is accepted by the Grant Review Committee.  If accepted, we will then set up an appointment with your organization for a site visit or phone interview prior to requesting a formal proposal, as required by our Board of Directors.  Being approved by the Grant Review Committee does not guarantee nor imply that a grant will be offered.  Grants are awarded only after The BetterWorld Trust Board of Directors gives their final approval. 

Local Community Programs

Our office is located in Southern California, in the "Inland Empire" city of Temecula. We are approximately 25 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean between Riverside and San Diego and our local focus is primarily on organizations operating in Southwest Riverside County and North San Diego County. 

Global Programs

The geographic focus of our global program grants and venture philanthropy investments is focused upon the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, Southern and Southeast Asia and Latin America.