The Foundation holds pre-proposal meetings throughout the year, usually in the months just preceding an application deadline. To request a meeting, please call the Foundation and ask to speak with Michelle Monse or Laura Duty. Because the Foundation has a very small grants staff, we generally do not participate in site visits to agencies before LOIs or proposals are submitted.
Probably. If your program relates to an area that is not listed in the grant guidelines at all, the Foundation is unlikely to be a good funding match for your organization. If your program relates to one of the listed areas, such as education, but you are unsure whether it would be of interest to the Foundation, we suggest you call the Foundation to discuss the program before submitting a funding request.
Generally not. Because we have such a small staff and a limited time period to review proposals, the Foundation must have each proposal in hand and complete on the day of the deadline. In addition, you will not be able to submit your proposal online unless all of the required fields have been completed.
The Foundation recognizes that some nonprofit organizations, particularly smaller ones, do not have audited financial statements. In that case, you should submit a compilation, review, or unaudited financial statements, including the statement of financial position and statement of activities.
No. For the same reasons that we cannot accept incomplete proposals, all applications must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. on the day of the deadline.
No. Although we understand the desire to make such a presentation, we cannot accommodate individual presentations, given the number of inquiries and proposals we receive. The board has delegated the first-line review of proposals to Foundation staff and does not hear presentations from agencies.
No. Generally, a site visit is a positive sign, but it does not indicate a funding decision either way. We can and do award grants to agencies we have been unable to visit, and we also decline grants to agencies that we have visited. We generally conduct site visits on 70% of the proposals under review each grant cycle.
If the Foundation awards a grant to your organization, we will ask you to sign a grant contract that includes the stated purpose of the grant. Your organization may not spend the grant funds for any other purpose without our written consent in advance.
The grant contract will also require your agency to report to the Foundation on the expenditure of grant funds within thirty days after the project is completed or the funds are completely spent, whichever is earlier. The grant report is to be submitted through our online portal.
If your agency received a grant, you may submit a letter of inquiry 18 months after your previous grant was awarded.
If you were unsuccessful in seeking a grant, you may apply again at any time. But we do suggest that you talk to the Foundation staff before doing so. We may be able to tell you why your earlier efforts were unsuccessful, or whether we believe a resubmission will be worthwhile.
In recent years, we have received between 125 to 135 letters of inquiry each grant cycle (between 250 to 270 each year). Typically, 50% to 60% of the letters of inquiry will advance to the proposal stage. We review anywhere from 60 to 80 proposals each cycle (between 120 to 160 each year).