Grant Guidelines

Letter of Inquiry:

We recommend sending a letter of inquiry first, which you can mail to our offices or email to grants@givingback.org. This should be a one or two page summary of your organization and the funding you are seeking. We will request additional information if necessary. Please see sample.

Please include a copy of your 501(c)3 letter with your inquiry.

Full Proposal:

If you are invited to submit a full proposal we recommend including the following information:

Summary of Application should include the following:

• Legal name of organization, address, name of executive director, and contact person other than executive director.
• Telephone number, fax number and email address. Amount requested.
• Please summarize in a short paragraph your funding request and indicate the type of request (operating, project, capital, other).
  
• List any previous support from The Foundation.

Background — Describe the work of your organization, addressing each of the following:

• A brief description of its history and mission.
  
• Current programs and accomplishments.
  
• Overview of organization's structure including the number of full- and part-time staff as well as volunteer involvement.
  
• Total organizational budget and fiscal year end.
• Describe your organization's constituents including the total number and breakdown by age, gender, race/ethnicity, income levels, disabilities, and geography.
• Funding Request — Please describe the program for which you seek funding, addressing each of the following:

If applying for general operating support or capital, please describe in specific detail how this grant would be used.

If your request is for a specific project, please explain the project and include the following:

• Program strategies
  
• Target population
  
• How many people will benefit from the proposed project? Please give specific numbers if possible.
• Specific activities and timetable for meeting your stated objectives.How does the project contribute to your organization's overall mission?
• What do you ultimately hope to accomplish through your proposed project?
• What are your plans for fully funding and sustaining this program?
• What other agencies or associations are you working with on this project?
• How will you measure and monitor the program's progress and effectiveness?
• What relevant assets and experience does your staff bring to this project?
• Describe your criteria for a successful program and the result you expect to achieve by the end of the funding period.
  

Attachments:

• IRS 501 (c)(3) Tax Determination Letter.
• Most recent financial statement, audited if available.
• Most recent 990 Form filed with the IRS.
• Operating expense budgets for current and most recent fiscal year.
• List of public/private funding sources for your organization during the past fiscal year.
• If project funding is requested, please include:
  • Current expense budget for the project.
  • List of all sources of income for the program including committed and prospective, with amounts.
  • Specific uses of the requested grant, if possible.
  • List of Board of Directors, with affiliations.
  • Current Annual Report, if available.
  • Organization contact name, address, phone, fax, and email address.
  • Three letters of reference from other organizations and/or individuals you are currently working with or have worked with in the past. This may include one or two parents whose children have participated in your programs.
    Optional: brochures, newsletters.