GRANT
APPLICATION
PROCESS
We wish to advise prospective applicants that, from start to finish, our application process may take up to five months. Thank you for planning in advance and for your patience.
2020-2021 GRANT CYCLES
Cycle
LOI Deadline*
Notification of LOI Decision
Grant Application Deadline
Grant Announcement + Funds Received
*The LOI deadline ends at 5:00 pm PST
Summer 2021
March 5, 2021
Late April 2021
Late May 2021
July 2021
Winter 2022 Cycle Pending.
Please check back in
late July/early August.
1. LETTER OF INQUIRY (LOI)
The first step in our process is to submit a brief Letter of Inquiry (LOI) via our portal. This initial step requires completion of a standardized online application with box/field inputs, rather than uploading an individual letter. The LOI helps The Foundation determine if we would like to learn more about your proposed grant through the submission of a full Grant Application. It also helps our staff evaluate your organization’s eligibility as well as fit with our mission, geographic focus, and priorities. The LOI process is intended to avoid wasting the applicant’s time if their proposal is not in alignment with the funding priorities of The Foundation. All applicants must complete the LOI, including current grantees of The Foundation.
2. LOI DEADLINES
We accept and review LOIs in two cycles annually, listed in the table above.
3. NOTIFICATION OF LOI DECISION/REQUEST FOR GRANT APPLICATION
After review, our staff will notify you via email if you have been invited to submit a full Grant Application or if your request has been declined. An invitation to submit a Grant Application is not a guarantee of funding. It simply indicates the proposal is consistent with The Foundation’s current funding priorities.
4. GRANT APPLICATION SUBMISSION
If you have been invited to submit a Grant Application, you will receive instructions about how to access our full application via the Grants Portal. Invited applicants will be notified of the final deadline for the Grant Application and will have approximately one month to submit. Click HERE to be routed to the Grants Portal.
5. GRANT APPLICATION REVIEW
Once we receive your Grant Application, we begin our review process. During review, our team may request follow-up conversations, site visits, or supplemental data to learn more about your organization, its mission, and its impact.
6. FINAL DECISION
Board members make all final decisions about grants. Once we have made a decision, we will notify you. If you have been awarded a grant, you will receive a grant agreement for review and signature. This agreement will also outline reporting and acknowledgement requirements. Once the signed agreement is received, we will process payment of the grant, typically within 30 days. Acknowledgement requirements and downloads can be found on our Current Grantees: Resources page. Receiving a grant does not guarantee future funding.