No, the foundation only funds 501(c)(3) organizations or equivalent and does not respond to requests for personal funding.
No, we fund established 501(c)(3) organizations or equivalent but do not place restrictions based on the size of an organization’s operating budget. We will also fund organizations that have appropriate fiscal sponsorship.
Organizations are required to first submit Letters of Inquiry in order to provide staff with information about your organization, program, and overall alignment with the foundation. Following review of your Letter of Inquiry, staff will let you know whether or not to submit a full proposal.
No, grant awards from these programs are foundation-initiated only. Please do not submit a proposal unless you have been directed to do so by the foundation.
Grant duration varies by program area and funding need, typically from one to three years. The preference for the Youth Development program area is one year.
Grants range in size based on the objectives and funding needs of the organization requesting support. Youth Development grants are generally for amounts less than $100,000. Determining how much to ask for will be dependent on the context of the proposed project and your organization’s plans – as part of the review process the staff will review the budget carefully to make sure it is substantiated.
Yes, foundation staff welcomes emails and phone calls from applicants to clarify the foundation’s programs and grantmaking guidelines.
No, all foundation-related business should be directed to foundation staff.
The foundation does not have set deadlines for LOI/proposal receipt. Board meetings are held three times a year (generally Spring, Summer and Winter). In order to allow time for processing and review, proposals and supporting documents must be submitted at least two months prior to the Board meetings. It is therefore recommended you contact foundation representatives early in the submission process for guidance on appropriate timing.
If a proposal has been submitted electronically there is no need to submit a hard copy as well.
Upon receipt of full proposals, the grantmaking process typically involves the following steps 1) review by foundation staff and iterative discussion with the applicant, which may include a site-visit, follow up meetings with key staff, reference checks and program and financial assessment, (2) staff recommendations to the Board and 3) final Board decisions following a comprehensive review.
It is not possible to predict how long the decision-making process will take as proposals are accepted and reviewed throughout the year. Factors influencing the timing include when the proposal is received relative to the next Board meeting date, the amount of due diligence required, and whether the Board requests additional information prior to reaching a decision. The foundation strives to keep grant applicants apprised of the status of their requests throughout this process.
Grant award letters and first payments are typically sent within 4-6 weeks of Board approval.
Unless specifically indicated, a declined proposal generally will not be reconsidered.
The foundation does not generally entertain new proposals from the same organization for a period of three years after completion of a previous grant. This is in order to promote the widest possible base of support for our grantees.
It is best to keep the foundation apprised of any unanticipated circumstances that may impact successful completion of your project. Requests for “no-cost extensions” will be formally considered at the time of submission of the grant final report and may be subject to Board approval.
Requests for grant re-budgeting should be brought to the attention of the foundation at the time of need and/or discussed in your interim or final report. Re-budgeting requests may be subject to Board approval.
Yes, the policy of the foundation is to cap the amount of allowable overhead or indirect costs at 10%.
Historically the foundation averaged around $30 million in assets. By 2012, largely due to the closure of the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund, the foundation’s assets grew to roughly $200 million, at which point the foundation also expanded to formally add programs in Science & Health and Arts & Culture.