True Reformer Building
Our headquarters are in the historic True Reformer Building in Washington, D.C. To learn how your non-profit organization can rent our meeting and conference facilities, click here
True Reformer Building
Get Registered
Send us your email address for future news and emails.
Apply For A Grant |
The Public Welfare Foundation accepts grant inquiries throughout the year.
Processing a grant application generally takes four to six months.
We have a two-step application process.
Applicants should submit letters of inquiry six to eight weeks before proposal deadlines. The applicant creates an account and submits an online letter of inquiry of up to five pages at this website link. The letter should contain facts and figures about the organization, describe its mission and explain the purpose of the request, including the Program under which a grant is being requested. Please read the letter of inquiry content guide.
Once a letter of inquiry arrives at the Foundation, our staff determines whether the proposed project fits the Foundation’s funding guidelines. Please read the program guidelines carefully before applying. The Foundation does not fund individuals, scholarships, direct services, international projects or endowment campaigns. Our staff responds to letters of inquiry within 30 working days letting the applicants know whether they will be invited to submit a full proposal.
If you have started an online letter of inquiry and need to return to it, go to
this link.
The review and evaluation process for full proposals takes two to three months. During this period, applicants may be asked to submit additional information and/or to meet with Foundation staff. If, after careful consideration, a proposal is not approved, the applicant will be notified by mail.
Three times a year, the Board of Directors reviews full proposals recommended for funding. Successful applicants receive an award letter by mail, and generally funds are disbursed within 45 days of approval.
Letter of Inquiry Content Guide
Each letter of inquiry should include the following information
1. The organization’s official name and contact information;
2. The organization’s mission statement;
3. A brief (250 word maximum) summary of its recent history;
4. A tax-exempt status report;
5. Total organization and proposed project budgets (if applying for a project grant), including funds from other funding sources;
6. A narrative description (2000 words or less) of the problem to be addressed and the work to be performed;
7. Amount and type of support - General support funds are used to advance a grantee organization's general mission and to pay expenses incurred by its non-profit activities. Project grants can only be used to pay expenses of specific activities described in the proposal and approved by the Foundation.
8. A description of how the proposal fits the Foundation’s funding guidelines for the Program under which the grant is being requested. Beginning in 2008, our active programs will be Criminal and Juvenile Justice, Health Reform, and Workers’ Rights.
We are considering last-year grants for current grantees funded under Programs being phased out.
Scheduling Submissions
Though letters of inquiry may be submitted at any time, applicants should plan ahead.
Our staff takes up to one month after receiving a letter of inquiry
to determine whether an invitation will be sent to submit a full proposal.
Each full proposal for a project should include the following information:
1. An application cover sheet;
2. A narrative of no more than 10 pages containing the following information:
-
A description of the problem or problems to be addressed;
- A description of specific aspects of the organization’s work that will be supported by the requested grant;
-
A brief description of the applicant’s prior experience in the field of work involved in the proposed project;
-
A list of the organization's board of directors with related demographics and a list of key staff with qualifications;
-
Expected results for the grant period and activities and strategies to achieve these outcomes;
-
Plans for assessing the organization’s activities and progress toward its goals;
-
Names, titles, organizational affiliations and contact information for at least three individuals who can comment knowledgeably on the organization’s work and impact.
A full proposal requesting general support should include the following information:
1. An application cover sheet;
2. A project narrative of no more than 10 pages containing the following information:
- A description of the organization’s mission and current activities;
- A list of the organization's board of directors with related demographics and a list of key staff with qualifications;
- Expected results for the grant period and activities and strategies to achieve these outcomes;
- Plans for assessing the organization’s activities and progress toward its goals;
- Names, titles, organizational affiliations and contact information for at least three individuals who can comment knowledgeably on the organization’s work and impact.
3. All full proposals, requesting either general or project support, must include the following:
In cases where the Foundation, rather than the IRS, assumes responsibility for determining the charitable status of an organization's activities, the Foundation requires additional information:
For Expenditure Responsibility Grants, provide a copy of the organization's charter and letters of support from other organizations that have funded or worked with it on similar activities.
If Applying with a Fiscal Sponsor,
provide a copy of the fiscal sponsorship agreement and the most recent
completed year-end financials for the sponsor.
Annual Progress Reports
Evaluating the progress of our grantees is a vital part of our work. Close
and honest assessment helps the Foundation and grantees gain useful insights into
how we are advancing toward their goals, what we have learned, where we need to
make course corrections and what’s over the horizon.
For these reasons, we require our grantees to submit
both narrative and financial progress reports near the end of each one-year
grant period. Multi-year grantees must submit interim progress reports near the
end of each year of their awards and a final progress report.
The narrative portion of the progress report should address the following questions:
1. What have you accomplished during the period of your grant?
2. What planned activities and actions did you complete or partially complete to make progress toward your goals? What planned activities did you decide not to undertake, and what unplanned actions and activities did you undertake?
3. What lessons have you learned? Describe activities that seem most successful and accomplishments that seem most substantial.
4. How have you assessed your progress?
Project support grants - Income and expenses for the project and also for the organization. Identify all sources of income and list grants from individuals, foundations and/or corporations for the project.
General support grants - Income and expenses for the organization. Identify all sources of income and list grants from individuals, foundations and/or corporations.
Proposal Deadlines
Deadlines for submitting full proposals and subsequent 2008 and 2009 Board meeting dates
are:
|
Board Meetings |
Proposal Deadlines |
|
October 2008 |
August 1, 2008 |
|
February 2009 |
November 14, 2008 |
|
June 2009 |
March 23, 2009 |
October 2009 |
July 27, 2009 |
Renewal Funding
The foundation's review and evaluation process takes three to four months. Grantees interested in receiving uninterrupted funding must submit a letter of inquiry and required progress report prior to the end of the grant period. Applicants should decide when they would like to receive grant approval for their renewal grant and plan ahead. Renewal applicants are required to submit a letter of inquiry and narrative and financial progress report for the current grant. Progress reports are to be submitted via email to submit@publicwelfare.org with the organization’s name and the time period covered in the subject line.
 © The Public Welfare Foundation, 2007 |