Q: How do I apply for a grant?
A: Applicants must complete and submit the web form on the “Apply” page of the Foundation’s website.
Q: I would like to prepare my application offline, and then enter it in the web form. What’s a good way to do that?
A: We do recommend that you first prepare our application in a text editor or word processor. Should you have any issues while utilizing our application form then this will assure you have not lost all of the good work you’ve done. We apologize for the duplication, but do ask that you then re-enter your data in our online application for our processing. Please be aware that some fields (email address, for example) must follow a specific format when submitted. If you have a question don’t hesitate to contact us at grants.
Q: Who is eligible to apply for a grant?
A: Grants are made only to nonprofit organizations certified as tax exempt under Sections 501(c)(3) or 170(c) of the Internal Revenue Code and are classified as “not a private foundation” under Section 509(a). Eligible public charities include the full range of charitable organizations, including educational, museums and arts organizations formed for charitable purposes. More information about the criteria used for selection is available on the Eligibility and Limitations pages of this website.
Q: Does the Foundation have an application deadline?
A: Yes, applications must be submitted using the website form no later than February 12.
Q: What size grant should we request?
A: The minimum grant request that will be considered is $500 and the maximum grant request is $3,000.
Q: Do you fund newly established nonprofits?
A: Yes, we will consider applications from start-up nonprofits that are certified as tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Q: Do you provide general operating grants?
A: The fund prefers to provide programmatic support for nonprofits.
Q: When will I get a response from my application?
A: Applications will either be declined or approved by May 1 in the year they are submitted.
Q: Will the Foundation make multi-year awards?
A: No. Grants are awarded for a one-year period. Occasionally we award a grant to a prior recipient or approve the extension of a program into the following year, but follow-on grants will almost always be for a new program or a new aspect of a program.
Q: Will the Foundation provide grants for books or equipment alone?
A: We believe interaction has a powerful positive impact on literacy, reading, STEM and STEAM. While the Foundation may occasionally provide grants for equipment alone, strong preference will be given to applications that incorporate project or program elements.
Q: Does the Foundation have other preferences with respect to the organizations or programs it will fund?
A: The Foundation prefers to award grants to organizations that do not have access to large fundraising budgets and that are local in nature. We also prefer not to grant to Foundations as a pass through mechanism unless that Foundation serves as the nonprofit vehicle for a single organization (for example, we absolutely grant funds to a Friends of the Library organization in order to provide funds for Library programs). Also, we prefer to not grant funds for a single event that takes place over 1-2 days.
Q: Does the Foundation require matching grants?
A: We have no matching grant requirements. We are happy to award monies that might be matched by others.