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1. SUBMITTING A LETTER OF INTENT (LOI)
To apply for a competitive grant, an organization must submit an LOI online to the foundation, regardless of the amount requested. Each LOI requires:
- Acknowledgement of submission by the organization’s president or executive director
- Registration and posting of current organizational information (including the most recent federal 990 tax forms) on Guidestar
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Completed LOI forms should be emailed. Faxed LOI forms will not be accepted.
Download the LOI and instructions. |
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2. LOI REVIEWED BY CCF
Our staff will review and evaluate letters of intent within six to eight weeks of the
corresponding deadline. Applicants will then receive written notification that either invites the
submission of a full application or informs the organization that its request has been declined. |
3. FULL GRANT APPLICATION SUBMISSION
We accept full applications only from organizations that are invited to apply. Organizations invited to submit full grant applications will be given access to the online application from our Web site.
Applicants requesting renewal funding must contact a program officer to discuss the eligibility of the proposed request before submitting a full application. |
4. REVIEW AND EVALUATION OF FULL GRANT APPLICATIONS
Foundation staff reviews and evaluates full grant applications and presents recommendations to the foundation’s board of directors. We determine whether an applicant organization’s mission, goals and work are consistent with our programmatic goals and outcomes; whether it demonstrates the capacity to meet its objectives; whether it clearly articulates strategies to achieve results; and whether it has the potential for measurable impact. We may also conduct site visits and talk to the organization’s staff and board members, its clients, and community and civic leaders to better understand the proposed effort.
Please note that, due to the volume of applications, the foundation is unable to fund all the requests submitted for consideration, including those that meet the basic funding criteria. |
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5. GRANT DECISIONS
The board of directors makes decisions on all grant recommendations during the foundation’s three grant cycles – each March, June and October. Generally, grant decisions can be expected within four to five months of application submission. Foundation staff will notify organizations of grant decisions soon after each board meeting. The first installment payment will be made after the foundation receives a signed grant agreement from the grantee organization. |
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Contact Grants Specialist