The Application Process

If you have not already done so, please review What We Fund to determine whether there is a potential match between your organization's work and our Foundation's interests.

We will only consider requests from eligible non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations for:
  • The development or significant expansion of programs that meet our desired outcomes.
  • General operating support for organizations whose core work fits our mission. Matching funds or other conditions may be required for these grants.

Geographic Area: Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties of Michigan
Exclusions: We generally do not provide support directly to individuals or units of government, nor for loans, grants to support religious activities, capital projects, research (unless solicited by the Foundation), fundraising events or conferences.

Grant Size and Term: The amount requested should be based on the size and scope of the organizational and program budget and the anticipated impact of the program. We will consider multi-year grants where appropriate.
 
When to Submit Your Application: A Letter of Inquiry may be submitted at any time. Grants generally are approved at our board meetings in March, June, September and December.

Step One: Determine Whether Your Organization is Eligible for a Grant from the Foundation

To be eligible for a grant, your organization must:
 
  • Be recognized as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and not a private foundation.
  • Have a current financial audit conducted by an independent certified public accountant.
  • Have had total revenues of at least $100,000 for the preceding year.
  • In policy and practice not discriminate based on age, race, creed, gender, religion, disability, sexual orientation and ethnicity.
  


Step Two: Submit a Letter of Inquiry Through Our Website

If you meet the eligibility criteria in Step One, we encourage you to submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI).
 
LOIs must be submitted through our website, using the link included below. You should carefully review Section I of our Grant Application Instructions  before you click on the link, to help you gather the information you will need to submit your LOI.
 
E-mail and paper inquiries will not be accepted. Please note that our requirement for an on-line application is not intended to minimize communication, but is simply one way for us to exercise environmental stewardship by reducing the amount of paper we generate.
Please feel free to call us if you have questions about how to complete the on-line application form, if you need assistance with Internet access, or if you would like to discuss your program ideas before you submit your application.

You should be notified within two to four weeks whether we are able to invite a Proposal.

Foundation staff may contact you for additional information or a site visit at any point in the review process.

Please click here to submit a Letter of Inquiry.

Step Three: The Proposal

A Proposal may be invited based upon your LOI. The information you will be asked to include in the Proposal is specified in Section II of our Grant Application Instructions.

Grants are approved at our board meetings, generally in March, June, September and December. A grant request typically should take three to five months to process from the time that the Letter of Inquiry is submitted, though certain requests may take longer.

Again, Foundation staff may contact you for additional information or a site visit at any point in the review process.		  
 

Step Four: Post Grant Requirements

If a grant is awarded, you will be asked to sign a Grant Agreement Letter.

Progress reports will generally be due every six months.

A note on our Reporting Requirements/Program Evaluation: We have attempted to develop a practical approach to program evaluation. While most programs likely will not require an outside, formal evaluation, we do expect a thoughtful evaluative process and useful product.
The purpose of our Reporting Requirements are three-fold:
  • grant monitoring – to assure that funds are being spent as planned
  • measurement – to help assess the impact of the grant
  • organizational learning – careful collection and use of data should help inform ongoing program development and refinement
 
For more information, please see our Grant Application Instructions, Section VI.

Application Forms