GRANT DEADLINES:
	Spring	Fall
Letter of Intent (LOI)	January 15	July 15
Grant proposal	February 15	August 15
Notification	June	December

 

Questions and Answers about the New Grant Deadlines:

What changes are being made to the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation’s grantmaking process?

The most significant changes to the Foundation’s grantmaking process that will be implemented in FY2007 (starting July 1, 2006) are:

Transition to a twice-yearly review process for grants from the   Community Grants Program instead of three-times a year;
Grantmaking guidelines with more detailed information for prospective applicants about the types of activities within each funding sector that are considered high priorities and low priorities

How will this change in grant cycles work?

Applicants will still submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) one month before a proposal deadline and will receive a response from the Foundation within 10 days letting you know if we would like to review a full proposal. For those invited to submit proposals, our review time will be three months (i.e., proposals submitted in January/February will be considered at our board’s June meeting). Community grants will be awarded at our December and June board meetings so that funding decisions can coincide with the start of the calendar year and the July 1 fiscal year. 

Why are these changes being made?

After careful consideration we feel that two cycles will allow our staff and volunteers to make more efficient and effective grants, which will benefit Pierce County and the non-profits that serve this community. This change from three to two cycles, spread evenly over the year, will also provide the Foundation with the time to develop and build community partnerships with grantees. It would also prepare us to make unexpected, emergency, and/or strategic grants between cycles if needed. 

How often can we apply in this new system?

You may apply one time per calendar year.

Will the proposal review process change?

No, the process will remain substantially as it is now.  Your proposal will be reviewed by a community volunteer who sits on the Community Grants Distribution Committee and a staff member who may contact you to set up either a site visit, office visit or telephone conference, depending on what we feel would be most helpful to our review.  Our staff and volunteer team will continue to review all proposals and make recommendations to our board who will vote at either their December or June meeting.

Will the Foundation continue to fund the same kind of work it has always funded?

At the present time, grant requests are still reviewed under the existing grantmaking framework as set forth in our application. We are in the process of reviewing those guidelines, in order to re-articulate our priorities within each funding sector, outlining both high and low priority activities. Our funding sectors remain the same:  arts and culture, civic engagement, education, environment, health and social services. 

Are your guidelines going to change?

It is likely that there will be some changes made to our overarching grantmaking framework, which is being guided by a strategic plan adopted by the Board of Directors in 2005.  We do not anticipate that those changes will result in a significant departure from our current priorities.  Current plans call for the release of new guidelines some time during calendar year 2007.

Will grant levels change?

Last year our average grant was $4500 in the community grants program. We will still be distributing the same amount of total funds, so although there are only two cycles, the same amount of grants will be distributed to approximately the same amount of applicants, just over two periods of time rather than three.