The next deadline for proposal submissions is Friday, August 5th, 2016.
The Weeden Foundation Grants : The Foundation strongly encourages potential applicants to submit a letter of inquiry (via e-mail or regular mail) before presenting a complete proposal. We will respond to all such letters within a few weeks of receipt. Letters should reflect a basic knowledge of Foundation geographic interests and programmatic emphases as garnered from this Web site. We suggest all potential applicants review the site carefully prior to submitting a letter of inquiry or a complete proposal. We also very much prefer letters of inquiry to phone calls. Returning applicants (who received a grant the previous year) do not need to submit a letter of inquiry.
Proposals must describe both the purpose for which the grant is solicited and a brief evaluation process in a clear and precise manner. Shorter descriptions are preferred to longer descriptions, and a brief Executive Summary of the proposal must be included. The Executive Summary is an especially important part of the proposal, as it is the best vehicle for an organization to present the nature and intent of their project directly to the Board of Directors. The summary should be concise—one or two paragraphs is generally sufficient—and should include mention of both recent and future projects. In addition to the narrative, the following materials constitute a complete application package. Incomplete proposals will not be placed on the docket.
- annual report with latest financial statements (preferably audited)
- list of Board of Directors and their affiliations
- e-mail address for the primary contact
- IRS tax exemption 501(c)(3) certification letter or an equivalency form for non-U.S.based organizations (available through the Foundation)
- project budget
- organizational budget
- other sources and amounts of institutional support (past, present, and anticipated future); and
qualifications of key personnel
Each full proposal should be sent to the Foundation in hard copy via mail (with other required material and any background materials) and email (proposal only). We prefer proposal packets to be sent by regular mail, and we do not accept proposals sent by fax. We encourage applicants to use double-sided copies, print on paper with a high post-consumer content or alternative fibers, and reuse envelopes.
The Board of Directors meets three times a year, usually in March, June, and October, but note that board meetings may be held the month preceeding or following these times. For proposals to be considered at a meeting, they must arrive in our offices on or before the set deadline. Deadlines are approximately six weeks prior to each meeting, and are posted on this website at least two months in advance.
Please note: The Weeden Foundation’s current level of grantmaking has been substantially reduced as compared to that of several years ago, a consequence of the Foundation’s diminished investment portfolio. Thus, priority is given to returning grant recipients. The Foundation does not currently entertain multi-year support requests. The average grant size for FY 2012 was $20,000.