Joan M. Wismer
Foundation
Guidelines
Foundation
Guidelines
Main Content
Guidelines
• Letters, emails and calls of inquiry are unnecessary. The online application is the appropriate first step in submitting a grant request.
• For the geographical emphases of the foundation's grantmaking, please refer to the Mission Statement.
• All applicants must be an approved tax-exempt non-profit organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Service.
• Grants may range from $2,500 up to $50,000. In unique circumstances, the foundation does consider a more significant grant for a program having a major impact in one or more of its areas of interest, but this generally only applies to existing grantees.
• Larger grants may require a Grant Agreement Contract to be signed before payments can be made.
• The foundation almost always limits grant durations to three years or less.
• Of particular interest to the foundation are organizations that promote partnerships and collaborative efforts among multiple groups and organizations.
• The foundation occasionally approves grants for pilot initiatives that test new program models.
• Priority will be given to requests that show specific plans for funding beyond the present.
• The applicant must have an active board of directors with policy-making authority. The board should demonstrate competence in the sound financial management of the organization.
• The foundation may not allow any funds to be earmarked for indirect costs or institutional overhead in cases where the grant relationship was developed independent of that institution’s direct development efforts.
• For the geographical emphases of the foundation's grantmaking, please refer to the Mission Statement.
• All applicants must be an approved tax-exempt non-profit organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Service.
• Grants may range from $2,500 up to $50,000. In unique circumstances, the foundation does consider a more significant grant for a program having a major impact in one or more of its areas of interest, but this generally only applies to existing grantees.
• Larger grants may require a Grant Agreement Contract to be signed before payments can be made.
• The foundation almost always limits grant durations to three years or less.
• Of particular interest to the foundation are organizations that promote partnerships and collaborative efforts among multiple groups and organizations.
• The foundation occasionally approves grants for pilot initiatives that test new program models.
• Priority will be given to requests that show specific plans for funding beyond the present.
• The applicant must have an active board of directors with policy-making authority. The board should demonstrate competence in the sound financial management of the organization.
• The foundation may not allow any funds to be earmarked for indirect costs or institutional overhead in cases where the grant relationship was developed independent of that institution’s direct development efforts.
Screening Process
• Applications are accepted throughout the year. Grant applications are compiled by the
foundation's administrator and then forwarded to the trustees before their next board meeting.
• After evaluating an application, the board will choose to: decline, approve, defer, request additional information, schedule a site visit, or invite the applicant in for an interview.
• Applicants, if declined, may not reapply until at least the next calendar year from the date of the declination unless the nature or circumstance surrounding the request changes significantly. The subsequent application should receive prior approval and describe these changes in full.
• After evaluating an application, the board will choose to: decline, approve, defer, request additional information, schedule a site visit, or invite the applicant in for an interview.
• Applicants, if declined, may not reapply until at least the next calendar year from the date of the declination unless the nature or circumstance surrounding the request changes significantly. The subsequent application should receive prior approval and describe these changes in full.
Areas of Exclusion
• The foundation generally will not provide grants to the following: organizations not determined to be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; individuals; general fundraising drives; endowments; government agencies; or
organizations that subsist mainly on third-party funding and have demonstrated no ability or expended little effort to attract
private funding.
To download a PDF copy of these guidelines, click here.
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