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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES – Foundations

University Policy
University Development and the Corporation & Foundations Relations offices strongly request that we keep them informed of our contacts with foundations. Many foundations and corporations will accept just one proposal per year from an organization. In general, by coordinating our contacts we can maintain good relationships and avoid overlapping or conflicting proposals. Please inform Laraine Hong or Margaret Ann Bollmeier if you plan to contact a foundation with an inquiry (letter, email, or phone call) or intend to submit a proposal. Thank you.

About Foundations

A Different Kind of Process

Identifying Potential Foundation Support

Foundations with Education Interests

About Foundations

College faculty seeking foundation funding most often will be applying to private or independent foundations. This group of foundations makes up almost 90 percent of all grantmaking foundations. As defined by The Foundation Center, “the distinguishing characteristic of a private foundation is that its funds come from one source, whether an individual, a family, or a corporation.”

According to The Foundation Center, in 2006 there were about 72,000 grantmaking foundations in the U.S., having combined assets of $615 billion. BUT, to keep things in perspective, The Foundation Center reports that in (circa) 2006:

Of a total $19.12 billion in grants awarded by foundations, 22.5 percent went to education (7.1 percent, elementary and secondary; 8.6 percent, higher education; 2.3 percent, graduate and professional; and the rest divided among other areas such as student services).

Top 50 U.S. Foundations Awarding Grants for Elementary and Secondary Education (PDF)

Top 50 U.S. Foundations Awarding Grants for Higher Education (PDF)

Top 50 U.S. Foundations Awarding Grants for Graduate and Professional Education (PDF)
Among the top major funding foundations, most confine their giving to organizations within their own communities, state, or regions..
Large national, general-purpose foundations, such as the Ford or Rockefeller, have interests in several areas and award grants to projects with potential for broad national and/or international impact. But, of the 72,000 foundations, probably fewer than 200 are national general-purpose foundations.

The largest foundations have endowments in the billions, but small foundations often have less than a million dollars in assets. Regardless of their size, most foundations want their contributions to address real and concrete needs and make a genuine difference in people’s lives. Identifying potential sponsors requires patience, perseverance, and thorough research to determine which ones would make a good match for your project.

For more background information on foundations:
Foundation and Corporate Grantseeking (PDF) – Disability Funders Network
Foundation Fundamentals (an excerpt) – The Foundation Center
Kenneth T. Henson, Grant Writing in Higher Education: A Step-by-Step Guide, Pearson Education, 2004.

A Different Kind of Process

For the 2002-2007 period, the College of Education received about $10.6 million in foundation grants, or 17.4% of the approximately $61.0 million in total grants received by the College for this period. That $10.6 million in foundation grants came from 14 different foundations, although some 58 percent of that $10.6 million was provided by just 3 grants awarded by 2 foundations (between 2004 and 2007).

Clearly, foundations remain a major resource waiting to be tapped, but if you’ve never before sought funding from a foundation, the first thing to know is that the writing and selection process are distinctly different from what is typical of a government grant. Unlike government agencies that emphasize a fair competitive process, applying detailed review criteria and objective review panels, foundation trustees function as stewards over the funds of the foundation. As such, while foundations seek to be fair, they may favor programs that are already known to them and/or make use of information not in the grant application. Thus:

“The keys. . . to successful foundation fundraising are knowing the interest(s) of the particular foundations you are targeting, tailoring your ideas to meet their needs, and working as closely as possible with foundation staff.” (Disability Funders Network)

For some general overall guidance:
Top 10 Ways to Make Your Foundation Proposal a Success (PDF) (UW Development Office)

Identifying Potential Foundation Support

A large proportion of the some 72,000 grantmaking foundations in the U.S., have identified education as a priority area. But within this group, most have specific education interests, such as early childhood learning, math and/or science, or special education. Many also place geographic limitations (specific state or region) on their giving, and increasing numbers do not even accept unsolicited applications. Further narrowing the pool of potential funders, relatively few support basic education research in the same way as a Spencer or William T. Grant foundation.

Even with government grants, a successful proposal usually is the result of more than one try. Although foundation grants can require even more persistence, here are some suggestions that might increase your likelihood of success:

Do your research. Identify foundations with interests, timelines, geographic scope, and award ranges that appear to match the needs of your project.
Clear plan. Before contacting a foundation, develop a clear outline of your project – i.e., a genuine need; realistic goals and objectives; specific procedures; estimated funding required; evaluation plan. Can you summarize your project in three minutes?
Practical results. Concrete results – e.g., enhancing science instruction for K-3 teachers; improving reading skills of underachieving 4th-5th graders – that can be achieved within a reasonable length of time, be readily measured, and, if appropriate, can be sustained beyond the life of the grant. Foundations prefer projects where they can “see their money at work.”
Smaller foundations. With a modest-size project you could consider smaller, less visible foundations with average grant sizes perhaps in the $20,000-$50,000 range.
If your ultimate goal is a large, comprehensive project, can you begin with a smaller preliminary project that would require less funding and have a shorter timeline to completion? Or bundle together more than one modest-size grant?
Evaluation as research. Move the research element of your proposal to the background. Create a practically oriented project, using the evaluation stage as the entry point for your research.
Look locally and regionally before nationally. A Norcliffe Foundation based in Seattle might be more open to your project (and easier to communicate with) than the Ford Foundation, for example.
Be willing to call or send an exploratory email (if welcomed) to a foundation that looks like a good match for your project, so that you can “pitch” your idea. Use their feedback to continue to modify and refine your proposal to meet their guidelines.
Often, a compelling and effective, customized letter of inquiry (LOI) will open the door for a proposal. (Note: foundations increasingly require LOIs to identify the most promising projects for which they will request a full proposal. Foundation LOIs also require a different format and approach than one submitted to a government agency such as NSF.

The College of Education subscribes to the Foundation Directory Online, providing us access to giving programs and grants awarded by some 20,000 U.S. foundations—independent, corporate, and community foundations. Keep in mind, however, that only a relatively small number of these foundations are likely to be a strong match for your specific project. If you are interested in potential sources of foundation funding, please contact Laraine Hong, ORS grants editor (lhong@u.washington.edu; 543-2238).

Some additional resources:

Foundations with Education Interests

A wide variety of foundations support a whole host of different educational issues, needs, and initiatives. Grants range from a few hundred dollars to a few million dollars.

The Office of Research Support has identified several foundations that have made education a priority. Two lists are provided for your reference:

Major Funders (PDF)
Smaller Funders (grants beginning at $5,000) (PDF)

These lists are by no means exhaustive, but should give you a good sense of what is available in different areas and at various funding levels.

Top Ten U.S. Foundations Sponsoring Education