ORCHARD FOUNDATION APPLICATION GUIDELINES: (Current for 2009) PLEASE READ CAREFULLY: DEADLINES & APPLICATION PROCEDURES HAVE CHANGED Types of Support: Generally the foundation makes only restricted grants, favoring requests supporting specific projects and programs. The foundation will (very) occasionally provide seed money, operating support, and start-up capital to smaller organizations. An average one-year grant ranges from $5,000 to $20,000. Requests for multi-year grants are considered and encouraged from previous grant recipients. Geographical Limitations: The foundation funds in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont (and very infrequently in Connecticut and Rhode Island). Program Limitations: Grants are not made to individuals, or for endowments, annual or capital campaigns, museums, religious programs, any religion-affiliated organization, conference participation/travel unrelated to current foundation grant, scholarships, fellowships, building projects, equipment needs, or film and video projects. Loans are not made. Please see Program Area Guidelines (also available from the foundation) for further program limitations specific to the individual program areas. Application Process: Please email a one-page Concept Letter describing your organization and its history, your project title, goal, means for accomplishing goal, and expected result. You can assume that the foundation is generally familiar with the subject areas that it funds and need not provide general background into the problem. Please include three figures: the total organization budget, the total project budget and the amount requested from the foundation. Please check that the letter includes a contact name, address, phone number, email address, organizational web site address, and EIN number. Previously funded organizations must also submit a Concept Letter for new or continuing projects. Concept Letter Deadline: Concept Letters must be emailed by October 15th, 2009. Please do not expect a response to your Concept Letter until several weeks after the deadline. The following Concept Letter deadline is October 15th, 2010. This letter MUST be submitted via email to orchard@maine.rr.com , either as a Word attachment, or a PDF document. If a Proposal is Invited: Should the foundation be interested, a proposal (with supplemental material) will be needed. Deadlines will be given when a proposal is requested. The proposal must include a problem statement (however, see above about assuming our general familiarity with the problems in the areas the foundation funds), the goals of the project, a plan of action, the qualifications of the organization to fulfill the plan and a method of evaluation. Please include the three top measurable results that your organization expects to accomplish if it receives a grant. This section should be no longer than four pages. Supplemental materials needed are a one-page project budget and a one-page operating budget. If available at your website please include a letter with direct web links to a board member list, a copy of the last annual financial statement, an annual report, and a list of foundation and corporate supporters for current and most recent fiscal years. If any of these are NOT available at your website, please send with the proposal and budgets. All materials MUST be submitted via email to orchard@maine.rr.com either as a Word attachment, a PDF document, or an Excel attachment. Application Restrictions: Grantees receiving one year support must wait until after the foundation receives the grantee’s project report (see below) before submitting another Concept Letter. This requirement allows foundation board members to carefully evaluate the results of their grantmaking before considering further grants. Please note that the foundation does not accept any unsolicited grant proposals. Due to limited funds, an invitation to submit a proposal does not imply that a grant will be forthcoming. Reporting Requirements: Funded organizations must submit via email to orchard@maine.rr.com a two-page narrative project assessment and a financial report within twelve months of the grant start date. The report deadline will be given when a project is funded. Grantees will be expected to report back on the three measurable goals listed in the proposal. Mailing Guidelines: Please send all material via email to orchard@maine.rr.com. Do not mail videos, CDs, DVDs, or cassettes. PLEASE READ! A few final notes: a part-time Executive Director staffs the office. Therefore, please assume an answering machine will answer your phone call; be prepared to leave a message. Better yet, send an email. If you are not sure whether your project fits within our guidelines, feel free to call or send an email with your question. While the foundation office is closed for most of June, July and August, we do check our phone and email messages from time to time, so we will eventually get to your queries. And finally, please be aware that the foundation guidelines can change so if you are reading a printed copy of these guidelines, please check the web site for updated information before sending in any material! Executive Director Orchard Foundation P.O. Box 2587 So. Portland, ME 04116 Phone: (207) 799-0686 orchard@maine.rr.com www.orchardfoundation.org The Orchard Foundation is a member of the Association of Small Foundations, the Environmental Grantmakers Association, and the Maine Philanthropy Center. Printed Program Areas Guidelines (current for 2009) are also available. Click here to return to the home page: Home |