St Paul, MN
30 Survey Respondents
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Hard to understand what they want to fund, while they say something new, not sure how they define new and initiative....
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Wilmington, DE
27 Survey Respondents
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The Kendeda Fund is an exemplary funder. Accessible, flexible and generous. We had a great field tour with several Kendeda Fund members, and this hel...
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Saint Paul, MN
23 Survey Respondents
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I reached out to the program officer to talk to her about our work. Keep in mind that we are a fiscally sponsored project and fully disclosed that bef...
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Palo Alto, CA
23 Survey Respondents
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Peery was accessible and professional even though there was not a fit the first time around. Their intake call system is personal, respectful, and qui...
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Los Angeles, CA
22 Survey Respondents
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Request a meeting with a program officer. Come prepared with a brief letter summarizing your request. If you don't get a meeting right away, it is...
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Santa Monica, CA
21 Survey Respondents
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We were fortunate to receive funding as a Springboard recipient. Their support continued over the next 10 years where they still serve as my "gu...
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Las Vegas, NV
19 Survey Respondents
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Great foundation and easy to work with....
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Washington, DC
19 Survey Respondents
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It's probably best to have a quick call before you apply - we were introduced to someone here so I don't know whether they would accept a cold...
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Saint Paul, MN
16 Survey Respondents
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3M has been a wonderful longtime partner. Start by building a relationship within the company....
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Grand Rapids, MN
16 Survey Respondents
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They're really accessible on a personal level - reach out even informally to a grants officer to start a conversation. They were up-front and hone...
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Fairfield, CA
13 Survey Respondents
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The process for applying for funding through this foundation is fairly simple. Make sure you meet the qualifications, completely fill out the applicat...
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Minneapolis, MN
12 Survey Respondents
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If there seems to be a fit, reach out to them. I have found the team I work with, and one program officer in particular, to be extremely helpful and f...
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Philadelphia, PA
12 Survey Respondents
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Ask for a meeting with the funder to make sure the request of your organization aligns with Fel's priority areas. Fels leadership is extremely ap...
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Los Angeles, CA
12 Survey Respondents
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Staff is very helpful. Offered suggestions for improving proposal and recommended actions going forward....
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Minneapolis, MN
11 Survey Respondents
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Call before you apply. It saved us a lot of time to have them tell us not to bother applying....
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Berkeley, CA
11 Survey Respondents
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This is a very transparent funder looking to fund seed stage projects. They have a very warm, but often very overworked, staff and their staff has lim...
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Mountain View, CA
11 Survey Respondents
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So much of the dollars out of the Foundation are in Donor-Advised Funds. Hard to qualify for the tightly worded RFP for the open rounds of grants they...
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San Diego, CA
10 Survey Respondents
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I work with a grant-making organization that made a grant to JCNI that was to be used for a particular purpose, within a particular time frame, and th...
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San Francisco, CA
10 Survey Respondents
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We were invited to apply in 2016 and 2017, and I still don't have a clue why. Spent a lot of time on the application both years, for zero feedback...
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Vancouver, WA
10 Survey Respondents
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This was the most laborious grant application I ever had to write. We had to jump through many hoops, had an extensive in-person visit, and then were...
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Seattle, WA
10 Survey Respondents
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Since The Medina Foundation understands the importance of unrestricted funds, who can write your grant to reflect all of your programs and services an...
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Seattle, WA
9 Survey Respondents
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My comments are focused on their work in GLOBAL HEALTH.
Don't bother applying unless you are an academic, and one in their already vetted commu...
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Augusta, ME
9 Survey Respondents
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I have always had a call prior to applying. It was very helpful....
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Los Angeles, CA
9 Survey Respondents
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They are wonderful to work with and easy to schedule time with...
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Saint Paul, MN
9 Survey Respondents
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Mission priorities are clear and the application process is thorough but easily followed - just be sure to allow time. As with all grantors, it's...
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Hilton Head, SC
8 Survey Respondents
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Be sure you understand the gaps in service provision that exists in the community for which your project plans to address. Have clear goals and objec...
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Bayport, MN
8 Survey Respondents
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The Philanthropy Director at Hugh J. Andersen Foundation is extremely helpful, accessible, and straight-forward; you will know, after a quick phone ca...
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Eden Prairie, MN
8 Survey Respondents
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This is a completely inaccessible foundation. There website says you can contact them but the bounce back says they don't accept unsolicited prop...
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San Francisco, CA
8 Survey Respondents
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What a mess. They'd never put up with an agency they fund treating its own clients this way. A confusing process, a confusing website, a hideous n...
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Cupertino, CA
8 Survey Respondents
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The Sobrato Family Foundation is investing in some of the most important, and often overlooked, nonprofit needs. They provide office space, general su...
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Milwaukee, WI
8 Survey Respondents
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As a corporation funding from its headquarters, it is important to have the local branch manager knowledgeable on your organization and aware of the g...
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Bentonville, AR
8 Survey Respondents
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I was surprised to find out that if you are funded by a United Way organization, you are not eligible to apply for a Wal-Mart Foundation grant. This...
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Menlo Park, CA
8 Survey Respondents
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Build relationships with Hewlett staff, especially program staff as their contracts with the foundation dictate that they must leave after 7-8 years....
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Los Angeles, CA
7 Survey Respondents
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I wasn't with the organization when the relationship started, but from my understanding, one of the inroads was one of our employees speaking at a...
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Los Altos, CA
7 Survey Respondents
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Very supportive organization and staff. Easy to work with. Truly try to ensure your success with your project....
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Saint Paul, MN
7 Survey Respondents
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The application process was clear, and we had a delightful visit with the program officer to share some more information about our project. He was tho...
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Beverly Hills, CA
7 Survey Respondents
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Looking to fund capital requests...
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Tustin, CA
7 Survey Respondents
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The Executive Director is so sweet and tries to help in anyway she can. She makes the entire process enjoyable....
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Seattle, WA
7 Survey Respondents
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It is extremely competitive, and unfortunately, because the grant decisions are made by voting by the members, some causes (kids, for example) are mor...
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St Paul, MN
6 Survey Respondents
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This foundation is very forward-thinking in their approach and focus areas. They are intentional about removing the power dynamics with their grantees...
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San Francisco, CA
6 Survey Respondents
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Staff are very responsive to inquiries and website with guidelines is up to date. I would recommend asking for a phone call with a staff member before...
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Monterey, CA
6 Survey Respondents
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They have a capacity building program that might be good for some nonprofits, but it's very one-size-fits-all. And there's an unwritten rule t...
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Minneapolis, MN
6 Survey Respondents
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The Community Innovation Grant is exactly that--an opportunity to try out something new. So go ahead: think outside the box....
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Minneapolis, MN
6 Survey Respondents
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They are difficult to reach. We got an email response back about 4 days before the proposal deadline....
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Fridley, MN
6 Survey Respondents
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Work to engage the employees at the foundation, they are wonderful to work with and great partners! They prefer to focus on projects with significant...
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Saint Paul, MN
6 Survey Respondents
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I have found the program officers with whom I've worked to be straight-forward, transparent, and very knowledgeable. I realize they don't have...
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Oakland, CA
6 Survey Respondents
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Quirky and frequently unpredictable. Many of the grants are made for specific individual donors, so there aren't consistent priorities or processe...
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Minneapolis, MN
6 Survey Respondents
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Working with the Pohlad Family Foundation has been an amazing and rewarding experience. The director is a visionary leader who really listens. Go in w...
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Seattle, WA
6 Survey Respondents
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The staff at Satterberg are very responsive and helpful, and they really want organizations to succeed. They ask great questions, and are open to hear...
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St Paul, MN
6 Survey Respondents
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Securian is pretty straight-forward. They are responsive if you call or email. Grants are smaller, but it's not an onerous process....
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San Francisco, CA
6 Survey Respondents
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Tipping Point is great in theory, backed by a lot of influential/wealthy funders. For a trusted colleague however, I would tell them to proceed with c...
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Napa, CA
5 Survey Respondents
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It is a good idea to contact their program officers first to confirm you application matches their priority areas. The staff is very responsive and...
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Duluth, MN
5 Survey Respondents
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The DSACF is very approachable so I would recommend a call to chat about your project proposal....
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Gilroy, CA
5 Survey Respondents
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Know that you are going to interact with a great organization....
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Milwaukee, WI
5 Survey Respondents
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It is critical that grant applicants meet with foundation staff prior to a grant cycle to develop a relationship. This community foundation is remarka...
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Minnetonka, MN
5 Survey Respondents
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The Medica Foundation usually has a workshop to discuss all of their grant opportunities and they are very helpful. They will take a phone call and ar...
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Saint Paul, MN
5 Survey Respondents
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The program officers are very knowledgeable, and keep the trustees interest in mind at all times. Getting to know the interests of the trustees throug...
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Chicago, IL
5 Survey Respondents
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It's best to have a preliminary phone conversation to describe your need for the funding request and to see if your project is an area that they a...
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Minneapolis, MN
5 Survey Respondents
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Call and have a conversation with the Foundation manager. She is very willing to help....
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Princeton, NJ
5 Survey Respondents
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RWJF had a frustratingly complex and overly bureaucratic process. I did not prepare or negotiate the proposal but had to execute and report on it whi...
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Menlo Park, CA
5 Survey Respondents
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The staff is very responsive and open to phone and in-person meetings...
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Los Angeles, CA
5 Survey Respondents
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I got the feeling that they wanted to be seen as part of a funding group so they gave us a small grant as a way of staying in with the big funders in...
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San Francisco, CA
5 Survey Respondents
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Their on-line application is very straight forward. I like that they give you a word count rather than a character count. And, they give you enough w...
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