"Site visits are part of the application (approval) process, but they're invaluable. The knowledgeable staff of Otto Bremer Trust ask intelligent q..."
"Only apply if you can demonstrate (within tight application character limits) that the process by which you've identified a community issue has ac..."
"I would suggest a thorough read-through of the information provided on their website. They have taken the time to put together a clear and easy to man..."
"They are not very responsive. Another funder suggested we contact them to see if they were interested in ideas that seemed consistent with their guid..."
"It is easy to get a meeting however, they are very specific about what they are funding. Their properties on their website did not match what they are..."
3m Foundation-
Saint Paul, MN -
17 Survey Respondents
"We have been building a relationship with 3M for several years and have had several of their leadership teams to our site for tours over that time. We..."
"Make sure you are fully grant ready before submission. This foundation is very thorough in their pre-award vetting process and wants to see clear alig..."
"I would contact the staff members at the foundation to really understand their mission (which has changed) first and then start the application proces..."
"McKnight is a well-known and popular funder so their process is competitive. You really must meet with a Program Officer before applying for the first..."
"Call and talk to the program officers at the foundation before you move forward with a grant request. They are very transparent, straight shooters who..."
"Grant is involved and could be in two parts. The first may be (depending on the grant) is to write an LOI then if you are selected as we were, a full..."
"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..."
"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..."
"Not worth spending time on - it is a closed process that remains a mystery. We received funds out of the blue and were told not to reach out for more..."
"Since The Medina Foundation understands the importance of unrestricted funds, who can write your grant to reflect all of your programs and services an..."
"I was very pleased with the response to our application. Invited in for an informal discussion regarding the project and how BoA could make a greater..."
"Catholic Community Foundation is a wonderful organization to work with. Our school was invited to participate in a marketing grant during the 2017-201..."
"If you have a solid history of operations, four years of financials and access to tracking expansive demographics, I’d apply. A three year grant des..."
"Be sure that your grant request is specifically designated to benefit women and primarily women of color. If your grant is requesting funding for a p..."
"Do not approach this foundation if you have a mission focused on POCI communities. Coming from an organization that is embedded within such communitie..."
"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..."
"The Sobrato Family Foundation is investing in some of the most important, and often overlooked, nonprofit needs. They provide office space, general su..."
"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..."
"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..."
"Build relationships with Hewlett staff, especially program staff as their contracts with the foundation dictate that they must leave after 7-8 years...."
"Andersen Corporate Foundation has well written and specific application guidelines. They are very approachable and reachable by phone, if you have add..."
"Take the time to connect with Foundation staff before submitting your application. They are very responsive and enjoy conversing about your proposed i..."
"Think twice before applying: Given the amount of time /effort required for the application and for the reporting, carefully weigh the potential grant..."
"Rigid online format requirements can be difficult to comply with. With the small grants, the time required to gather, organize and input figures, bot..."
"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..."
"Our experience with RWJF was fantastic. We received funding for a three-year project, with the project officer always available for questions and ann..."
"It is extremely competitive, and unfortunately, because the grant decisions are made by voting by the members, some causes (kids, for example) are mor..."
"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..."
"They are accessible but answers are often incomplete, their service areas are often very narrowly defined in a way that is unclear without serious dig..."
"Macarthur is a large foundation and our program officer had a large and diverse portfolio of grantees. When applying a grantee should weigh the likeli..."
"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..."
"Good luck trying to figure out what they want to fund. Even after talking to staff, their priorities are so vague, wordy, undefined and jargon-filled..."
"Our organization has received funding for projects for several years. My experience with the program manager has extremely favorable -- helpful in cl..."
"Quirky and frequently unpredictable. Many of the grants are made for specific individual donors, so there aren't consistent priorities or processe..."
"Definitely call before you send in a proposal or an LOI. Staff is helpful in this regards, and are very clear about what they will or will not fund...."
"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..."
"Atkinson Foundation is managed by Pacific Foundation Services. I reached out via email to the person managing Atkinson and got a prompt reply! She&..."
"For their New Haven grantmaking - Make sure you meet the guidelines and focus populations. Try to have organization staff develop a relationship with..."
"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..."
"My experience with program officers has been uniformly unpleasant, unlike virtually every other foundation with which I deal. Talk with development pe..."
"It is critical that grant applicants meet with foundation staff prior to a grant cycle to develop a relationship. This community foundation is remarka..."
"Longview Foundation really knows the landscape of global education, and thus has a good sense of what proposals will work in action. Take a look at t..."
"The grant proposal and reporting process is relatively lengthy, and requires enough financial reporting that this funder is best for a nonprofit with..."
"If you think you are a good fit based on their website, contact the Director of Grantmaking and tell him about what you are seeking. He will let you k..."
"This was a new funder for us, and I have been thrilled to work with them. Their expectations are clear and concise, they have a streamlined LOI and gr..."
"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..."
"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..."
"Note that program officer with whom we worked retired in 2017 - so this info is somewhat out of date. We were funded 3 times, each for $10K or less...."
"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..."
