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
26 Survey Respondents
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It is a bit of a formidable grant application but I think that's reasonable given the size of the grants. Although everything is online (applicati...
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Palo Alto, CA
24 Survey Respondents
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I highly recommend partnering with the Peery Foundation. They are true thought partners in the work, are transparent about what they are and are not w...
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Los Angeles, CA
23 Survey Respondents
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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...
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Minneapolis, MN
22 Survey Respondents
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It is important to have a relationship with you local community representative and have Board representation. Relationships go a long way, but always...
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Las Vegas, NV
21 Survey Respondents
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I credit this funder for having a straightforward grant application process, as simple as filling in the form and emailing it with the requested budge...
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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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Washington, DC
21 Survey Respondents
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This worked well because 1) We were introduced to ORA and 2) We had extensive discussions with them about whether or not we would meet their criteria....
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Grand Rapids, MN
17 Survey Respondents
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An excellent resource for Itasca County-area nonprofits. For nonprofits outside that region, the guidelines and funding priorities are more restrictiv...
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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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Philadelphia, PA
16 Survey Respondents
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I would contact the staff members at the foundation to really understand their mission (which has changed) first and then start the application proces...
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Fairfield, CA
15 Survey Respondents
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Follow the guidelines and you should be fine!...
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Rock Island, IL
14 Survey Respondents
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Get to know the organization before you apply....
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Vancouver, WA
14 Survey Respondents
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They like being told well in advance about potential projects and will not fund anything long-term. They want grantees to become self-sufficient...
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Minneapolis, MN
13 Survey Respondents
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Get to know their programming areas and be prepared to demonstrate your relationships with other organizations they partner with. Reach out to the ap...
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Berkeley, CA
12 Survey Respondents
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Read their requirements first to see if you are a good fit....
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Mountain View, CA
12 Survey Respondents
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They like to claim they're the biggest foundation in the US, and they're committed to addressing issues like the affordable housing crisis, bu...
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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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Seattle, WA
11 Survey Respondents
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I just don't think it is right to exploit nonprofits leaders that plan to help their homes countries....
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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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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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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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Charlotte, NC
9 Survey Respondents
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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...
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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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Minnesota, MN
9 Survey Respondents
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Catholic Community Foundation is a wonderful organization to work with. Our school was invited to participate in a marketing grant during the 2017-201...
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Saint Paul, MN
9 Survey Respondents
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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...
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Getzville, NY
9 Survey Respondents
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The Tower Foundation is the only organization in the space that allows Executive Directors with learning disabilities to submit year-end-reports verba...
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San Francisco, CA
9 Survey Respondents
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Try and find someone to talk to there who can be a champion for you. Otherwise, it's pretty futile. Our program officer left, and we have not been...
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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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Los Angeles, CA
8 Survey Respondents
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Take the time to get to know their programs where your work matches, and to plan on several conversations with the staff there....
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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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Los Altos, CA
8 Survey Respondents
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I've had really positive experiences with all of the program officers I've worked with there (three for three different grants). They take a d...
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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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Minneapolis, MN
8 Survey Respondents
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Search the Pohlad Foundation website for the vast array of research and resources available....
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Minneapolis, MN
8 Survey Respondents
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Request feedback on whether your idea is good fit before you submit application....
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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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St Paul, MN
7 Survey Respondents
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Take the time to connect with Foundation staff before submitting your application. They are very responsive and enjoy conversing about your proposed i...
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Monterey, CA
7 Survey Respondents
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Think twice before applying: Given the amount of time /effort required for the application and for the reporting, carefully weigh the potential grant...
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New York, NY
7 Survey Respondents
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As long as you're aligned on the mission and can deliver the goods, Heron is about the easiest foundation to work with. Reporting requirements are...
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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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Saint Paul, MN
7 Survey Respondents
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Definitely need to have an 'in' at this foundation....
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Seattle, WA
7 Survey Respondents
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I want to love Satterberg Foundation. However, I've tried multiple times over the last 2 years, on behalf of client organizations who have been fu...
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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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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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Duluth, MN
6 Survey Respondents
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Be prepared to be frustrated by their online portal's functionality. Also consider the amount of writing and reporting versus the amount of the a...
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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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Minnetonka, MN
6 Survey Respondents
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The LOI is more like a full proposal. Definitely more work than your usual two pager format...
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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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Portland, OR
6 Survey Respondents
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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...
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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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Rock Island, IL
6 Survey Respondents
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Be sure to read the grant application and know what the foundation is requesting....
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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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Owings Mills, MD
6 Survey Respondents
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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....
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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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Richfield, MN
5 Survey Respondents
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A lot of work to put the application together, and they ask for a lot of financial details...
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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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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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Washington, DC
5 Survey Respondents
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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...
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Washington, DC
5 Survey Respondents
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The grant proposal and reporting process is relatively lengthy, and requires enough financial reporting that this funder is best for a nonprofit with...
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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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