What was the overall relationship with the funder?
How many hours did the grant application process take?
8 hours
Median
93%
7%
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
92%
8%
How successfully do you think the funder is accomplishing its current philanthropic goals?
Important Information
2017 Deadlines:
Types of Grants Awarded:
Geographic Focus:
Interests/Priorities
Key Personnel
Financial Summary
For Fiscal Year
Total Assets:
Total Grants:
Change in Assets FY :
Amount of Grants to Minnesota Nonprofits:
Sample Grants to Minnesota Nonprofits in
Largest Grant:
Smallest Grant:
Average Grant:
Top descriptors for this funder
60Culturally sensitive55Responsive50Positive leader in the field42Friendly41"Gets" nonprofits and issues40Builds relationships33Openminded26Gives more than money26Insightful20Risk taker11Likes site visits1Bureaucratic
Advice from a Friend
Nellie Mae Education Foundation
Jun 16, 2020
Grant Applicant - applied in 2020
You want to be concise in providing your program summary; 2500 characters demands powerful writing.
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Current or former grantee
If you were funded, tell us the outcome
Other
What year was this experience?
2020
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Good
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its current philanthropic goals?
Good
Enter funding details
Unknown as of yet.
How many hours did the grant application process take?
6
May 12, 2020
Grant Applicant - applied in 2020
The staff of the Foundation are very responsive to request and inquiries of potential grantees. The RFP process is very user friendly and easy to navigate.
Pros
Positive leader in the field, Culturally sensitive, Insightful, Friendly, Responsive
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Grant currently pending
If you were funded, tell us the outcome
Other
What year was this experience?
2020
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Good
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its current philanthropic goals?
Good
This funders intentional focus on equity, specifically racial equity, is noteworthy. It is supportive of work that is not typically funded by traditional philanthropic organizations.
Enter funding details
Not applicable
How many hours did the grant application process take?
24
Apr 29, 2020
Grant Applicant - applied in 2020
The team seems very approachable and helpful, though I'll say the webinar did not add much value outside of the information already in the RFP. Some of the budget questions were confusing and it was difficult to tell how they wanted demographic information presented (# or %).
Pros
Culturally sensitive, Friendly, "Gets" nonprofits and issues, Responsive
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Grant currently pending
If you were funded, tell us the outcome
What year was this experience?
2020
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Good
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its current philanthropic goals?
Good
How many hours did the grant application process take?
5
Apr 17, 2020
Grant Applicant - applied in 2020
Think carefully about what additional documents you want to include in order to really convey the spirit and mission of your organization and how it aligns with the requirements in the RFP.
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Grant currently pending
If you were funded, tell us the outcome
What year was this experience?
2020
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Good
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its current philanthropic goals?
Good
Tell us one thing that this funder does really well
Really grateful that this is for operational funds and that it is multi-year. It frees grantees up to do their important community work without constantly worrying about funding.
How many hours did the grant application process take?
6
Apr 16, 2020
Grant Applicant - applied in 2020
The RFP is pretty vague as far as programming elements. It’s important to understand what your organization has in common before writing a grant
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Applied and not funded
If you were funded, tell us the outcome
Other
What year was this experience?
2020
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Good
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its current philanthropic goals?
Good
If you had one piece of advice to give to this funder (about grantmaking or anything else), what would it be?
Help reach communities/populations that fly under the radar!
Tell us one thing that this funder does really well
Funds important programs
How many hours did the grant application process take?
10 to 15 hours
Apr 16, 2020
Reviewer 8930 -
Grant Applicant - applied in 2020
It was great working with this funder. They provided an easy to join and readily accessible webinar and slides, offered time to set up a call and were available to us for more time than was originally scheduled and enjoyable to speak with. All in all a great experience.
Pros
Positive leader in the field, Culturally sensitive, Friendly, Builds relationships, "Gets" nonprofits and issues, Responsive
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Grant currently pending
If you were funded, tell us the outcome
What year was this experience?
2020
If you had one piece of advice to give to this funder (about grantmaking or anything else), what would it be?
The one issue I had with the application is that the drop down lists for the communities we serve did not have a complete list of all the cities and towns in Maine.
Is there anything else that'd be useful for others to know to understand this funder?
Not that I can think of.
Tell us more, if you'd like
Given their target of youth leadership, I am incredibly impressed at their approach in making the distinction between youth targeting organizations (where youth leadership is SO very often tokenized) and truly youth empowering projects. I find that most funders don't understand the distinction and it's been incredibly frustrating for us to find a fund that seems to really be in sync with our goals!
I had no problems with accessibility.
Tell us one thing that this funder does really well
I am profoundly impressed by their deep understanding of youth leadership work.
How many hours did the grant application process take?
5
Would you like to share your experiences about this funder?
