Grants FAQ

How do I apply for a grant?

The first step would be to read through our guidelines and application to make sure you are eligible to receive a grant. If you read through these materials and wish to proceed you must fill out a complete application online and submit it electronically. Applications are due before 5 p.m. on February 1st or October 1st for nonprofit organizations and August 1st for local school districts after school funding applications. The link to the online application, instructions and guidelines can be found here. The Foundation’s Grants Committee reviews all the applications and makes their recommendations on awards to the Board of Directors. Once the Board of Directors has accepted the recommendations the staff will notify you of their decision.

How do I know if I’m eligible for a grant?

To be eligible for a grant you must be a charitable organization (i.e. 501c3, 501c9, school district, city, or other charitable entity). The Grants Committee is more likely to make awards for projects that fall within our Guiding Document “Giving Priorities” so it would be in the best interest of your organization to closely tie your projects to one or more of these areas of interest. All grant funded projects must be for public benefit, and not restricted by membership or payment.

What are the deadlines for Grants?

The deadline for all grant materials is no later than 5 p.m. on February 1st or October 1st for nonprofit organizations and August 1st for local school districts after school funding applications. We do not accept late applications.

What is the turnaround time on a Grant Application?

The turnaround time on Grant Application submissions is fairly quick. The Grants Committee first reviews all requests and makes a recommendation to the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors meets every month. Maximum turnaround time would be 6 weeks, most of the time it is much shorter.

What can I use the Grant Funding for?

Grant Funding can be used to cover gaps in other funding sources, continue or expand a successful program, purchase equipment or upgrade infrastructure and much more. If you are uncertain whether your need can be funded by a Grays Harbor Community Foundation Grant, please feel free to contact our office at info@gh-cf.org or 360-532-1600.

I received a Grant Award-what do I have to do now?

Once you are approved, you will receive a grant agreement form that will need to be signed and returned to the Foundation before funding will be dispersed. You will also need to complete a final project report or update if your project is not yet completed, within 6 months of your award date through our e-grant system in order to receive funding in the future.

What is the minimum/maximum I can request?

The Foundation typically reviews Community Building Grant requests between $5,000 and $30,000. However, any requests outside of that range can be discussed with the our office prior to submittal to ensure they are reasonable. Sometimes smaller requests can be accomplished through other avenues and larger requests may need additional information to be considered. Contact us at info@gh-cf.org or 360-532-1600.

My nonprofit has an emergency funding need, what should I do?

Although under normal circumstances the Grays Harbor Community Foundation only entertains requests for funding through our Community Building Grants cycle(s) there are exceptions to every rule. If you feel your organization has an emergency funding need that cannot wait until the next Grants cycle please contact our office for further discussion.

I want to start my own Nonprofit, what are the first steps?

Please contact the Grays Harbor Community Foundation office and speak with our office. We have many contacts and resources that may be offered which are specific to particular mission and processes.

If I applied for a Grant recently and was denied, can I apply again?

Yes! Most of the grant applications denied by the Grants Committee are not funded not because they don’t believe in the organization or the project or program they are seeking funding for, but the proposal is simply underdeveloped. Our office will be more than happy to work with you and your team on improving the proposal if you wish to resubmit, or even if you do not. We can meet with you to provide feedback from the Grants Committee, offer suggestions on ways to further develop your application so as to satisfy whatever concerns the committee may have had. However, if the reason the application was denied was a lack of fit with our “Giving Priorities” reapplying may prove unsuccessful.

How often can I apply for a Grant?

An organization is welcome to apply for funding for projects or programs once annually. If you are planning on applying for the same project or program on an annual basis, our current policy states that we are more likely to consider applications from organizations for the same project once every three years to avoid being a consistent part of the budget of any one project or program.