APPLY FOR A GRANT

How to Apply

The Foundation's competitive grant program has one grant round per year.

A conference call was held on (December 30, 2009 at 10am) to share information about the various funding opportunities and to answer any questions. Please click here to view a pdf of the powerpoint presentation.

Please note the below procedural change for grant requests of $1,000 or less. We now also encourage electronic submission for all requests by the deadlines indicated to our email address: wcf@whatcomcf.org. Please send an email authorization from either your Executive Director or Board Officer using your organization's official email in lieu of an original signature. If sending electronically Please send only 1 copy of LOI cover sheet and LOI.

We welcome your interest in the Whatcom Community Foundation, and we encourage you to read carefully our mission and operating principles.

Whatcom Community Foundation Grant Application Process

(As of November 1, 2007)
Whatcom Community Foundation (the Foundation) is a nonprofit, publicly-supported philanthropic institution that manages a pool of charitable funds whose income is used to meet the changing needs of the greater Whatcom County community. The Foundation serves as a funding partner to area nonprofits that engage in community-building projects in Whatcom County.

Competitive Grant Procedure for Requests of $1,000 or less

• Please submit Letter of Interest (LOI), two page maximum with same deadline as all other competitive grant requests. The LOI should include your organization's mission, details of the project, and a brief description of how the proposal will further the Foundation's grant critera. A full application is not required for these requests. These awards will be annouced in late March or early April.

• Attachments: LOI Cover Sheet, Project Budget, IRS 501c3 Letter of Determination and Fiscal Sponsorship Agreement (if applicable)

Competitive Grant Procedure for Requests over $1,000

The Foundation has developed the following procedures to help streamline the application process. Please review the attached Letter of Interest (LOI) cover sheet form. Read and carefully follow the instructions; incomplete LOIs or full applications cannot be considered.

#1. Submit a Letter of Interest using the Foundation's form and appropriate attachments due at the Foundation office by 4:30pm January 15. (Click here to view and print the LOI cover sheet form.) If submitting electronically, please send only 1 copy of cover sheet and LOI.

The LOI should:

• Include the completed cover page
  
• Not to exceed one page (excluding the cover page) which includes your organization's mission, details of the project or proposal for which you are seeking funding and a brief description of how the proposal will further the Foundation's grant criteria

#2. LOI's will be reviewed by the WCF Grants and Program committee

• By the first week of February, applicants will be notified about whether they have been selected to submit a full grant application
  
• Full applications will be provided to the selected applicants

#3. Full Applications are due at the Foundation office by 4:30pm March 5, (the first Friday of March)

• Applications will be reviewed
  
• Applicants will be notified whether they have been selected for further review and scheduled for interviews or site visits

#4. In April, applicants will be notified of grant awards or denials

#5. Grant Award organizations will participate in a recognition and awards event

Whatcom Community Foundation invites Whatcom County Non Profits to submit Letters of Interest for the 2010 competitive grant round, including two special funding opportunities

As the entire planet is aware, the financial markets wreaked havoc on investments of individuals and organizations alike over the last year. The Whatcom Community Foundation (Foundation) is thrilled to have funds available to grant through our competitive process thanks to two funding opportunities and many individual donors matching those grant awards. We continue to fundraise for the coming year, so please visit the Foundation’s website regularly to monitor any updates.

The Foundation is grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Healthy Eating, Active Living Convergence Partnership for this year’s competitive grant round funding.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Grant Initiative - $63,750
The Gates Foundation is working with ten community foundations throughout Washington State to increase local assistance for families facing economic challenges and other setbacks as a result of the recession. This pool of funds will support organizations working to:

• Increase access to existing public benefits,

• Prevent and reduce violence in Whatcom County,

• Strengthen communities and build strong families, and  

• Strengthen food distribution systems and fight hunger.

The Healthy Eating, Active Living Convergence Partnership Grant and the “Well Whatcom” Field of Interest Fund Initiative - $35,000
The Healthy Eating, Active Living Convergence Partnership is a consortium of funders who have come together with the shared goal of changing policies and environments to better achieve the vision of healthy people living in healthy places. Funders include The California Endowment, Kaiser Permanente, Kresge Foundation, Nemours, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention serve as technical advisors to the Partnership. 
Well Whatcom Fund – The Foundation is confident that by employing a variety of creative strategies the community can make meaningful progress toward the goal of individual and community wellness. Nonetheless, ongoing efforts will always be required. To that end, the Foundation has established the Well Whatcom Fund, a field of interest fund, to support ongoing Healthy People, Healthy Places work in the community.

Primary Care Health Innovation - $7,800
Thanks to a generous donation from Mount Baker Imaging, the MBI Health Innovation Fund supports bold, creative work in the field of primary healthcare delivery and innovation in Whatcom County.

Respite Care - $5000
Assistance for caregivers, including but not limited to hospice care, adult and child daycare for persons with developmental or physical handicaps, senior center programs, assistance dog programs, and other programs that provide caretakers support and/or a respite.

Other Fields of Interest - $31,875
Proposals in all others areas.

As additional funds become available, including those for other fields of interest, this information will be updated.

Note:  Please refer to the Foundation’s Grant Policies and Principles when applying for these grants. 

Whatcom Community Foundation 2010 Competitive Grant Round Funding & Fields of Interest