Listed below are questions frequently asked of ICF staff regarding grantee eligibility and the Foundation's application process.
ELIGIBILITY
Q. Are we eligible for a grant from the Independence Community Foundation?
Q. How do we know which program area our project fits into?
Q. What type of organizations does the Foundation fund?
Q. What is NOT eligible for funding?
Q. Geographically, where does the Foundation fund?
Q. What is an appropriate request amount?
 APPLICATION PROCESS
Q. How do we apply?
Q. Should we address our request to a specific person?
Q. Are there any deadlines?
Q. When are grants made?
Q. How long is a grant cycle?
Q. Can we contact the Foundation to learn why our request was declined?
Q. How many times can we apply for funding?
Q. Can we apply for additional funding if we have an active grant?
ELIGIBILITY
Q. Are we eligible for a grant from the Independence Community Foundation?
A. Please visit our Eligibility Guidelines page.
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Q. How do we know which program area our project fits into?
A. This is an in-house determination made by Independence Community Foundation staff. If there is a programmatic overlap, staff will decide the most appropriate program area for your project. We strongly recommend you visit our Eligibility Guidelines page for information on our grant programs and our Grant Lookup page for examples of current and past ICF grantees.
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Q. What type of organizations does the Foundation fund?
A. All grants are awarded to 501(c)(3) organizations, or organizations with a 501(c)(3) sponsor. Please visit our Grant Lookup and Giving at a Glance pages to search our grant database for information and data regarding the Foundation’s entire giving history.
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Q. What is NOT eligible for funding?
A. We do not fund individuals, make political contributions, or provide funding for religious purposes. We also do not purchase tickets for dinners, golf outings, or similar fundraising events.
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Q. Geographically, where does the Foundation fund?
A. Click here to learn about the Foundation’s geographic giving area.
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Q. What is an appropriate request amount?
A. While there are no caps to request size, the amounts awarded by ICF are generally informed by organizational budget, project budget and amounts awarded to comparable organizations/projects. Please visit our Grant Lookup and Giving at a Glance pages to search our grant database for information and data regarding the Foundation’s entire giving history, including average grant size. Please read about our Small Grant Program if you are interested in applying for modest grants of $500 or less within our Community Quality of Life program.
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APPLICATION PROCESS
Q. How do we apply?
A. We strongly advise you to read our How to Apply page for a full description of your options for submitting a grant request. All requests to ICF, whether for initial or renewal funding, must begin with a Letter of Inquiry. Any full proposal not sent as a follow-up to an accepted Letter of Inquiry will be returned.
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Q. Should we address our request to a specific person?
A. Generally, requests made by mail are addressed to the Foundation's Executive Director. However, please review our How to Apply page for a full explanation of the grant request process.
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Q. Are there any deadlines?
A. We strongly encourage you to visit our How to Apply page for a full description of our grant request and review process.
The Foundation accepts letters of inquiry during the year’s first and third quarters (January 1 – March 31 and July 1 – September 30). Letters of inquiry postmarked outside of these dates will be returned to the applying organizations. There are no deadlines for our Small Grant Program.
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Q. When are grants made?
A. We strongly encourage you to visit our How to Apply page for a full description of our grant request and review process.
Responses to Letters of Inquiry usually occur within 4-6 weeks of receipt. Only those organizations that have received a positive, written response to a letter of inquiry may submit a grant proposal. Full proposals are reviewed year-round and grants are paid quarterly. Typically, a site visit is part of ICF’s review process. A final determination may be expected within ten weeks of receipt of a complete grant proposal.
Grants greater than $50,000 require the approval of the Independence Community Foundation Board of Directors, who meet quarterly in March, June, September, and December. As such, decisions on these grants may take longer than ten weeks.
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Q. How long is a grant cycle?
A. Grants are made for one year (a 12-month period). Occasionally, ICF awards multi-year grants, usually for large-scale capital projects.
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Q. Can we contact the Foundation to learn why our request was declined? A. You may contact our program staff if you receive a declination letter and we will answer your inquiry.
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Q. How many times can we apply for funding?
A. There are no restrictions on how many times an organization can apply to the Foundation for funding. Generally, our position has been to accept one request per grant period. Grantees whose grants have just ended, and organizations that receive a site visit but are not selected for funding, must wait one year before reapplying.
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Q. Can we apply for additional funding if we have an active grant?
A. Generally, no. We provide funding to grantees once per year (12-month period). To request emergency funds, current grantees should contact their program officer.
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