When it comes to foundation work, a great deal of it happens behind closed doors. In this blog post, we seek to be open and transparent about The Presser Foundation’s internal grant application and review process.
For this post, we will be referring to a grant given from one of the Foundation’s regional grantmaking areas – Advancement of Music, Capital Support, and Special Projects.
The Journey of the Grant
- Staff keep an eye on the grants submitted by the grant deadline (September 15 for Special Projects; November 15 for Advancement of Music; and February 1 for Capital Support).
- Once all grants are submitted, the deadline has passed, and we’ve accounted for any delayed applications, then we begin the review of each application.
- After reviewing each application and considering the program’s specific budget, staff then decide on a preliminary recommendation.
- Staff meet with the Chair of the Committee to discuss the applications and preliminary recommendations. The Chair makes suggestions as needed. Then, the staff and the Chair are prepared to present the recommendations to the respective Committee.
- Staff distributes grant applications and summaries to each Committee member, which are reviewed at the Committee meeting. Committee members ask questions about the organizations that apply, the organization’s programming, the proposed grant amount, the budget, and more. The Committee then finalizes their recommendations. Staff make any requested edits, prepare the final recommendations, and send the information to the full Board.
- At the Board meeting, the Committee Chair presents the Committee’s recommendations to the Board. Board members can ask clarifying questions or share thoughts about an organization. Then, Board members vote to approve or deny the recommendations (noting that Board members who have Conflicts of Interest abstain from voting).
- Staff then communicate with applicants about the decisions made, and begin the process of collecting banking information from approved applicants.
That’s an application’s journey – what is ingrained throughout the process is the aspect of timing. The grantmaking area, its size, and its complexity affects the length of time it takes staff and each Committee to review applications, compile information, and submit recommendations.
For example, the Special Projects grantmaking area is one of the Foundation’s smaller grantmaking areas. That is reflected in the application deadline and subsequent meetings – the application is due on September 15. After staff review and discussion with the Chair, the Committee meets in late September. After meeting with the Committee, the final recommendations are sent to the full Board prior to the October 20 meeting, and voted on at that meeting. All told, it takes about a month and a half to accept, review, and approve applications, and notify all applicants for Special Projects. As one of the smallest grantmaking areas and one that doesn’t typically have site visits, it is the quickest turnaround from submission to notification.
The next regional grantmaking area is the largest – Advancement of Music. In 2021-22, more than 100 organizations submitted applications for Advancement of Music. The application deadline is November 15, and the Committee reviews the applications in mid-January. The time in between the application and Committee meeting is lengthy – between holiday breaks and the number of applications to review and synthesize, it takes staff a large amount of time to compile the information needed and send that information to the Committee. As similar to above, once the Committee meets and finalizes its recommendations, they are sent to the Board for final approval at the mid-February Board meeting. Once the recommendations are finalized, staff prep the sending of notifications to approved and denied applicants.
The final regional grantmaking area of the fiscal year is Capital Support. Applications for this grantmaking area are due February 1, and the Committee meets in mid-April. While this is an extended amount of time, organizations who are requesting support for a large construction or renovation project receive a site visit. These site visits help staff and Committee members better understand the totality and impact of the funds being requested. They also take time, and coordinating schedules is not always straightforward. These site visits occur from February to March, and only after are notes from the visit compiled and sent to Committee members for review does the Committee meet to finalize recommendations to send to the Board for its April meeting. And then, staff send notifications.
We hope these details provide understanding about the journey of the grant application. Various factors play a role that affect the timing of notification after submission; we do our best to remain as communicative and open about the process as possible.
If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to reach out to Abby Rolland at arolland@presserfoundation.org.
