Application Process
The Powell Foundation has two grant cycles each year, Spring and Fall.
Pre-Application
(Previously called “letters of interest” or LOIs)
Organizations interested in applying for a Powell Foundation grant must first submit an online pre-application form. A pre-application is a brief summary of the funding request, the challenges the program or project seeks to address, and how the organization is positioned to address those challenges. The pre-application helps our team evaluate your organization’s eligibility as well as fit with our mission, geographic focus, and priorities.
All applicants must complete the pre-application, including current grantees of the Foundation. Current grantees will be notified when they are eligible to submit a pre-application based on the timing of their last grant.
New organizations may submit a pre-application at any time. Pre-application requests for new organizations will remain in review through the delineated pre-application deadlines. Pre-applications received by the November deadline will be considered for the Spring cycle. Pre-applications received by the May deadline will be considered for the Fall cycle.
CYCLE
PRE-APPLICATION DEADLINE
Spring
November 30
Fall
May 31
Organizations will be notified (via email) of the status of their pre-application by early January for the Spring cycle and by early July for the Fall cycle. The Powell Foundation will make the decision to advance, defer, or decline.
Application
If the pre-application is advanced, your organization will be invited to submit a full application via the Powell Foundation’s online Grant Portal.
Organizations will have the opportunity to describe the proposed body of work in more breadth and depth, share details about the intended outcomes of the work, and provide an overview of the organization and its impact. Applicants will be notified of the application deadline and will have approximately one month to submit the full grant proposal. A Powell Foundation staff member will review each request and conduct necessary diligence, which may include requests for conversations, site visits and other opportunities to understand the organization, its mission, and impact. Due to the volume of requests the Powell Foundation receives, the full process will typically take 5-6 months from the time of application submission. Thank you in advance for your planning and patience.
Final Decision
The Powell Foundation Board of Directors makes all final decisions about grant requests during the Spring (May) and Fall (November) Board Meetings. You will be notified shortly after a decision has been reached.
New organizations or past grantees
Submit a pre-application via the website.
