Each fall, Threshold Foundation has an open call for Letters of Inquiry (LOI) where organizations are invited to submitt an LOI through an online submission process. During the open call for LOIs, organizations may apply to one of Threshold's two core grantmaking committees: the Sustainable Planet Committee or the Justice and Democracy Committee. After reviewing all the LOIs, the grantmaking committees select a limited number of grantseeking organizations from which to request full proposals for funding. After reviewing the proposals, the committees select a number of them for further evaluation by their volunteer committee members. The committees finalize their grant recommendations to Threshold’s Board of Directors in June. Grants are disbursed at the end of July.
Threshold Foundation has recently initiated a Funding Circle program. Funding Circles fund outside of the annual core committee grants cycle, and request applications by invitation only. Please visit the Funding Circles pages to learn more.
Threshold Foundation does not provide emergency or discretionary funding at other times of the year.
GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR GRANTEES - Threshold Foundation’s average annual grants budget divided between the two committees is about $1,000,000.
- Threshold grants are for general operating support as well as special projects.
- Grants typically range in size from $15,000 to $30,000.
- When requesting funding, the amount you request should not be less then 5% of your total budget or more than 50% of your total budget.
- Threshold has one annual grants cycle and does not provide emergency or discretionary funding at other times of the year.
- Grantseeking Organizations or their fiscal sponsors must be qualified 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) organizations or must be exclusively organized for charitable or educational purposes outside of the United States.
HOW TO APPLY
In order to apply for a Threshold grant, organizations should first read through the Sustainable Planet Committee and Justice and Democracy Committee descriptions and their respective grant guidelines. Applicants should carefully determine which one of the committees' focus areas is the most appropriate match for their mission and project. Applicants may only apply to one committee. For more information and answers to common questions about Threshold's grants process, please visit the Grants FAQ section of this site.
CORE COMMITTEE GRANTS CALENDAR · August 14, 2009 | 2009-2010 Guidelines Posted on Website | · August 14, 2009 | LOI Online Application Period Opens-Now Closed | · September 30, 2009 | LOI Online Application Deadline | · Mid-November 2009 | Grantseekers notified if Committee requests proposal | · December 14, 2009 | Full Proposals Due | · February 2010 | Committees select proposals for continued evaluation;
Grantseekers notified | · March-May 2010 | Evaluation Period | | · Late July 2010 | Grants Disbursed |
FUNDING CIRCLE GRANTS CALENDAR · Mid-November 2009 | RFP invitations issued to invited groups | · December 14, 2009 | Full Proposals Due from invited groups | · February 2010 | Committees select proposals for continued evaluation;
Grantseekers notified | · March-May 2010 | Evaluation Period | | · Late July 2010 | Grants Disbursed |
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