Grant Seekers Toolkit Templates: Create a Foundation Profile

Download a customizable foundation profile template for your organization.

 

Foundation Name
Address
Telephone
E-mail
Website

Background Information:

Short description of where the foundation’s money comes from, if known. This is often detailed in foundation annual reports, etc. and can help you understand the foundation’s overall mission and vision.

Foundation Assets:

$____ (as of what date)

Total Grants Paid: $_____ (in what year)

High Grant: $_____ (in what year)

Average Grant Range: $________

Giving Priorities:

Short description of the foundation’s stated priorities. If the foundation gives especially broad categories (e.g., “arts”), it’s useful to try to provide more detailed description here.

Giving Limitations:

For example, the foundation might indicate that it does not give operating support, or it might note that it only makes grants in a particular region.

Sample Grants:

List recent grants that are representative of the foundation’s giving and/or are particularly relevant to your interests. Example:

$50,000/2 years to the Wazonia Symphony for audience development. (2015-02)

$25,000 to the Wazonia City Public Library for expansion of its humanities collection. (2016)

$10,000 to Wazonia Public Television for support of Wazonia Today! (2016)

Board Members:

It’s useful to collect board lists from your foundation prospects. It’s a good practice to have your board/volunteers/senior staff review the lists periodically to see if they know anyone on them.

Known Contacts:

If you know of any contacts with foundation staff or board, be sure to record that information.

Preferred Approach:

Many foundations specify how they want to be contacted. Often, they want a “letter of inquiry” that briefly outlines your organization and proposed project. Some are open to phone calls in advance, but some specifically do not want to be called.

Deadlines:

Foundations usually have deadlines for receiving proposals.

Board Meetings:

Foundations often review proposals at quarterly or bi-annual board meetings. Some do it more often, and a few do it on a rolling basis. This is useful information for determining when a grant may be awarded.