Grant Application Guidelines

The Nellie Leaman Taft Foundation’s grantmaking falls into two major categories, Competitive Grants and Trustee-Advised Matching Grants. These guidelines primarily concern the Competitive Grants and are designed to assist 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations seeking Competitive Grants.

Eligibility and Limitations

All applicants must be tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code and must be classified as “not a private foundation” under Section 509(a) of the Code. No grants are awarded until evidence of public charity status is verified.

Grant projects must not begin before the grant is awarded. However, in most cases, projects are expected to begin within 90 days after the funds are received.

The Foundation does not make awards for programs which fall outside its fields of interest and geographic focus and it does not make grants for:

• endowments

• major capital projects

• individuals, including scholarships for specified individuals

• advocacy and community organizing

• grantees which have not submitted progress reports for previous grants

• organizations which have received a grant in the past three years

• organizations that have been turned down for grants in the past three years

• projects that have already been completed.

Fields of Interest

• Arts & Arts Education

• The Environment

Geographic Focus

The Foundation makes grants that benefit citizens of Greater Cincinnati, Ohio; Mid-Coast Maine; Boston inside the Route 495 beltway; and Orange County, California. Mid-Coast Maine is defined as the towns of Bath/Brunswick/Topsham, Belfast, Boothbay Harbor, Camden/Rockport/Lincolnville, Cushing, Damariscotta, Rockland/Thomaston/Owls Head, Searsport and Union.

Board Members

• Thomas W. (Woody) Taft, President, Cincinnati, OH; Nephew of Nellie Taft; Son of Dudley S. Taft, Sr.

• Dudley S. Taft, Sr., Treasurer, Cincinnati, OH; Brother of Nellie Taft

• Lucy Rosborough, Clerk, Boston, MA; Friend of Nellie Taft

• Ken Mahler, Trustee, Cincinnati, OH; Nephew of Nellie Taft; Son of Nellie’s Sister, Murph Mahler

• Perin Mahler, Trustee, Laguna Beach, CA; Nephew of Nellie Taft; Son of Nellie’s Sister, Murph Mahler

• Dudley S. Taft, Jr., Trustee, Cincinnati, OH; Nephew of Nellie Taft; Son of Dudley S. Taft, Sr.

Grant Range and Types of Grants

The Foundation’s typical grant range is $5,000 to $15,000.

Types of grants include seed funding for new ideas and initiatives, start-up and on-going support for grass roots organizations, and entrepreneurial projects that may enable an organization or its constituents to achieve greater self-sufficiency. The Foundation has a preference for small to mid-sized organizations and typically does not fund large institutions.

In addition to making outright grants, the foundation makes occasional challenge and conditional grants. These grants generally are intended to achieve a greater long-term benefit for the grantee.

Application Calendar

• March 1: Deadline to Request Application Access

• March 4: Application Opens

• April 8: Application Deadline

• June 15: Grant Award Notifications Sent

• July 15: Grant Payments Issued

• October 1: Previous Year's Grant Reports Due

How to Apply

The Foundation solicits new project ideas through a preliminary review process. Grants are approved once a year in the spring.

Applicants must wait three years from approval of their most recent grant before applying again. Applicants that are not funded also must wait three years before re-applying.

Based on recent history, in a typical year, the Foundation:

• Reviews full proposals from 20-25 organizations.

• Makes about 20 grants averaging about $8,000 to $10,000 each.

• Spreads the grants around the geographic areas, with the majority of grants to be made in Cincinnati.

• Awards Competitive Grants totaling $175,000 or more.

Application Process and Forms

The Foundation solicits new project ideas through a preliminary review process. Please contact Daniel Tonozzi no later than March 1 at dtonozzi@ignitephilanthropy.com to discuss your idea and request access to the Preliminary Application Form.

Applications are due by 9:00 PM EST on April 8 and are reviewed by the board in May. Applicants approved for funding will be notified by June 15.

The Foundation uses an online grant application process, organizations approved to submit an application will receive a link and instructions for the online application process.

Funding decisions will be announced by June 15 with payment by July 15. Note: If the deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline will be the next business day.

After Grants are Awarded: Final Reports

A two-page report on the progress of the program or project, and details on the how the grant funds were spent, is due by October 1 of the year following the grant award. The report should restate the objectives of the grant and clearly document how the grant goals were met, what your organization learned from the grant, and what obstacles or challenges you faced during the grant period. In addition, the project budget and actual income/expenses must be attached. An email reminder and report template will be sent to you 60 days prior to the due date.