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2008 Grant Guidelines

The Dallas Foundation awards grants for a broad array of charitable purposes in the areas of the arts, education, early childhood development, environment, health, aging, human and social services, and public/civic benefit that improve the well-being of the residents of the City and County of Dallas, Texas.

Download printable guidelines and application instructions:

2008 Grant Guidelines and Deadlines (Word Doc)

Field-of-Interest Application, Required Attachments and Submission Instructions (Word Doc)

Grant Cycles
The Foundation has two competitive grant cycles each year. We award grants from the Field of Interest funds in the spring and from the Unrestricted fund in the fall. In addition, the Foundation awards grants from donor-advised funds, designated funds, and agency endowments, according to the terms of the agreements establishing those funds. The Foundation accepts proposals twice annually for grants from our competitive Field of Interest and Unrestricted funds, which are described below. Grants from Field of Interest funds are awarded in June, and grants from the Unrestricted fund are awarded in December.

Requests We Fund
The Foundation considers grant proposals from tax-exempt nonprofit organizations. Grants may be awarded for capital projects or programs, which may include some portion of funding toward salaries of program staff. We give priority to proposals that:

  • Are likely to make a clear difference in the quality of life for a substantial number of people within Dallas County, and
  • Promote cooperation and collaboration among agencies in meeting critical needs
Requests We Don't Fund
Field of interest and Unrestricted funds are generally not available for:
  • Organizations that have received grants from Field of Interest or Unrestricted funds from the Foundation within the preceding three to five years
  • Operating support, including general administrative expenses
  • Annual fund campaigns, underwriting of fundraising events, and marketing campaigns
  • Religious purposes (although we do support educational and social service programs offered by faith-based organizations)
  • Organizations located outside Dallas County, unless at least 50 percent of the clients served are residents of Dallas County
  • Debt retirement
  • Research
  • Endowments
  • Individuals
The Dallas Foundation does not generally award grants for projects that are planned to begin more than one year from approval. Additionally, multi-year grants are generally not considered. We can award grants for which payment is conditional on the achievement of a total fund goal or other event. We may elect to cancel grants if the grantee has not satisfied the grant's conditions, or if the project is not ready to proceed, within one year of approval.

Field of Interest Funds

Application Submission Deadline: April 1, 2008

For Field of Interest funds, the original donor directed that the Foundation use the fund to benefit either agencies serving a particular group (such as children in need), or agencies working in a certain area of philanthropic interest (such as the arts). For grant applicants to be successful in the spring grant cycle, there must be a match between the purpose of the grant and the purpose of one of the funds available for distribution. If your agency is applying in the spring, please review the list of funds below and determine whether a possible match exists before applying. If you are uncertain whether you should apply, contact Laura Smith at (214) 741-9898 Ext. 108, or lsmith@dallasfoundation.org, to discuss your proposal.

Fund Purpose Total Available
Jean Baptiste "Tad" Adoue, III Fund To support the arts $75,000 to $125,000
Bertice Carter Speck Fund To assist disabled, blind, deaf, or economically disadvantaged children $40,000 to $60,000
Decherd Family Fund Created by Maureen H. and Robert W. Decherd, the purpose of this fund rotates each year to honor individuals of special significance to the Decherd Family. Please note the grant purposes through 2012. 2008 - Research into congestive heart failure in honor of William K. Whited, 2009 - Support of education for women in business in honor of Helen M. Roter, 2010 - Research into pediatric cancer in honor of Dorothy J. Fenske, 2011 - Support of the Church of Christ in honor of Virgie Parham, 2012 - Support of education for African-American women in honor of Johnnie Mae Jackson $1,500 to $2,000
Lucile W. and George R. Pattullo Fund To assist African-American citizens $10,000 to $15,000
Betty Pope Fund To assist animals $1,000 to $1,300
Elizabeth T. Robinson Fund To assist children in need and older adults $15,000 to $30,000
Annie L. Stevens Fund To assist low-income older adults or disabled, abused, neglected or economically disadvantaged children $250,000 to $300,000
James D. Webb Fund For the research and cure of Parkinson's disease $8,000 to $10,000
Erin Wylie Fund To promote animal welfare and wildlife conservation and protection $1,000 to $1,200

Unrestricted Fund
The Board of Governors has wide discretion over the Unrestricted fund and may award grants to agencies serving any type of need within Dallas County, such as the arts, education, health, aging, early childhood development, and human and social services.

Agencies requesting grants from the Unrestricted Fund must submit a letter of inquiry by August 1, 2008. After reviewing the letters of inquiry, the Foundation will invite selected organizations to submit full proposals, and an application form will be sent in early September. Invited proposals are due October 6, 2008. The Foundation will not consider unsolicited full proposals.

If an agency is not invited to submit a full proposal, they will be notified in writing in early-mid September. Additionally, not all full proposals will result in a grant award. All agencies that are invited to submit a full proposal will be notified of grant awards or declines in mid-December.

Suggested Format for Letter of Inquiry

  • Two pages maximum
  • Introduction should include the mission of organization
  • 1 paragraph explaining history and work in the community
  • 1-2 paragraphs summarizing project, including segment of the community to be served
  • 1 paragraph outlining implementation timeline and process
  • 1 paragraph outlining desired outcomes and benefit to the community
  • 1 paragraph to establish amount requested, total budget for project, if new program or expansion

Questions
If you have any questions about the guidelines or application process, please contact:

Laura Smith
Director of Community Philanthropy
The Dallas Foundation
900 Jackson Street, Suite 705
Dallas, Texas 75202
(214) 741-9898 Ext. 108
(214) 741-9848 Fax
lsmith@dallasfoundation.org

 

 

 

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