What is the Foundation's policy on including indirect costs in a grant?

As a general rule, the Foundation does not pay for overhead or indirect costs. In cases when it is considered absolutely necessary, a maximum of 10% of the project's direct costs may be included as overhead in the budget.

How do you define "youth"?

We generally fund kindergarten through high school, ages six to eighteen. Projects must focus on young people as the primary participants or beneficiaries.

Can I contact someone to see what kinds of projects you are interested in or whether my proposal is appropriate?

The short answer is no. We have no staffed office, so we made sure our website tells our story, gives guidance, answers questions and makes it easy for you to send a brief form of your proposal (no letter of inquiry needed) directly to the board members who make decisions.

I am confused by the information about your foundation contained in the printed Foundation Directories. The guidelines and deadlines are different from the website. Which source is correct?

Always follow the Website, which has the current, correct and complete information.

How does the online submission work?  I'm ready to email my application to you.

The online submission process is different from emailing. It is a form you have to fill out. First, review our guidelines and the information we request.  Go to Step 2: Gather your information then click on the link to the online application form.

How do I know if you received the Online Application I submitted through the Internet?

If you submitted your application through our online system, and you did not get a confirmation message, or the system crashed before you submitted, please contact Christine Mayers at cmayers@foundationsource.com.

How do you define the Western States?

Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska.

Do you ever fund outside that area? 

Rarely.

Do you make site visits?

Occasionally.  The Board members operate as program officers, without staff.  Time and distance can limit site visits.

Do you make multi-year grants? 

Only for select projects initiated or developed by the Board.

What is the range of amounts of grants? How do we know how much to ask for? 

Grants can range from $1,000 to $100,000, and over.  The larger grants are usually projects that have been solicited or developed by Board members.  Most grants are in the $5,000 to $50,000 range. For 2010-2011, the maximum amount is $20,000.

When are the deadlines and when are decisions made?

Within each funding cycle, there are no deadlines unless specified. The Board accepts applications, reviews proposals and makes funding decisions on an ongoing basis for the fiscal year, April 1 to March 31.

What happens after we send our application?

If the foundation is interested in the project, you may be asked to submit more information. You will be notified if the foundation is not interested in your project.

Can you tell me why I didn't receive funding?

Each year the Charlotte Martin Foundation funds approximately one in every 20 unsolicited proposals it receives. Due to the volume of requests received and finite resources available, many excellent proposals even those that match our priorities, fail to receive Foundation funding.

We do not provide individual critiques of funding requests. Rejection of a proposal does not necessarily reflect negatively on the applicant. Some requests that were not successful in the first attempt were funded in subsequent cycles.

Some of the possible reasons why a proposal does not rise to the top:

• The project's emphasis is too much on social service outcomes or passive involvement, rather than on the active participation of youth in education, culture or athletics.
   
• We give priority to underserved groups of youth, particularly rural, that have less access to financial and community resources.
   
• The proposal spends too much time on concepts about a need that is not being met, but does not give specifics of what the project activity is, what the youth will do and how many young people will be involved, or what wildlife or habitat will be preserved.
   
• The project does not appear sustainable, and we do not give multi-year grants.
  

When can we reapply?

We process applications on a continuous basis with no grant deadlines. Applicants should wait six months to a year to submit a new application if the previous application has been denied.