Preliminary Proposals
If your organization has not received a competitive grant from the Fund within the past five years (2008-2012), you must submit a Preliminary Proposal for consideration. The Fund invites organizations that meet its mission and eligibility guidelines to submit a Preliminary Proposal, also known as a letter of inquiry or intent, as a way to become better acquainted before investing in developing a full proposal.
Few Preliminary Proposals advance to a Final Proposal. A successful Preliminary Proposal is likely to have the following characteristics:
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The proposal aligns closely with one or more of the Fund's stated priorities.
- In New England and Indianapolis we are more likely to support social services.
- In Seattle we are most likely to support instrumental music education.
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The type of grant requested is seed or step-up money for project or program support.
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The proposal explains not only why The Clowes Fund is an appropriate funding partner but also why now? In other words, if an organization has survived thus far without Fund support, what compelling circumstances prompt a grant request now?
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The requested amount is within the Fund's small grant range (up to $20,000).
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The organization has an operating budget less than $2.5 million (larger budgets tend to indicate that the impact of an initial grant will be limited).
A complete Preliminary Proposal consists of the Online Application and a Narrative Summary. Both of these must be submitted online via eGrant by November 1st.
Preliminary Proposal Narrative
The Preliminary Proposal narrative should include the following:
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succinct description of your organization;
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the need your request is intended to address;
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the target population and how it will benefit;
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the time frame to be covered (Note: The Fund will not support activities that occur prior to approval of the grant; we generally issue notification of funding decisions by July 1st.); and
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if applicable, your fiscal sponsor's legal name within the first paragraph of the narrative. (Refer to Fiscal Sponsor Policy.)
The Preliminary Proposal narrative format should:
- Be no more than three pages in length.
- Include page numbers.
- Use 12-point font.
- Have side margins of a minimum of an inch.
- Avoid the use of unexplained acronyms.
If you are invited to submit a Final Proposal, you will receive notification via e-mail by the first week of January. Final Proposals are due by February 1st. Read about applying online, Final Proposals or download the complete guidelines.
