Grant Resources

Grant Guidelines

Grant Application

The Tinty Foundation primarily makes grants to charitable organizations that have been recognized by the IRS as being described in Section 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(1) or 509(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code.  The foundation tends to make grants to the following types of organizations and projects:

• General operating or capacity building for organizations with an annual operating budget less than $1 million

• Programs focused on direct services, and/or

• Organizations or projects for which funding may be difficult to obtain, i.e. smaller organizations with limited resources for fundraising, new projects, or grassroots programs

Grants generally range from $555 to $100,000.  Applicants may apply for one-year or multi-year grants for their project.  The foundation may consider limited contributions to endowments, and capital campaigns.  On occasion, the foundation may make grants to organizations that are not Section 501 (c)(3) and 509 (a)(2) public charities, such as businesses or new charitable organizations, but always exclusively for charitable activities and projects.

The foundation does not have an IRS-approved scholarship program and therefore does not make grants, loans or scholarships to individuals.  The foundation does not make grants to other private foundations.  The foundation also does not make grants to public charities that are 509 (a)(3) supporting organizations, unless the organization can demonstrate that it is neither one of the following:

• A "Type I" or "II" supporting organization with any foundation insiders or "disqualified persons" directly or indirectly controlling either the supporting organization or its supported organization, or 

• A "Type III" supporting organization (unless it is "functionally integrated").

Tinty Foundation has two processes, depending on the size of the grant requested.

For a grant of $ 10,000 or less:

1. Submit a Letter of Inquiry.

2. We will notify you if your request has been approved.

For a grant greater than $ 10,000:

1. Submit a Letter of inquiry.

2. We will notify you if you are being invited to the next level of consideration.

3. Applicants who have not received funding from us in the past and applicants who haven't received funding in the last 5 years should complete a proposal; applicants who have received a grant from us in the past 5 years need only supply budget information and any other new information that has arisen since the last application was submitted.

Letter of Inquiry

The first step in applying to the foundation is a short letter of inquiry ("LOI").  Letters  may be submitted at any time during the year, although they will be reviewed on a quarterly basis.  LOI's should be one to three pages long, and should include the following:

• a brief statement of the issues to be addressed, the history and goals of your organization, and your organization's involvement with these issues.

• a brief summary of the activities for the organization for which you are requesting support, including an outline of your objectives, and anticipated outcomes and implications.

• the approximate starting date and duration that the funding will cover.

• the total amount of funding needed, the amount requested from the foundation, and information about other sources of support, both assured and requested.

• contact information and EIN for the organization.

All letters are first reviewed to determine if they fall within the foundation's program guidelines.  Those that do not are immediately declined.  Letters that are within the guidelines are then reviewed to determine the following:

• the priority of the proposed activity within the foundation's goals

• the impact of the likely results of the activities 

We try to acknowledge the receipt of all letters of inquiry.  If you do not receive a response to your LOI within a month after sending your letter, feel free to contact the Foundation.  For larger grants, some applicants will then be invited to submit a full proposal; those that are not invited will also be notified.

Proposals

Full proposals will be accepted by invitation only.  Because the foundation requests more proposals than it can fund, you should not interpret such a request as an indication of likely support.  To be considered, the proposal must be complete, including all attachments, by the deadline in the chart below.

The foundation may request additional information in writing from applicants.  We might also consult with persons knowledgeable about the proposed activities and we welcome your suggestions as to who might be qualified to assist us in our review of your proposal.  Finally, as part of our review, we may request to meet with applicants.

Completed applications will be discussed at the next quarterly board meeting.  Applicants will be notified of the board's decision to approve or deny a grant within two weeks following the board meeting.  If a grant is awarded, you will be asked to sign a Grant Agreement that lays out reporting and other requirements.

The foundation's annual calendar follows.  Please note that accept LOI's throughout the year and we strongly encourage applicants to send letters of inquiry well in advance of LOI deadlines.  Otherwise, although we will issue invitations as promptly as we can, you may find you don't have sufficient time to complete the full proposal.