Frequently Asked Questions
Welcome to our Foundation FAQ page!
Whether you’re new to our mission or a previous recipient of a grant from the Foundation, we’re here to provide you with the information you need about the Foundation. This page covers common questions about the Foundation’s goals and initiatives, and application process.
If you have any additional questions after reviewing the FAQs, feel free to reach out to us directly. We’re excited to share more about our work and how you can be part of our impactful journey!
Thank you for your interest.
Who may apply?
Do you give grants to organizations outside of Texas?
We are not restricted by geographic location. The Foundation provides grants throughout the United States, but tries to allocate at least one-third of its grant resources to organizations helping those in the West Texas area.
Is any nonprofit organization eligible to apply for a grant?
Our Foundation’s charter restricts grants to only 501(c)(3) entities. Because of our charter restrictions we are unable to provide grants to any organization that does not have 501(c)(3) status.
Our organization is not a 501(c)(3), but we are fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) organization. May our sponsor apply for a grant in support of our organization or project?
Our Foundation’s charter restricts grants to only 501(c)(3) entities. If your organization is fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3), your sponsor may apply for the grant and indicate that it is supporting your program or organization.
What do you fund and not fund?
Before we submit a grant application, may we schedule an introductory call or meeting with the Foundation to discuss our organization, program or the size of the grant that we are considering submitting?
Will you tell us if our organization or proposal is suitable for a grant?
Does the Foundation grant money to individuals or commercial businesses?
No, the Foundation does not provide grants to individuals or fund for-profit organizations. Under the terms of our charter, the Foundation can distribute grants only to 501(c)(3) charities.
Do you fund endowments?
The Foundation reviews requests for endowments on a case-by-case basis. Generally, the Foundation does not fund requests for the support or establishment of endowments. The Foundation prefers that every dollar goes toward programs and projects.
Does the Foundation sponsor galas or purchase tables at fundraising events?
The Foundation generally does not purchase tables or sponsor galas or similar events. We prefer to review all capital, operational or special projects of each qualified 501(c)(3) organization to determine if the Foundation will fund applicable grant request.
Do you fund scholarships?
The Foundation funds scholarships indirectly by providing grants to non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations who manage and distribute scholarships to individuals. The Foundation does not fund scholarships directly to individuals.
Do you fund general operating expenses?
Generally, we do not fund the annual budget of established organizations. Rather than being a source of funds to maintain the current level of services, we prefer to help organizations reach more people through new programs or expansion of existing services. However, under certain circumstances we will support the start-up of new organizations or efforts to strengthen the organizational capacity of existing ones.
Do you prefer to fund capital or programs?
We prefer that you determine your highest priority. At any given time, about half of our grants are for capital projects and half are for program support.
Are there any other areas in which you don't make grants?
The Foundation does not generally make grants to construct churches or seminaries; to underwrite fundraising events, professional conferences, symposia, out-of-state performances or competition expenses; or toward annual fundraising drives.
How do we apply or update our application after we submit it?
How do I request a grant application packet?
All applications must be submitted through our website. Access to our grant application is available only during our grant application cycle. We do not provide sample grant application packets or electronic copies of the application as a Word document or in any another other digital format.
How often do you consider grant applications and what are the deadlines?
The Foundation’s grantmaking body meets at least two times per year. Except in unique circumstances applications are accepted only during the Spring/Summer Cycle and Fall/Winter Cycle.
For the Spring/Summer Cycle, the application window opens on March 1, and the deadline for submitting your application is April 30.
For the Fall/Winter Cycle, the application window opens on September 1, and the deadline for submitting your application is October 31.
May our organization submit more than one grant application in a cycle?
Eligible organizations are limited to one application within each 12-month period. An organization may submit an application for multiple programs/projects in a cycle, but it may submit only one grant application (either one large grant application or one small grant application) per eligible cycle.
Can you help us with writing the grant proposal?
The Foundation does not provide a grant-writing service. We encourage applicants to follow our guidelines in preparing a proposal and to call if they have a question.
I'm a new organization and don't have all the information requested in the guidelines. Can I still apply?
Send the most current information you have. Once your application is reviewed, a member of our staff will call you if additional information is required or may be substituted.
Are audited financial statements required?
The requirement for audited financial statements may be waived. If your organization does not have audited financial statements, your organization must submit last year’s unaudited financial statements, along with interim statements for the current year and an explanation with your application as to why you are unable to provide audited financial statements.
Will you do a site visit, and should we invite your Board members for a visit?
The Executive Director will determine the need for a site visit.
To whom should proposals be addressed?
All grant applications must be submitted online.
Should we wait to hear from you before applying to others?
It is a good idea to submit applications to multiple sources of funding, as doing so will improve your chances of success.
Do you need multiple copies of our proposal, and should they be bound?
Only the digital submission is required.
Should we include letters of support?
While you may include letters of support in your grant application, they are not necessary.
We left a document off of our application or have updates. How do we update our application?
We will only accept one application from your organization. If you must resubmit because of an error in your application or because you are missing a document, we will disregard your previous application and utilize the last submission you make before the deadline.
Can you help us with our technical difficulties?
We are having technical difficulties submitting our proposal.
We recommend that you try resubmitting your proposal under a different computer or system. We have received thousands of submissions under our online grant application system, and most submission problems arise from features on your organization’s operating system. Due to our limited staff, we are unable to assist you with these technical matters.
When I save my application my attachments are not there when I return.
The system only saves your text entries. We do not save attachments in our system for many reasons until they are submitted. This is normal, you will have to reattach your documents before you submit.
I cannot find my link to return to my saved application.
Please check your inbox, spam or junk folder. If you do not have an email giving you the link to return to your application, then it most likely did not save and you will need to fill it out again.
I cannot get my application to submit or keep my information in certain fields.
Try to use a different browser or a incognito window to assure you do not have a blocker or some cached settings causing this. People seem to have the best luck with Chrome. The application does work on Safari, Firefox and Edge.
When and how will we be notified about our application?
How will I know if you received my proposal?
We acknowledge receipt of every proposal by an automated confirmation email within a business day. If you do not receive a confirmation receipt email, we did not receive your application and we are unable to access applications for which you did not receive a confirmation email. You will want to check your spam folder to confirm that the confirmation email did not go to that folder.
When and how will I be notified if my organization’s grant application was approved or denied for funding?
For grants submitted during our Spring/Summer Cycle, applicants will be notified by email by July 31.
For grants submitted during our Fall/Winter Cycle, applicants will be notified by email by January 31.
All notifications will be sent to the contact email and director email addresses you provided in your grant application. Please do not contact us for updates prior to the notification deadline. We encourage you to check your spam/junk folder if you have not received an email by the notification deadline.
My grant was turned down. Can you tell me why?
Due to the high number of grant applications that we receive and our limited staff, we cannot discuss with you why your grant request was declined. Competition for grant funds is intense. Most frequently it is because we are unable to fund every request that we receive. The Board of Directors looks for programs and projects that best meet the areas of interest outlined in the grant guidelines. Please do not interpret the decision to decline a request as a negative evaluation of a project or organization.
We recently submitted a proposal and were declined. May we re-submit?
Yes, but you must skip a cycle. Our policy limits grant requests from eligible organizations to one within each 12-month period.
We have submitted a question and/or left a voice message but have not received a response.
Due to our limited staff and the large volume of inquiries and applications we receive, we do not have sufficient staff to respond to questions that are answered on our FAQ page or otherwise easily found on the website.