The Foundation encourages organizations
with interesting ideas, initiatives, and projects that fall within
our guidelines to apply for a grant. Specifically, we are interested
in projects that:
- Enhance lives through the arts;
- Preserve and encourage use of urban parks.
- Grantees must be located within 50 miles of the Arch
There are two ways to approach the Foundation for funding.
The first is by Letter of Inquiry. Organizations interested in
pursuing funding are strongly encouraged to first write a two-page
Letter of Inquiry. Letters of Inquiry allow both the organization
and Foundation to explore ideas before investing in a full proposal.
The letter should provide background on the applicant organization,
explain the problem it proposes addressing, describe the proposed
project, and estimate total project costs and the amount to be
requested from the Foundation. The Letter may not be more than
two pages in length and should be submitted on the agency’s
letterhead and signed by the agency’s board president.
Letters of Inquiry are reviewed at regular Trustee meetings and
should be submitted to the Foundation no later than September
1 for October review, December 1 for January review and March
1 for April review. Since a Letter of Inquiry is a more flexible
approach, it is possible that letters may be accepted after the
deadline for late-breaking or time-sensitive requests. Following
the Trustee meeting, staff will inform your organization whether
or not you are invited to submit a full proposal. Organizations
invited to continue in the process will have one month to prepare a full proposal.
It is important to note that an invitation to submit a full proposal
does not guarantee a grant award will be made to your organization.
The second approach is through the submission of a full proposal
and a completed Whitaker Foundation Proposal Summary Form. Applicants
must contact the Foundation before submitting a full proposal.
A Proposal Summary Form may be obtained
by contacting the Foundation. This three-page form serves as an
executive summary for the application and must accompany the proposal.
The full proposal should include:
- an organizational background including mission, history,
types of programs offered and constituencies served
- an analytical discussion of the problem the project plans
to address
- detailed information about the project, its execution, time
frame, goals, objectives and methodologies, and how it will
be evaluated
- a project budget noting anticipated expenses, including details
of how Foundation funds will be used, anticipated income, and
information about other grantmakers approached for funding
- an organizational budget noting revenue and expenses, the
organization’s most recent audited financial statements,
and a list of public and private sources of income
- supporting documents that include a list of current board
members with their titles, an annual report, and evidence of
501(c)3 tax-exempt status.
Proposals with completed Whitaker Foundation Proposal Summary
Forms are due August 1 for October review, November 1 for January
review, and February 1 for April review. These deadlines are not
flexible.
All proposals and Letters of Inquiry are screened and evaluated
by the staff before presentation at Trustee meetings.
The Foundation does not support social events such as galas or
golf tournaments, preferring to support project-related requests.
Faxed or emailed proposals, Letters of Inquiry or Proposal Summary
Forms are not accepted. Please do not submit proposals in notebooks,
binders, or plastic folders.
All proposals, Letters of Inquiry, or requests for information
should be directed to: Executive Director, Whitaker Foundation,
308 N. 21st Street, Suite 400, St. Louis, Missouri 63103. |
