Island Foundation - Grants for Environment, Alternative Education, and Community Development.

Grant Application Guidelines

Please Note: The Island Foundation has moved to an online application process as of December 1, 2011. Please read the application guidelines below, and call the Foundation to discuss your project idea or renewal request and to obtain an application form access code.

Who is eligible to apply to the Island Foundation?
The Island Foundation supports 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.  On a case-by-case basis, the Foundation provides funding to nonprofits outside of New England, or to groups without nonprofit status that use a fiscal sponsor.

How do I apply to the Island Foundation?
Applying to the Island Foundation is a two-step process:

1. First, please call the Foundation to discuss your project idea or renewal request (for returning grantees) and determine whether it could be considered. We may ask you to submit a short Letter of Inquiry using our online grant system.
2. If your project idea or renewal request is approved, please submit a full proposal using the online grant system by the next deadline.

The Island Foundation accepts full proposals:

• March 1st
• June 1st
• September 1st
• December 1st

If these dates fall on a weekend, the deadline is the first following workday.  Decisions are made within a month and grants are distributed by approximately the 15th of the following month.

Letter of Inquiry/Phone Call
To determine if your request could be considered for funding by the Foundation, you may either call the Foundation or submit a letter of inquiry.  The Foundation’s contact information is:

Denise Porché, Executive Director
Island Foundation, Inc.
589 Mill Street
Marion, MA 02738-1533
(508) 748-2809 (telephone); (508) 748-0991 (fax)
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Full Proposal
If a full proposal is requested, please include the following:

• One page cover letter that specifies the amount of funding sought, summary of the proposal idea, products and timeframe.
• Three to five page proposal describing the history of the organization (if this is the first time you are applying to the Foundation), project goals, methods used to meet your goals, project need, qualifications of your organization and staff, and measures of success.
• A project budget (income and expense) and past and current year budgets for the overall organization.
• Most recent financial statement or audit.
• List of Board of Directors and staff.
• Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax determination letter indicating 501(c)(3) status of the organization. If you are using a fiscal sponsor, enclose the 501(c)(3) letter of your fiscal sponsor and a letter from them indicating their willingness to assume fiscal and administrative reporting responsibility for the grant.
• Supplementary materials: annual reports, newsletters, media coverage, and/or brochures.

Annual progress reports and budget information (income and expenses) are required of every grantee.

What requests are looked upon favorably?
The Island Foundation accepts proposals for projects in the three priority areas of Environment, New Bedford, and Education.  The Foundation seeks organizations that are innovative, well-regarded, sustainable, nondiscriminatory in any way, and able to demonstrate the impact of their work. The Foundation also gives preference to organizations based in and working within a community, particularly in regards to the city of New Bedford. General operating grants and multi-year commitments are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Who does the Island Foundation not fund?
The Foundation does not support proposals outside its priority areas (issue and/or geographic) or requests from individuals, for-profit businesses, or religious groups.