Application and Reporting Procedures

Applying for a General Grant
Letter of Intent
Proposal Submission
Post-Grant Procedures

Applying for a General Grant
Please review the Foundation’s general grant guidelines and priorities to determine if your organization’s mission and proposal are both consistent with the Foundation’s purpose as well as meet the Foundation’s funding criteria.

There are two steps in the grant application process. The first is submission of a Letter of Intent (LOI). After the LOI has been reviewed by the Foundation, the second step is submission of a full proposal if your organization is invited to do so by the Foundation.

The Foundation utilizes an online application process and does not accept hard copy applications. Registration for the online system is based on your email address, a password you select, and your organization’s tax ID. Register here.

Please note: Although Sacred Landmarks Grants are awarded through the Foundation’s General Grants program, there is a separate application process. To access the grant guidelines and application procedures, click here.

Step 1: Letter of Intent
The first step in the application process is the submission of a Letter of Intent (LOI). The LOI application includes an eligibility quiz, organizational information, a preliminary project budget, and a list of your organization’s board and staff leadership.

Please note: Although Sacred Landmarks Grants are awarded through the Foundation’s General Grants program, a separate LOI and eligibility quiz are required. To access the Sacred Landmarks Grants guidelines and application procedures, click here.

The LOI will require the following information:

Eligibility Quiz – See Eligible Organizations

Organization Information

  • Organization contact information
  • Mission statement
  • Brief history of the organization
  • List of programs and services provided by the organization
  • Organization budget
  • Geographical area served by the organization
  • Organization primary contact

Letter of Intent

  • Request primary contact
  • Project title*
  • Project description
  • The problem or community need to be addressed by the proposed project, including most recent data specific to the proposed service area, where available*
  • Type of grant*
  • Project budget amount*
  • Amount requested from The Cameron Foundation*
  • Foundation’s funding area for the project*
  • Foundation’s outcome indicators for the project
  • Geographical area served by the project
  • How the project will address the community need or problem, and how this relates to the mission of the Foundation
  • The plans for sustaining the project after support from the Foundation ends
  • Any existing partnerships in place for the proposed work
  • The anticipated start date and end date for the project

* If you are invited to submit a full proposal, edits to these items are not allowed.

Attachments

  • List of board and staff leadership – Include all officers and directors of the organization with their business addresses and phone numbers and indicate which Board members live or work in The Cameron Foundation’s service area. Include key staff leadership with titles.
  • Preliminary project budget – Include requested amount from The Cameron Foundation and other financial resources, pending or committed, to the proposed project.

The LOI, including all required information and attachments, must be submitted online by 5:00 p.m. on the published deadline for a given grant cycle. The Cameron Foundation does not accept hard copy applications. The Foundation will provide a response to the LOI no later than four weeks prior to the deadline for submitting Proposals. Log in to begin the process.

Step 2: Submitting Your Proposal
If your organization and proposal appear to meet the Foundation’s eligibility criteria and current priorities, you will be invited to submit a full Proposal.

Please note: Although Sacred Landmarks Grants are awarded through the Foundation’s General Grants program, applicants are required to follow separate application instructions, including completion of an application form. To access the Sacred Landmarks Grants guidelines and application procedures, click here.

The responses that you entered in the Organization Information and the Letter of Intent sections of the LOI will automatically transfer into the Proposal form. Except as noted above, you will have the opportunity to edit those responses when completing the Proposal.

The Proposal will require the following additional information:

Proposal Information

  • Specific goals of the project
  • How the project will produce a positive impact that will continue beyond the period of support by the Foundation, to include benchmarks and measurable outcomes
  • How the organization will evaluate the project if the requested grant is approved
  • The staff or consultant(s) required to implement the project, and their qualifications
  • Population served by the project:
    • Age group
    • Gender
    • Ethnicity
    • Other classifications

Attachments

  • Project budget: The project budget should be aligned as closely as possible to the project budget that was submitted with the Letter of Intent. Include a narrative support of the budget, the requested amount from The Cameron Foundation, and the other financial resources, pending or committed, to the proposed project. If the project is to last for more than one year, include a complete budget for each year and a total for all years. List and identify all direct and indirect costs and indicate which of the costs would be paid from a grant from the Foundation.
  • Financial statements: Include the audited, reviewed or compiled financial statements prepared for the organization by an independent certified public accountant for the two most recently completed fiscal years. If an organization does not have independently prepared financial statements, it may submit its Form 990 (including all schedules and pages) for the two most recently completed fiscal years, as filed with the Internal Revenue Service. If these listed documents are not yet prepared for the organization’s most recently completed fiscal year, it may submit internal financial statements (including balance sheet and income & expense statements) for that fiscal year.
  • Board-approved current fiscal year operating budget of the organization, including revenue and expenses
  • Interim financial statements for the current fiscal year, including balance sheet and income & expense statements

Additional information may be requested during the grant review process. In cases where the applicant has an open grant with the Foundation, a progress report will be requested.

Please note: Applicants are not to contact members of the Board of Directors or the Grants Committee regarding proposals.

To learn more about creating an effective proposal, read Elements of a Good Proposal.

Notification: Grant applicants are notified in writing approximately two weeks following the Board’s decision. If approved, a payout schedule and reporting deadlines are established, and the grantee is required to sign and return its award letter to execute the grant. If declined, the applicant is welcome to contact The Cameron Foundation’s program staff with questions.

Step 3: Post-Grant Evaluation and Documentation
All grantees are required to submit both a final evaluation and a financial report form within one month after the conclusion of the grant. You may log in here to begin the process. Once logged in, please select the “Requirements” tab at the top left to fill out the evaluation form. A Post Grant Financial Report is a required attachment in the “Attachments” section of the Final Report. This form also is available on this page (in the upper left column) and can be downloaded for use in preparing the report. Additional documentation and/or relevant materials also may be uploaded there.

Please contact Grants Manager Michelle Hornby with questions pertaining to the online application and reporting system.