Determine if your project fits our guidelines and priorities

Please read our eligibility overview completely and carefully. If you have a question regarding your project, you may contact the foundation staff prior to submission of a letter of inquiry.

Submit a letter of inquiry (LOI)

If your project meets our criteria, we encourage you to submit a letter of inquiry using the attached form. This step must be followed by organizations applying to the foundation for the first time, as well as previous grantees.

• The Letter of Inquiry (LOI )form requests basic information about your organization and project. Click here to complete your LOI.
   
• After you have completed the form, please follow instructions for submitting the letter. Once the Foundation has received the application, you will receive a message via email confirming receipt along with a copy of the LOI for your records.

PLEASE NOTE: The attached on-line Letter of Inquiry (LOI) form is the ONLY format which we will accept. The Foundation does not accept mailed, faxed or otherwise transmitted copies of this application and we can not accept additional attachments such as brochures, videos, etc.

The deadlines for submitting letters of inquiry are:

• Fall Cycle - Promoting Quality Leisure, Learning and Culture categories – September 25, 2009
   
• Spring Cycle - Building Safe and Strong Neighborhoods categories – March 26, 2010

Criteria for Evaluating Letters of Inquiry

We evaluate each letter of inquiry to assess the proposed project’s feasibility and sustainability and the organization’s capacity to plan, implement and sustain the project.

Evaluation factors include:

• The project’s alignment with your organization’s mission
• The strength and experience of the project’s staff and the ability to deliver an effective program

Your applications also should demonstrate that you have performed adequate planning – both financially and otherwise, including:

• The project’s scale in relation to your organization’s overall budget
• A credible and diverse funding plan. The Arlington Tomorrow Foundation does not fund an entire project; we expect to be one of multiple funding sources. Each applicant must demonstrate the ability to derive a match, that is the ability to demonstrate a source of  additional support -- either financial or human capital investments.
• Ability to sustain the project beyond the grant period. The foundation does not provide multi-year grants.
• Funding does not include general operating support, but may include specific costs associated with well-planned start-up ventures.
• The foundation’s capital campaign funding does not include endowment or ongoing operating support beyond the project’s first year.
• Organizations may apply for grants for two consecutive years, but if awarded in both years, the organization may not apply again for two fiscal years.

Submit a full proposal (by invitation only)

If your LOI is accepted by the Board of Directors, the Foundation’s staff will contact you by email and invite your organization to submit a grant proposal for further review. At that time, the Foundation’s Executive Director will provide the necessary information for you to complete a proposal. Only complete proposals are considered. A request for a full proposal does not guarantee funding.

Proposal review and funding determination

The Foundation’s Executive Director will review each proposal carefully, and will often request a one-on-one meeting with the applicants in order to review requests and project plans. In addition to determining whether your proposal meets the foundation’s priorities, staff will assess the feasibility and sustainability of the proposal.

If your proposal satisfies our evaluation criteria, it will be forwarded to the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation board of directors for further review and a funding decision. The foundation awards grants twice a year. The proposal solicitation, due diligence review, funding determination, and formal notification process takes approximately four to five months.

Deadlines for submitting grant proposals are:

• Fall Cycle - Promoting Quality Leisure, Learning and Culture – December 4, 2009
• Spring Cycle - Building Safe and Strong Neighborhoods – May 1, 2010

If your application is requesting funding for a specific project, we expect projects to be launched and completed within twelve months of the award.

We generally do not award grants for projects which are planned to begin more than nine months from the grant request.

We can award grants for which payment is conditional on this achievement of a total fund goal or other event.

All grantees must adhere to stipulated grant terms and reporting guidelines.

Notification: All applicants receive notification of the Board’s action.

Arlington Tomorrow Foundation Grantee Reporting Guidelines

Current grantees are required to provide periodic reports to the foundation that demonstrate progress and financial accountability. These reports are a valuable learning tool for grantees and foundation staff. We greatly appreciate candid, thoughtful review of your organization’s experience.

Please refer to your grant agreement for a schedule of due dates. If the grant to your organization supports a particular project, the report must focus on that project. If the grant was for general operating support, your report must broadly discuss the entire organization and its programs. Please submit one copy to the foundation.

We may elect to cancel grants if grantees have not satisfied the grants conditions or the project has not proceeded within nine months of the award.

Please note: A report is not the appropriate venue for a subsequent grant request.