Grantmaking

With security deposits funded by the Abell Foundation grants, more than 320 low income Baltimore City families have been able to move from inner city Baltimore to racially and economically integrated neighborhoods throughout the Baltimore region. More

The Abell Foundation requires that each applicant initiates requests for grants by providing a one-to two-page letter describing the applicant’s mission, population served, scope of activities, key accomplishments, summary of project with goals and objectives, evaluation plan, amount of funding requested, and grant period.

Should the Foundation be interested in the preliminary proposal, the applicant will then be asked to submit a more detailed application. The Foundation is now accepting the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers’ Common Application.

The following information will also be requested at the time of the formal application:

A copy of the latest IRS determination letter of tax-exempt status under Section 501 (c)(3) and foundation classification under Section 509 (a).
A copy of the current institutional budget and project budget for each year in which funding is requested
A list of names and professional affiliation of current board members
Pertinent supportive materials

Unless you are contacted by a Foundation trustee, communication with individual trustees regarding proposals is discouraged and will not be helpful. However the staff welcomes inquiries regarding the grantmaking process and specific questions about the application process. Please make initial contact by letter, email or by phone.

A site visit may be requested by a program officer after the full proposal has been received and acknowledged.

When the Foundation awards a grant, the recipient is asked to submit post grant reports, which will include a narrative progress report, an accounting of expenditures, and an evaluation of the effectiveness of the grant on the overall operation. The post-grant report will also follow the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers’ reporting forms and procedures.

Grantmaking Schedules

Grants will be awarded six times a year. Each applicant will be notified of any action that the trustees may take, usually within a week of the bi-monthly meetings. Please make note of the following deadlines for full proposals:

For the February board meeting: January 1
For the April board meeting: March 1
For the June board meeting: May 1
For the September board meeting: August 1
For the October board meeting: September 1*
For the December board meeting: November 1

* Please note: The regularly scheduled October board meeting and its September 1 deadline for grant applications have been cancelled. November 1 is the next 2008 deadline for applications for the December 18, 2008 meeting.

This deadline schedule is normally the minimum time needed to complete the grant review process before submission of the proposal for trustee consideration.