GRANT APPLICATION PROCESS

Please refer to the mission statement and the history to learn about the Foundation's giving priorities.

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The Foundation provides seed money or partial funding to novel projects and forward-looking leaders and teams. We seek to support projects that enhance national strengths in science and technology, prioritize French-American cooperation, or promote the Foundation's mission in other ways. 

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The Foundation rarely renews grants for continuing activities and rarely accepts unsolicited proposals.

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WE DO NOT FUND

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• For-profit businesses

• Capital projects (including construction and renovations of buildings)

• Capital equipment

• Endowments

• Political campaigns or lobbying efforts

• Fundraising events

• Individuals (all grants are made to 501(c)3 organizations or similar for international institutions)

• Unsolicited proposals 

LETTERS OF INQUIRY

The Foundation rarely accepts unsolicited inquiries. Please contact foundation@rlounsbery.org if your believe your work aligns with the Foundation's priorities to see if the Foundation is accepting inquires. 

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INCLUDE:

• Grantee name, title, and contact information.

• Name(s), title(s), and affiliation(s) of key member(s) of the project (PI).

• A brief description of the project/work to be supported, including the purpose​.

  • For unsolicited inquiries, also grant seekers should also include ​how the project/work aligns with the Foundation's mission and why it should be considered by the Foundation.

• Approximate budget of proposed project.

• Expected length of project.

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RESPONSES:

Due to the small size of our staff, response time may be delayed.

SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL

Below please find the three required documents to assist in the proposal submission process.  Please click on the link below to read the proposal guidelines first.  

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RLF proposals should be no more than ten pages all inclusive of cover sheet, proposal, narrative biographies and budget. All proposals should be submitted electronically as one PDF to foundation@rlounsbery.org. Proposals longer than ten pages will be returned without review.  A cover letter is not required and the proposal administrative form is not included in the page count.

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DEADLINES:

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REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

SEASON

PROPOSAL DUE DATE

DECISIONS

Winter

December 15

February

Spring

March 15

May

Summer

June 15

July

Autumn

September 15

October

FOR GRANTEES: REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

1 YEAR AFTER RECEIVING GRANT: 

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The Foundation expects most RLF grants will be fully expended in one year from award date. 

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One year following the date of receiving the award, all grantees should submit a financial report noting how RLF funds were spent over the past 12 months.  Grantees should also submit a 2-3 page narrative progress report on the project. 

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If funds still remain at one year, the grantee should apply for a no-cost grant extension (even if the project was approved as 2+ year project - all grantees must report on an annual basis).  To seek a no-cost extension, the grantee must inform the Foundation of the exact unspent balance and provide a budget for how the unspent funds will be used.  The revised budget must show the new plan for use of the funds over the full duration of the grant.  If the expected period is longer than 12 months, the budget must show the year-by-year expenditures.

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Grantees should also submit a 1-3 page narrative progress report on the project in addition to financial reporting. The narrative should also include details on the proposed revised budget and expected time line.

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The Foundation welcomes high resolution photos of the project to consider for our website.  

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All reports and correspondence should be submitted electronically.   RLF is committed to becoming a paperless organization.

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2 YEARS AFTER RECEIVING GRANT: 

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The process above repeats each year on an annual basis until the grant has been fully expended. However, as noted above, the Foundation expects most grants to be fully expended in one year.  Unspent funds will need to be returned to the Foundation if not spent as approved.

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*International grantees will receive additional reporting requirements upon receiving their award.  There are no exceptions to reporting requirements for international grants.*