Grant Process

Grant Process

The Erol Foundation does not accept unsolicited grant proposals. At certain times of the year we do accept pre-proposals – brief descriptions of projects that fit our core funding areas and current funding priorities. Click here to see which funding priorities are currently open for pre-proposals.  If you are interested in sharing your project with the Foundation, please read carefully the following description of our grantmaking process.

Grantee Criteria
The Erol Foundation makes grants to U.S. 501(c)(3) organizations and other tax-exempt organizations as identified by our staff. We do not make grants to individuals.
The foundation finds potential grantees through two channels: direct outreach to organizations that interest us, and a pre-proposal process described below. Our trustees often become involved with grantee partners – those we have worked with for a long time as well as those we meet through the pre-proposal process.
Application and Review Process

The Foundation awards grants twice a year, in or around March and September. Grant size is typically in the $100,000 - $200,000 range over one to two years. Larger grants for longer periods of time generally are available by invitation only and to previous grantees.

We plan our grants in advance through the following process:

Step 1: Direct Contact

The foundation may initiate the proposal process by contacting an organization directly to explore ideas relevant to one of our core funding areas.

Step 2: Pre-Proposal

Alternatively, prospective applicants may submit a 2-3 page pre-proposal.  Click here to see which funding priorities are currently open for pre-proposals.  The Erol Pre-Proposal form can be downloaded here. The Erol Foundation does not accept unsolicited full proposals.

Completed pre-proposals may be emailed to info@erolfoundation.org or faxed to 415-358-8233. Applicants will receive an email confirmation of submission.

To be considered for a spring grant, the window to submit pre-proposals is typically August 1 - September 30 of the previous year.  For fall grants, the typical window is February 1 - March 30.  Any changes to these dates are announced on the website.

Pre-proposals are reviewed by program staff and in some cases by foundation trustees. Applicants are informed within eight weeks if the foundation would like to explore a full proposal. We typically request full proposals from no more than 10 pre-proposal applicants per funding cycle.

Step 3: Request for Proposal

Invited applicants submit a full proposal to the foundation. In some cases a program officer works closely with the applicant to develop the proposal. Proposals are generally due in mid- to late January for spring grants and mid- to late July for fall grants. Actual due dates are announced on the website.

Step 4: Proposal Review and Evaluation

The program officer conducts reviews and due diligence on the proposed projects and the applicant organizations. This may include requests for additional information, interviews with key staff, and a site visit. The program officer then submits recommendations to the board of trustees.

Step 5: Trustee Review

Erol’s trustees review all solicited proposals, not only those recommended for funding by the program officer. Trustees typically award grants to two-three projects per cycle. This includes both new projects and renewal grants.

Step 6: Grant Award

Grantees execute an agreement with the Foundation covering the legal and core programmatic terms of the engagement (for example, use of grant funds, expected outcomes, and reporting requirements).

Reporting
Grantees submit an annual and a final report to the foundation.

A program officer reviews annual and final reports within six weeks of submission and may request additional information.

Grant Renewals
Renewal grants are by invitation only. We may invite a current grantee to submit a proposal for renewed support if we believe that additional investment will help build the vision, strategy, leadership and other capacities to take a project to the next level of impact and sustainability.