Apply

Before you apply

1. Review and confirm your Organization Eligibility

2. Review all Project Guidance

Timeline

Application deadlines are 5pm EST February 1, May 1, August 1, November 1. Should a due date fall on a holiday/weekend, applications are due 5pm next business day. Feel free to submit early and reach out to staff if you have questions.

Confirmations are automatically emailed from our portal at time of submittal. Applicants may receive follow up from staff, but only if there are questions.

Trustees meet in March, June, September and December. The Foundation notifies all applicants of decisions (and includes approved checks, if applicable) within 14 days of each meeting by mail. Award letters specify how grantees must handle their award, and how to seek approval from the Foundation if anything changes during the project.

12 months from their award letter date, grantees are required to submit a completion report. This report consists of a simple questionnaire and a budget reflecting how the grant was spent.

Application preparation

Access our application preview documents in Word or PDF format by clicking the icons to the right or bottom of your device screen, under Downloads.

Many grant writers draft responses in advance, and these files can serve as a backup record of your application. Please avoid bullets and formatting in your draft. Formatting from external docs will not copy and paste into our portal. Our portal fields have editing tools including word count and light formatting.

Grant writing tips from trustees

Keep It Simple.
Be concise. There is a maximum specified for each question.
Be sure to answer the specific questions asked.
Focus more on solutions than problems. We want to know how you’re going to achieve the results of your project more than why.
Include data versus vague descriptions.
Be sure your budget makes sense, it’s often the first thing we look at. Be sure your math adds up and it is in line with the action steps you’re proposing to take. If you receive a grant, you will be asked to report back using this budget showing the actual income and expenses compared to the original estimates. Be sure it’s in a form that you can track.
After you finish writing your application, send it to someone unfamiliar with your nonprofit and project to solicit feedback.

Additional requirements to prepare

Your 501c3 letter (only if your organization received its letter within the last 24 months)
Your project budget
Most recent financials, provided as EITHER A or B
- A: the audit for your most recent fiscal year
- B: Your most recent 990, and your most recent FY balance sheet, and your most recent income statement
Your current year operating budget
If you're using a Fiscal Sponsor, there are additional requirements. Contact the office in advance of applying.

Our FAQs page has more information, including our preferred formats and examples.

Application submittal

*Apply within the application category that represents your organization's primary purpose.*

The Foundation is only able to accept requests through our online portal. We are using a new application system since Fall 2021 so you may need to register afresh. Refer to the "Online Grant Portal Help Document" for step-by-step instructions

Returning users: If you have accessed our portal since Fall 2021 for an application or grant report, enter the appropriate email address and password for your account. If you represent multiple organizations, please check that you logged out between sessions.
New users: You will need to establish an account before accessing the application. Be sure to use an email address that is monitored and that a record of that email address and password is kept.
Please note, if you have applied online to the Davis Conservation Foundation or Davis Educational Foundation, you should use the same login information for the Davis Family Foundation.

As you complete you application, it will auto-save frequently. Click "Save & Come Back Later" at the bottom of any page to save and exit out of the application.

To submit your application, click the "Submit" button on the "Review and Submit " page. An email confirmation will auto-deliver to your email address. This may go to SPAM/Junk; please update your inbox preferences if this occurs, as you may receive future notifications from our portal.

Start Your New Application or Return to Your In-Process Application Here

Questions?

More information regarding eligibility and submission guidelines is in our FAQs.