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Guidelines & Eligibility

The Foundation accepts applications only from organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code and have a 509(a)(1) or 509(a)(2) status under Section 509(a) of the code.  The Foundation is prohibited from making grants to 509(a)(3) organizations.   

The Davis Family Foundation only supports organizations whose primary purpose falls within one of the following categories: 

Educational Organizations:  Colleges, universities, and other educational institutions.  (Grants are not made to public elementary and secondary schools, nor to schools which receive financial support from a church or other religious organization. Trustees will consider requests from other educational organizations whose purpose is to promote systemic change in education or provide innovative programs whose objectives are to improve education.)

Medical Organizations: Hospitals, clinics and medical research organizations. Trustees will consider requests from other similar health organizations for programs designed to increase the effectiveness or decrease the cost of medical care.

Cultural/Arts Organizations: Organizations whose customary and primary activity is to promote music, theater, drama, history, literature, the arts or other similar cultural activities.

Applicants must complete the application corresponding to the category that represents their organization's primary purpose.  This is not necessarily the primary purpose of the proposed project.

Geographic Priorities
  1. Southern Maine
  2. Other parts of Maine
  3. Other parts of New England are a low priority

The Foundation does not accept applications from organizations outside of New England unless the project is 100% Maine-based.

Fiscal Sponsorships

In the case of fiscal sponsorships, additional information is required and the applicant must contact the Foundation office for further discussion.

Exclusions
 
We do not fund
  • Individuals
  • Religious programs
  • Fellowships
  • Loans
  • Annual giving campaigns
  • Organizations with a project which may be aligned with the Foundation’s funding categories, but whose primary mission is not
  • Organizations outside of New England, unless the project is 100% Maine based
  • Public elementary and secondary schools
  • Charter schools, although requests for startup funds are eligible.
  • Schools which receive financial support from a church or other religious organizations
  • Health/Medical organizations with no licensed clinician

 We are unlikely to fund

  • Endowments
  • General operating expenses and/or administrative expenses (including ongoing salaries such as a percentage of an Executive Director's salary)
  • Multi-year grants
  • Re-granting projects
  • Scholarships
Organizations that receive a grant are required to wait 24 months from the deadline date before submitting subsequent requests.  In addition, declined applicants should not submit a request for the same project within 12 months from the deadline date.
 
Submission Deadlines
Applications must be submitted online by February 10, May 10, August 10 and November 10 by 5:00 pm EST.  Applications for deadlines that fall on a holiday or weekend must be received by the next business day. The Foundation does not accept applications via e-mail or mail.
    
For more information regarding eligibility, funding objectives and submission guidelines, please review the FAQs.  

Apply

**The Foundation has transitioned to a new online application portal as of September 17, 2021.  If you have applied previously in our former system you will need to register as a new user.**

The Davis Family Foundation will only accept applications submitted through our online grant system.  

Step 1: Read the Guidelines and Online Application Guide (above, right).
 
Step 2: Download the Online Questions Preview Word document.  We strongly suggest working from this document, and cutting and pasting your answers into the online application to avoid losing your work.
 
Step 3: Start a new application.  Regardless of whether you have an existing account, you must select the "Click Here to Start Your New Application" button below to start a new application.
  • Returning users:  enter the appropriate email address and password for your organization's account.
  • New users:  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 if you have applied online to the Davis Conservation Foundation, you should use the same login information for the Davis Family Foundation.
  
Step 4: Save your work!  Click the "Save & Come Back Later" button at the bottom of any page to save your information and exit out of the application.
 
Step 5:  Submit your application.  You must click the "Submit" button on the "Review and Submit " page to complete the submission process.  An email confirming your submission will automatically be sent to the email address associated with your account.
 
Complete the application corresponding to the category that represents your organization's primary purpose.  This is not necessarily the primary purpose of the proposed project.  If you have questions, please contact the Program Officer.
   

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

 

Submission Deadlines

Applications must be submitted online by 5:00 p.m. on February 10, May 10, August 10, and November 10.  Applications for deadlines that fall on a holiday or weekend must be received by 5:00 p.m. the next business day.  The Foundation does not accept applications via email or mail.

Grant Review Process

Trustees meet in March, June, September and December to consider requests.  Proposals are judged on their merits and in comparison to others received.  The Foundation normally notifies applicants of the Trustees' decision within one week of each regular meeting, and applicants receiving an award may expect to receive payment within one month of notification.  Organizations that receive a grant from the Foundation are required to submit completion reports online.

Questions?

Please review FAQs before contacting the Program Officer or Grants Administrator.