Application Guidelines

First time applicants

Organizations that have never received funding from the Foundation should submit one original and two copies of a letter of inquiry accompanied by:

• Organizational budget with income and expenses
• Project budget, if applicable
• List of current institutional funders and the amounts of their support

Letters of Inquiry will be reviewed by the Foundation, and organizations will be notified within three weeks whether the Foundation will consider a full proposal.

Returning applicants

Organizations that have previously received a grant from the Cohen Foundation may submit a proposal seeking funding in subsequent years provided they submit a narrative and financial report on the activities supported by the Foundation's previous grant.

The financial report must include both income and expenses for the previous year, and the narrative report should address the following:

• What were the organization'’s most significant achievements in the past year?
• Were all or some of the original goals of your proposal met? Did you develop new goals or revise old ones? Explain and provide examples.
• What were your failures or disappointments in achieving expected results?
• Did the project encounter any unexpected difficulties? If the project was unable to accomplish parts of its agenda, what were the barriers to doing so?
• Do you feel that your program represented the most effective approach to tackling the problems at hand? With the benefit of hindsight, what, if anything, would you do differently?
• What partnerships or collaborations were created or have you entered into in the past year as a result of the project? Will these collaborations continue?
• Lessons learned: What do you consider to be the greatest strength(s) of the organization? What do you consider to be the most important concern(s)—apart from finances—currently facing the organization?

The Foundation accepts, but does not require, the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers Common Grant Application. (Download PDF)