First, please see our home page for a description of who we are and what we fund. Letters of inquiry from appropriate nonprofit organizations are accepted throughout the year and in most cases a response can be expected in approximately three months. Smaller nonprofits in metropolitan Washington should, if eligible, apply to the Catalogue for Philanthropy before applying to the Foundation. We make grants to tax-exempt organizations only, but not to other private foundations or to political organizations. If your organization meets our guidelines, please submit a Letter of Inquiry. Grant Proposals may be sent by invitation only. Guidelines for each of these may be found below.
PLEASE NOTE: At the current moment we are not accepting unsolicited letters of inquiry or unsolicited applications.
Letter of Inquiry
On a cover page please list:
1. Letter Date
2. Organization’s name and contact information (full address, including mailing address if different, and telephone, fax, and web address)
3. Organization’s federal tax-exempt number
4. Contact person’s name, title, and contact information (telephone, fax, e-mail)
5. Dollar amount of this funding request
6. Total project budget (if applicable)
7. Organization’s current budget and fiscal year
8. Period this funding request will cover
In a two page letter please include:
1. Purpose of this funding request.
a. The issue/need you are addressing
b. The target population, number of individuals, and geographic area that will benefit from this proposal
c. What you hope to accomplish
d. How you intend to accomplish the above
2. Names and brief description of roles of partners on this project (if applicable)
3. Brief organizational history and brief description of previous year’s accomplishments
Required attachments:
1. List of current funders (foundation, corporate, major donors) and amount of support
2. One page project budget (omit for general operating requests)
3. Organization’s current budget
Grant Proposal
Begin with a cover sheet as in the LOI (above). Then follow with:
1. A brief history of your organization and of the primary persons responsible for its operation. You may use the same text as in LOI or you may expand upon it if you choose.
2. A description of your organization—who you are, what needs you seek to address, what programs and services most distinguish you, and what you consider your main accomplishments. Use this part of the application to tell us what you think is excellent about your organization and what its core goals really are.
3. A detailed description of the specific program or programs for which funding is requested, plans for implementation, the population served, duration, and aims. Although general information about your organization and its ongoing work is very important, please use this opportunity to describe carefully and fully the particular nature of the project and/or programs for which you seek funding.
4. A budget for your organization as a whole and, if appropriate, for this project in particular. (Requests for general operating support do not require project budgets.) Please make sure your budget shows both revenue and expenses. Provide a list of your organization’s major funders and of funders you have secured or plan to approach for this project/program. (Individual donors need not be indentified by name, but please do indicate what percentage of your budget comes from foundations/individuals/government/other sources.)
5. Document(s) that provide evidence of your tax exempt status; if these are not current, please submit a letter indicating that no change in status has occurred since the document was issued.
6. Please explain your usual means of evaluating progress toward or achievement of goals and, where applicable, indicate how and when an evaluation will occur. At the end of the grant period we will ask for a report that describes in narrative terms how the project unfolded, what its impact was, and how grant dollars were expended. Reports are expected no later than the end of the grant period.
Letters of Inquiry and Grant Proposals may be sent to: Barbara Harman, Executive Director, Harman Family Foundation, 397 South Street, Needham, MA 02492. Questions? bharman@harman-foundation.org, or 781-449-1911.
