Grantmaking

With security deposits funded by the Abell Foundation grants, more than 320 low income Baltimore City families have been able to move from inner city Baltimore to racially and economically integrated neighborhoods throughout the Baltimore region. More

The Abell Foundation requires that each applicant initiates requests for grants by providing a one- to two-page letter describing the applicant's mission, scope of the activities, a summary of the project with its goals and objectives, and amount requested. Should the Foundation be interested in the preliminary proposal, the applicant will be asked to submit a formal and detailed application.

For a formal proposal, each applicant must fill out an application form and submit the following information:

a copy of the latest IRS determination letter of tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) and foundation classification under section 509(a);
most recent audited financial statement and copy of current operating budget;
projected operating budget for each year in which funding is requested;
list of names and professional affiliations of current board;
and pertinent supportive materials.

Unless you are contacted by a Foundation trustee, communication with individual trustees regarding proposals is discouraged and will not be helpful. However, the staff welcomes inquiries regarding the grantmaking process and specific questions about individual proposals. Please make initial contact via mail or phone.

A site visit may be requested by a program officer after the full proposal has been received and acknowledged.

When the Foundation awards a grant, the recipient is asked to submit post-grant reports, which will include a narrative progress report, an accounting of expenditures, and an evaluation of the effectiveness of the grant on overall operations.

Grantmaking Schedules

Grants will be awarded six times a year. Each applicant will be notified of any action that the trustees may take, usually within a week of the bi-monthly meetings. Please make note of the following deadlines for full proposals:

For the February board meeting: January 1
For the April board meeting: March 1
For the June board meeting: May 1
For the September board meeting: August 1
For the October board meeting: September 1
For the December board meeting: November 1

This deadline schedule is normally the minimum time needed to complete the grant review process before submission of the proposal for trustee consideration.