When to apply
2023 Fall Grants
Our grant application process has two stages. You must first submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) and then, if invited, submit a full proposal.
When to apply
2023 Fall Grants
Our grant application process has two stages. You must first submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) and then, if invited, submit a full proposal.
Submit A Letter of Inquiry
June 1 to June 26, 2023
submit a Full proposal
July 16 to August 7, 2023
Please note that organizations with open grants are not eligible to submit a Letter of Inquiry until their current grant is closed.
2023 Fall Grants will be distributed in October 2023.
Requirements
How to Apply
01. Read the criteria.
Be sure to read all of the grant requirements on this page before you apply. We can not fund organizations or projects that do not meet our criteria.
02. Submit an LOI.
The LOI (Letter of Inquiry) form is filled out through our grant system and requires a brief summary of your:
- Project Description
- Project Start and End Date
- Requested Amount
- Total Project Budget
- Funding sources for the project
03. Submit a Full Grant Application (if invited).
If your LOI is approved by the Board Grant Committee, a full application must then be submitted by the deadline to be considered for funding.
Grant Requirements
Baseline Criteria
The JA Community Foundation is currently focusing our funding on the Japanese American community. We accept applications from all 50 states in the United States.
We fund programs and projects that focus on senior health and services, history, arts and culture, and youth.
All grantees are required to be registered 501c3 organizations.
NonProfit information
- History and Purpose of the organization.
- Description of the project or program to be funded, including a needs statement and objectives.
- Copy of the organization’s informational brochure and project brochure (if available.)
- List of the corporations and foundations that provided funding to your organization in the previous year, along with their contribution amounts.
- Roster of the organization’s board of directors, advisory board members, and administrative staff.
Amount & Length Of Funding
JA Community Foundation grant sizes range from $2,500 to $50,000 for new projects or improvements to existing programs. Grants cannot be used for ongoing operating costs. Grantees may not reapply for funding while a current grant is open.
Financial information
- Line-item budget for project to be funded
- Organization’s current annual budget (revenues and expenditures); and
- Organization’s most recent audited financial statement (if none, please provide organization’s most recent complete IRS Form 990)
Fiscal Sponsor information
We fund projects through fiscal sponsors. Please note that the applying organization is the fiscal sponsor and will apply using the fiscal sponsor’s Tax ID. The fiscal sponsor will have fiduciary oversight, and provide administrative services to support the project.
If invited to apply for a grant, a Fiscal Sponsor Agreement will need to be included with the application (this agreement is not necessary for the LOI process). The agreement letter must include the following:
- Fiscal sponsor fee
- Term of agreement
- Project description
- Name of the project manager
- Outline of the services provided by the fiscal sponsor
- Statement regarding how the fiscal sponsors mission aligns with the project
- Fiscal sponsor agreement signed by both parties
Fiscal sponsors are the grantee, and will be the signers of our grant agreement (grant contract), and the expenditure report to be included with the projects final report.
Reporting Requirements
Grantees are required to submit a report of project accomplishments on or before the project end date. Reports are required to contain the full project budget as proposed by the Grantee in its grant application and the same expense categories as the budget proposed in the grant application. An officer or other authorized responsible individual of Grantee is required to review the grant report for financial reporting and verify the report by signing the report and indicating the date reviewed.
Grantees are required to acknowledge receipt of grant checks upon receipt. In addition, after receiving a grant, when events that have a significant impact on the project occur before the scheduled reporting date, we should be notified immediately.
Should Grantee fail to acknowledge receipt of a grant check and/or timely submit any grant report, the following procedures and penalties shall be applied: (i) The Foundation shall notify the Grantee in writing (the “Notice”). Grantee shall have thirty (30) days from the date of the Notice in which to submit the grant report and/or acknowledge receipt of the check, as the case may be. Grantee shall be restricted from applying for another grant for one (1) year after acknowledgement of receipt of payment and/or after submission of the report, whichever is later; (ii) Should Grantee fail to acknowledge receipt of the grant check and/or submit the grant report, as the case may be, within thirty (30) days from the date of the Notice, Grantee shall be restricted from applying for another grant for two (2) years after acknowledgement of receipt of payment and and/or after submission of the report, whichever is later.
Restrictions - We do not fund:
- Individuals
- Political parties, candidates, or partisan political organizations
- An organization’s endowment
- Labor organizations, fraternal organizations, athletic clubs, or social clubs
- K-12 schools, school districts, or school foundations
- Scholarships
- Sectarian or denominational religious organizations, except where the organization demonstrates that their programs are broadly promoted, available to anyone, and free of religious orientation
- Sports leagues or teams
Changes to these Guidelines
JA Community Foundation reserves the right, at any time and in its sole and exclusive discretion, to amend the foregoing Grant Application and Reporting Guidelines in a manner consistent with JA Community Foundation’s mission statement.