Frequently Asked Questions - The Abell Foundation

General Applicants Current Grantees

General

What kinds of projects does the Abell Foundation fund?

The Foundation funds 501(c)(3) or 509a nonprofit organizations, government agencies, or fiscally sponsored projects serving Baltimore City. In some cases, the Foundation will award grants to organizations that serve as fiscal sponsors for other projects or organizations. The Foundation can not provide funding to individuals.

The Foundation’s programs of interest include health and human services, community development, education, workforce development, criminal justice and addiction, environment, and arts. Within these areas, the Foundation provides seed funding, support for ongoing community programs and services, general operating support, and funding for capital projects, research, and program-related investments.

The Foundation typically does not fund individual scholarships, sponsorships, deficit financing, or endowments.

What is a 501(c)(3) designation? How can I obtain a tax-exempt, nonprofit status for my organization?

501(c)(3) refers to the section of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code that defines an organization as a tax-exempt, nonprofit entity. For more information about the code and how to obtain a 501(c)(3) designation, click here. Applicants are also welcome to apply for funding in partnership with a fiscal sponsor with nonprofit tax status and will be required to submit evidence of that partnership through a memorandum of understanding or similar documentation.

I’m having trouble accessing the grant portal; what should I do? Whom should we contact if we are unable to access our grant portal account?

While most browsers are expected to be compatible with our grant portal, Chrome is preferred. Download the latest version here.

If you are using Chrome and still have issues accessing the portal, please contact our grants team at grants@abell.org.

Does the Foundation offer assistance with grant writing?

We are happy to answer any questions you may have about our grant application, but we do not offer assistance with the grant writing process.

Whom should I contact regarding media inquiries?

Please contact Robert C. Embry, Jr., President.

Does the Foundation have a limit for indirect costs?

The Abell Foundation typically has a 10% limit on indirect costs for academic institutions. We do not have a limit/allowance for non-academic organizations.

Applicants

How should I contact the Abell Foundation to explore new funding opportunities? (See here for guidance on LOIs.)

The Foundation considers small grant requests of $10,000 or less on a rolling basis. There is no deadline to apply, and you do not need to speak with a Foundation staff member or submit an LOI in order to submit a small grant request. See more information about our small grants process here.

First-time applicants with grant requests greater than $10,000 should email grants@abell.org with a short LOI addressed to Robert C. Embry, Jr., President. Your letter of inquiry should include:

A description of the project;
The amount requested;
The project’s total budget;
The population served;
Any plans for partnership with other groups doing this work; and
How your work fits into the broader ecosystem of what is being done to address this issue in Baltimore.

We will reach out to you via email to let you know if the project fits within our scope and areas of interest. To learn more about applying under our regular grants process, click here.

When should I submit an LOI?

If this is your first time applying for an Abell Foundation grant and you are requesting more than $10,000, please email a letter of inquiry to grants@abell.org. We recommend you submit your LOI at least two weeks before the grant deadline, to give us time to review and give you time to prepare your grant application.

How do I submit a grant application? Can I download an application template?

We encourage you to use our grant portal for all application submissions. To access the appropriate links for starting a new application and returning to a saved application, please visit our Grants page.

If you are having trouble accessing or navigating the portal, you may download and complete the templates provided here, and email your completed documents to grants@abell.org.

I logged into the grant portal successfully, but I do not see how to start a new application. What should I do?

Our grant portal has separate links for starting a new application and returning to a saved application.

To start a new application, please use one of these links, depending on the size of your request:

Application for grant requests greater than $10,000
Application for requests of $10,000 or less

Once you have started and saved your application, you can use this link (likely the page you’re looking at now) to return to your saved application.

You can always refer back to the Grants page of our website to find those links in the future.

I previously applied for a grant from the Abell Foundation; do I need to submit a new LOI before completing a new application?

We do not require a letter of inquiry if you have previously applied to the Foundation, or if you have been in contact with the president or a program officer to ensure that the proposed project meets the Foundation’s criteria. We also do not require letters of inquiry for grant requests of $10,000 or less. We consider these small grants on a rolling basis and there are no deadlines for small grant applications.

What is a reasonable amount to request?

Please see Where We Focus for an indication of the size and distribution of our grants. For more information, you can also view our Past Grants (which you can filter by program area and year, or search by keyword) and Annual Reports.

I submitted an LOI. When can I expect to hear back from the Foundation?

You can expect to receive a response from the Foundation 7-10 days after submitting an LOI. If you have not received a response from the Foundation after 10 days, please email us at grants@abell.org.

What is the process for submitting a grant proposal?

Please read about How We Fund for information about our small and regular grant application processes.

Do you have submission deadlines? When is the next deadline and how soon will I hear about the Board’s decision?

The Foundation reviews small grant requests of $10,000 or less on a rolling basis. The Board reviews regular grant requests greater than $10,000 five times each year. You can find the submission deadlines for these meetings here and on our homepage. You can expect to receive a decision notification email the week of the meeting. If you have not heard from us within a week of the meeting date, please reach out to us at grants@abell.org.

Do you have any hints about what the Foundation looks for in a successful grant application?

The Foundation will provide weighted consideration to grant requests from organizations that meet our Eligibility and Review Criteria.

For information on the Foundation’s previously awarded grants greater than $10,000, please see our library of Past Grants.

How often may my organization apply?

The Abell Foundation funds projects based on their individual merit. Therefore, if your organization is currently receiving funding from the Foundation, or if you have a proposal under consideration, you are welcome to submit an additional proposal for a different project.

The Foundation will only review a single submission for the same project within a calendar year.

My request was declined. When can we apply again for the same project?

You must wait until the next calendar year to reapply for funding for the same project. You may submit a funding request for a new or different project right away.

Why was my proposal declined?

Given the constraints of our budget, the Foundation is unable to fund every request for funding we receive. Our focus on initiatives in Baltimore City also limits our ability to fund proposals submitted from or serving other geographic areas.

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Current Grantees

Where do I submit my interim or post-grant report? Can I download templates for these reports?

Please submit your interim and post-grant reports by logging into our grant portal and clicking the “Requirements” tab on the top left of your screen. If you do not see your reports, please contact us at grants@abell.org.

If you are having trouble accessing or navigating the portal, you may download and complete the templates provided here, and email your completed documents to us at grants@abell.org.

I can’t access my account in the grant portal and I didn’t get an email after using the “Reset Password” function. What can I do?

Please check your spam/junk folder. If you do not receive a password reset email after 10 minutes, please contact our grants team at grants@abell.org.

I successfully logged into the portal, but I don’t see my organization’s previously submitted application(s). How can I find them?

On the Foundation’s grant portal, applications and requirements are associated with and only visible to the set of login credentials used at the time of submission. For larger organizations, it is common for a grant application to be submitted in the portal by one team member and for another team member to need access at a later time. We often suggest that organizations transfer all request records to a single, central email address (for example, info@, development@, or grants@). In order to transfer the submission to a new email address, please contact our grants team at grants@abell.org.

I successfully logged into the portal, but I don’t see my upcoming interim or post-grant report. How can I find them?

If you do not see your reports after logging into our our grant portal and clicking the “Requirements” tab on the top left of your screen, please contact us at grants@abell.org.

If you are having trouble accessing or navigating the portal, you may also download and complete the templates provided here, and email your completed documents to us at grants@abell.org.

My organization would like to recognize the Abell Foundation’s recent grant in our materials. What are your guidelines for acknowledging the Foundation?

You are always welcome to include us in any donor listings or recognition materials as “Abell Foundation.” As a general rule, we prefer any publicity to focus on the work (for example, the individuals served, what the program is and how it operates, and outcomes/impact) rather than the particular Abell Foundation grant award. We also request the opportunity to review any press releases or communications that mention the Foundation in advance. Please email grants@abell.org with your drafted communications.

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