Public

Private

Government funding

• Federal
• State
• Local

• Nongovernmental, nonprofit organization
• Has a principal fund or endowment
• Managed by a Board of Trustees & directors
• Maintains or aids charitable, educational, religious, or other activities serving the public good
• Makes grants, primarily to nonprofit organizations

• Federal: HRSA
• State: Florida State Department of Education
• Local: Palm Beach County Board of Commissioners

• Independent Foundation-– established by a person/family of wealth (largest group)
• Corporate/Company-sponsored Foundation – created & funded by corporations
• Operating Foundation- – established to operate programs
• Community Foundation- – supported by & operated for the benefit of a specific community or region

• Often predictable, stable over time

• More likely to take a risk on a new or innovative idea

• Complex – usually takes longer to complete an application
• Lots of forms
• Structured with established timelines that are NOT flexible

• Initial contact may be through a phone call or 3-4 page letter of inquiry
• May or may not have established forms or timelines

• Larger staff available; usually at least one person is listed as a contact & is primarily responsible for answering questions from applicants
• All information is a matter of public record. This means that an applicant can call and find out why a proposal was not funded
• Also all meetings are open to the public – future funding directions may be discussed

• Often a smaller foundation may have only 1-2 staff, so it can be harder to get questions answered.
• Also, the foundation may be new to issuing RFPs and not have all the kinks worked out of their system; staff may not have the answers to specific questions.
• Information is private, it is still important to attempt to find out why a proposal was not successful, but foundations are not required to give you an answer.
• Foundation tax records (Form 990) are a matter of Public Record. The 990 provides information on a foundation’s assets and which organizations they have funded in a given year, as well as their stated funding priorities

• Usually larger & over a longer period of time

• Usually funding for a single year, with possible renewal if project is successful

• More stringent, structured; more paperwork
• Want information in a specified format

• Outcomes not as rigid; methods of sustainability being emphasized in recent years
• More flexibility in how results are reported