Note:  It is highly recommended that you review our funding guidelines and practices before sending in the application outlined below.  Click here for the funding guidelines and practices.

Deadlines (postmarked or hand-delivered by 5:00pm)*

January 15, 2008

Letters of Inquiry are due for first time applicants, including organizations that have not previously received a grant from BFF or that have been denied funding in previous years.

March 1, 2008

Full proposals are due from solicited organizations and past grantees. 

* If the deadline falls on a weekend, both Letters of Inquiry and Full Proposals are due by 5:00pm on the last business day before the deadline.

Application Guidelines

First Time Applicants (includes organizations that have not previously received a grant from BFF or that have been denied funding in previous years) 

Applicants who have not received previous funding from the Brett Family Foundation are required to submit a brief Letter of Inquiry (LOI), unless requested to submit a full proposal by foundation staff. To receive full consideration, Letters of Inquiry should be submitted by the LOI deadline. (See above.) Letters of Inquiry should not exceed three pages and should include:

1. Brief description of your organization (background, mission and goals) and your social change agenda;
2. Purpose of the program or project for which you are seeking funding and the dollar amount requested or organizational capacity goals if you are seeking general operating support;
3. Outcomes anticipated and plans for assessing achievements;
4. Most recent audited financial statements (if you have them); previous year's income and expense statement, and a balance sheet;
5. Current organizational operating budget, plus project budget if applicable;
6. Copy of current 501(c)(3) determination letter from the IRS; and
7. Listing of your board members and their affiliations.

The Foundation will contact you via written correspondence regarding whether we will request a full proposal. 

Past Grantees (includes organizations from which a full proposal has been requested) 

To receive full consideration, proposals should be submitted by the full proposal deadline. (See above.) The narrative should address the following questions.

History of the Organization: (Up to 1 Page)

1. What is the history of the organization, including specific policy gains achieved and/or other significant accomplishments?
2. How, if at all, has the leadership of the organization changed over the life of the organization?

Program: (2-3 Pages)

1. Please describe your organization’s social change agenda, including key issues to be addressed and populations and communities affected.
2. What strategies and tactics does the organization employ to achieve its social change agenda (i.e., voter engagement, coalition work, policy development and advocacy, public education, direct action)?
3. What do you consider your constituency and what strategies and methods do you use to engage them? What is the current size of your constituency or base?  Do you have specific expansion goals? (If you are a membership organization, please define what it means to be a member.)
4. What components of a statewide progressive infrastructure do you feel need to be in place to achieve lasting policy change in Colorado?  Please describe which of those components are in place, which your organization provides and which need to be created.
5. What do you perceive to be the area (s) where your organization needs the most improvement?  How are you working to address those?
6. What major programmatic goals do you hope to achieve over the next 3 years? What, if any, organizational capacities will you need to develop to achieve these goals?

Purpose of the Grant (Up to 1 Page)

1. Description of your goals and objectives for the grant period and the activities planned to achieve those objectives.
2. Long-term sources / strategies for funding at end of grant period.

Intended Outcomes, Evaluation: (Up to 1 Page)

1. What will be different in your organization, the community and the state as a result of your work this grant period? How will you know whether this has happened?

Attachments

• Organizational budget, project budget, if applicable;
• List of foundation grants and other revenue sources noting whether foundation grants are committed or pending;
• Most recent audited financial statements (if available);
• Income and expense statement and a balance sheet from previous fiscal year;
• Budget vs. Actual report for the previous fiscal year comparing actual expenses and revenues to the budgeted expenses and revenues;
• List of Board of Directors and key staff (please include community affiliations and occupations of Board members);
• Copy of current 501(c)(3) determination letter from the IRS (if you did not already submit one with an LOI).

Delivery*

The foundation accepts LOI's and proposals by U.S. mail, fax, or email:

* If the deadline falls on a weekend, both Letters of Inquiry and Full Proposals are due by 5:00pm on the last business day before the deadline.