Policy Central: Grantmaking and Strategy
Grantmaking policies are essential for boards and staffs seeking to develop efficient systems for tracking, evaluating, and managing progress on current and prospective grants. Included here are samples policies and checklists for budgets, site visits, evaluation forms, discretionary grants, and much more.
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- Please submit your own policy or sample to share through the NCFP Knowledge Center.
- If you represent a foundation that has an updated version of a sample included here, please contact NCFP staff to update it.
- For assessment tools and other resources related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in family philanthropy, please see our Content Collection on Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
Start Here: Trust-Based Philanthropy Policies
- How to Show Up in a Trust based Way (TBP, 2022)
- Building Trust Through Regular Check Ins (TBP, 2022)
- Guidelines for Interactions with Community Based Orgs (Firelight Fdn, 2022)
Allocation of Board and Staff Responsibilities
- Roles and Responsibilities of Board and Staff (Anonymous, 2012)
- Dividing Duties Between Board and Staff (Nonprofit Network, 2022)
- Board and Staff Job Descriptions (Leighty Fdn, 2013)
Budget Reporting Templates
- Grant Report Budget Instructions and Template (Tower Fdn, 2017)
- Grant Report Template (Walton Family Foundation, 2012)
- Budget Reporting Template (Walton Family Foundation, 2012)
- Budget Format (HRK Foundation, 2003)
- Grant Application Budget Format (NCFP, 2003)
Capital Grants
- Capital Grant Guidelines Examples (S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation)
- Capital Grant Guidelines (Davis, 2019)
- Small Capital Grants Guidelines (Pohlad FF, 2014)
- Guidelines on Capital Grants Eckerd Family Foundation (Eckerd Family Foundation, 2001)
- Capital Grants Question List (Eckerd Family Foundation, 2001)
- Capital Grants Discussion Paper (Eckerd Family Foundation, 2002)
Community Member Compensation Policy
Declination Letters
- Declination Letters (PNGF, 2012)
- Sample Grant Declination Letter (Anonymous, 2012)
- Sample Declination Letters (CMIF, 2019)
- Declination postcard (The Leighty Foundation, 2009)
Disaster Grantmaking
- Disaster Grantmaking Checklist (Hilton Foundation, 2012)
- Checklist for Effective Disaster Response
- Opportunity Fund Framework (Anonymous)
Discretionary Grants Policies
- Discretionary Grants Policies (GEO and NCFP, 2018)
- Discretionary Grants Policy (Castellano FF, 2014)
- Discretionary Grant Form (Castellano FF, 2014)
- Discretionary Grants Request and Acknowledgment (CMF, 2015)
- Discretionary Grants Policy (Council on Foundations, 2001)
- Discretionary Grants Policy (Kinsman Foundation, 2002)
- Discretionary Grants Policy (Healthcare Initiatives Foundation, 1999)
- Discretionary Trustee Grant Application Form (General Service Foundation, 2003)
- Discretionary Grants Policy (Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, 2003)
Discretionary Grants Procedures
- Trustee Directed Grant Letter (Campion Foundation, 2015)
- Discretionary Grants Letter (Basic)
- Discretionary Grant Staff Workflow (Maine Health Fdn, 2018)
- Discretionary Grant Recommendation Form (Russell FF 2021)
- Discretionary Grant Due Diligence Procedures (HLMFF, 2017)
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policies and Plans
- Commitment to DEI (Bainum, 2021)
- DEI Commitment Statement (Gates, 2021)
- DEI Contextual Notes (McKnight, 2019)
- DEI Policy (Wege Foundation, 2017)
- DEI Vision and Strategies (Collins Foundation, 2016)
- Commitment to DEI (RBF, 2010)
- Policies, Practices, and Programs for DEI (D5 Initiative, 2013)
- Foundations Facilitate DEI (D5, 2013)
Diversity of Grantees
- Guiding Questions to Advance Racial Diversity in an Organization (ZSR Foundation, 2016)
- Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (McKnight Foundation, 2018)
- Policy Regarding Grantmaking and the Racial Diversity of Nonprofit Boards (ZSR Foundation, 2009)
- Commitment to Diversity (Packard Foundation, 2017)
- Incorporating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in your Grantmaking Process A Checklist of Potential Actions (Arabella Advisors, 2016)
Eligiblity Quiz for Prospective Grantees
Endowment Grants Policy
Expenditure Responsibility
- Expenditure Responsibility Policy & Procedure (Oishei Foundation, 2016)
- Expenditure Responsibility Report Template (Walton FF, 2016)
- Expenditure Responsibility Grant Requirements (Moore Fdn, 2016)
- Expenditure Responsibility Agreement and Inquiry Letter (COF, 2016)
- Expenditure Responsibility Agreement (Sample, 2016)
- Expenditure Responsibility Primer (Adler and Colvin, 2010)
Fiscal Sponsorship
- Fiscal Sponsorship Who Does What (National Council of Nonprofits)
- Fiscal Sponsorship Grant Agreement (Adler and Colvin, 2009)
- Sample Fiscal Sponsorship Agreement (The Colorado Trust)
- Sample Fiscal Sponsorship Agreement Template (COF, 2014)
- Webinar Resource List Reducing the Administrative Burden through Fiscal Sponsorship 3.10.22
General Operating Support Grants
- General Support Grant Agreement (Bolder Advocacy, 2012)
- General Operating Support Grants (Dyson, 2019)
- Principles of Best Practice (Dyson, 2019)
Grant Agreements
- Grant Agreement Template (BMGF, 2021)
- Grant Agreement Sample (Kinsman, 2018)
- Project Grant Agreement (Bolder Advocacy, 2022)
- Grant Agreement (Ascienzo Fam Fdn, 2016)
- Grant Agreement Template (Pew, 2016)
- Grant Agreement (Dyson Foundation, 2016)
- Grant Agreement International grants (Anonymous, 2011)
- Grant Agreeemnt (Steans Family Foundation, 2006)
- Grant Agreement (NCFP, 2002)
- Fiscal Sponsorship Grant Agreement (Adler and Colvin, 2009)
Grant Agreement for a 501(c)(4) Organization
Grant Application Forms
- Formal Grant Proposal (Walton Family Foundation, 2017)
- Grant Application (Potts Family Fdn, 2017)
- Grant Application Cover Sheet (Farrell FF, 2014)
- Discretionary Trustee Grant Application Form (General Service Foundation, 2003)
- What Grantmakers Commonly Require Grantseekers to Include in Applications (NCFP, 2002)
- Grant Application (Nesholm Family Foundation, 2010)
- Grant Application form (The Leighty Foundation, 2013)
- Grant Proposal Application Form (NCFP, 2002)
- Grant Application Form (Clowes Fund, 2002)
- Grant Application (Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, 2002)
- Grant Application Form (Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, 2003)
- Grant Application Checklist (Grotto Foundation, 2003)
- Grant Application (The Meadows Foundation, 2003)
Grant Approval Letter
Grant Evaluation - Trust-Based Reporting Practices
- 3 Questions for Verbal Reporting (GSF, 2022)
- Building Trust Through Regular Check Ins (TBP, 2022)
- How to Show Up in a Trust based Way (TBP, 2022)
- Trust Based Philanthropy Self Reflection Tool (TBPP, 2021)
Grant Evaluation - Interim and Progress Reports
- Interim Narrative Grant Report (Mott, 2019)
- Interim Grant Report (Patrick and Aimee Butler Fam Fdn, 2017)
- Grant Reporting Instructions (non specific) (Nord Family Foundation, 2019)
- Grant Reporting Guidelines (Goodman FF, 2017)
- Progress Report Summary Table (Walton Family Foundation, 2012)
- Progress Report Form (Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, 2003)
- Progress Report Form (Wilburforce Foundation, 2003)
Grant Evaluation - Final Reporting Forms
- Final Narrative Grant Report (Mott, 2019)
- Final Financial Grant Report PDF (Mott, 2019)
- Final Financial Grant Report EXCEL (Mott, 2019)
- Invited Grantee Report (Patrick and Aimee Butler Fam Fdn, 2017)
- Final Grant Report (Patrick and Aimee Butler Fam Fdn, 2017)
- Grant Completion Report (Davis Family Foundation, 2016)
- Grant Evaluation Form (Lowell Berry Foundation, 2012)
- Grant Evaluation Form (Jones Family Foundation, 2012)
- Grant Evaluation form (The Leighty Foundation, 2013)
- Grant Evaluation Form (Burt Foundation, 2012)
Grantee Assessment Tool
Guidelines and Agreement with Prohibition Against Hate
Guidelines
- Grantmaking Guidelines Collection (NCFP, 2020)
- Grant Proposal Guidelines and Evaluation Criteria. (Moses Taylor Foundation, 2016)
- Grantmaking Guidelines (Brinson Foundation, 2016)
- 2015 Small Grants Program Guidelines (Tower Foundation, 2015)
Letter of Inquiry
Matching Grants
- Matching Grant Policy (Tracy FF, 2020)
- Matching Grant Request Form (The Clowes Fund, 2014)
- Matching Grants (Morgan FF, 2015)
- Matching Grant Program and Forms (Dobbs Fund, 2017)
- Matching Gifts Policy (Rockefeller, 2015)
- Matching Gift Request Form
- Matching Grants Are They Useful and When Do They Succeed (Meyer Memorial Trust, 2003)
Mission Statements
- Mission, Vision and Values Statement Collection (NCFP, 2020)
- Mission Vision Beliefs (Brinson Foundation, 2016)
- Five Pillars of Giving (Murphy FF, 2015)
- Examples of Mission Statements (NCFP, 2000)
Postcard or Form Letters
Pre-application Questionnaire and Grantee Eligibility Quiz
- Eligibility Quiz (Cafritz Foundation, 2019)
- Pre application Questionnaire (Bender Family Foundation, 2015)
- Eligibility Quiz (Washington Foundation, 2019)
- Grantseeker Information Form (Brinson Foundation, 2016)
- Due Diligence Tool for Pre Grant Assessment (GEO, 2013)
- Pre Application Questionnaire for Grantees (NCFP, 2003)
Publicity, Communications, and Recognition Policies
- Communication Platforms (Stupski, 2021)
- Announcements and Promotional Activities Guidelines
- Statement on Publicity (Genuardi FF, 2019)
- Grantseeker Communications Policy (Anonymous, 2016)
- Publicity and Recognition Policy (Raibrook Fdn, 2016)
- Publicity Policy (The Lutheran Fdn, 2016)
- Publicity Policy (Park Fdn, 2016)
- Publicity Policy (McCune Fdn, 2016)
- Publicity Policy (Joseph Fam Fdn, 2016)
- Publicity Policy (Guregian Fdn, 2016)
- Publicity Policy (Davis Family Fdns, 2016)
- Publicity Policy (Davis Family Fdns, 2016)
- Publicity Policy (Davis Educational Fdn, 2016)
- Grants Publicity Policy (Woodruff Fdn, 2016)
- Grant Publicity (Goizueta Fdn, 2016)
- General Publicity Guidelines (Dyson Fdn, 2016)
Request for Proposals
- Request for Proposal (Stolte Family Foundation, 2016)
- Invitation for Proposal (Dorrance Fam Fdn, 2016)
- Next Gen Fund RFP (Andrus, 2015)
- Request for Proposal (Paul G. Allen Fdn, 2016)
Sabbaticals
- Sabbatical Programs for Nonprofit Leaders A How To Guide for Funders Durfee Foundation 2007
- Sabbatical Policies for Nonprofits (Durfee Foundation)
- Sabbatical Policy (Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, 2010)
- Sabbatical Application Form (Durfee Foundation, 2003)
Scholarships
- Policy on Scholarship Initiative (Eckerd Family Foundation, 2001)
- Scholarship Nomination Form (Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, 2003)
Site Visit Forms and Checklists
- Guidelines for Interactions with Community Based Orgs (Firelight Fdn, 2022)
- Site Visit Tips and Case Studies (Family Foundation Advisor, 2022)
- Site Visit Worksheet (Packard Fdn, 2016)
- Site Visit Evaluation Form (Marksbury Fam Fdn, 2016)
- Dodge Foundation Site Visit Rubric (David Grant, 2015)
- Site Visit Guidance (William J. and Dorothy K. ONeill Foundation, 2011)
- Site Visit Checklist (Leighty Foundation, 2001)
- Site Visit Evaluation Report (Leighty Foundation, 2001)
Strategic Plans
- Strategic Plan (TLL Temple Fdn, 2021 25)
- Strategic Framework 2019 to 2021 (McKnight Fdn)
- Strategic Plan (Ahrens Foundation, 2017 2019)
- Family Foundation Strategic Plan Template (NCFP, 2017)
- Strategic Plan (Gates Family Foundation, 2016)
- Strategic Plan (Overbrook Foundation, 2016)
- Strategic Framework, (McKnight Foundation, 2012 to 2014)
- Strategic Plan (Tracy FF, 2013 to 17)
- Strategic Plan (Ahrens FF, 2017 to 2019)
- Strategic Framework (Wilburforce Fdn, 2014 to 2025)
- Strategic Framework (Francis FF, 2013 2017)
- Strategic Plan (Bainum Family Fdn, 2015 to 2020)
- Strategic Plan (Ruth Mott Foundation, 2016 2025)
- Strategic Plan (Oishei Fdn, 2017 to 2021)
- Strategic Plan (Lumina Fdn, 2017 2020)
- Strategic Plan (Tower Foundation, 2012)
Theory of Change
- Theory of Change (Specialty Family Foundation)
- Theory of Change (Tauck Foundation)
- Theory of Change (Segal Family Foundation)
- Theory of Change (Headwaters Fdn, 2022)
- Theory of Change (Wells Fargo Foundation)
- Theory of Change (Northwest Area Foundation)