Annual Grants: Public Policy Requests

Annual Grants: Public Policy Requests is sponsored by John William Pope Foundation. The John William Pope Foundation offers annual grants to support public policy research promoting a free-market economy and individual liberty under the rule of law. It emphasizes the importance of property rights and personal initiative, welcoming proposals from tax-exempt organizations, particularly those impacting public policy in North Carolina.

Application Overview | John William Pope Foundation The John William Pope Foundation invests in improving the well-being of North Carolinians. Our grant programs have unique application processes with different information requested. If you have questions about the process, please email grants@jwpf.

org. Annual Grants (Spring and Fall) Public policy and higher education Annual Grant Program proposals should be submitted in February. Decisions are typically made by late May.

See the Annual Grants page for more information. Human services, K-12 education, and arts Annual Grant proposals should be submitted in August. Decisions are typically made by late November.

See the Annual Grants page for more information. Joy W. Pope Memorial Grant (Fall) Joy W.

Pope Memorial Grants in the Arts and Human Services are accepted annually between July 1 – September 1. Applications are accepted only through our online portal. Joy W.

Pope Memorial Grant Information Frequently Asked Questions Your geographic focus is North Carolina (public policy and education) and Wake and Vance Counties (arts and human services). Do you ever grant to organizations that fall outside of those locations?

Through our Annual Grants, we occasionally grant funds to organizations that are physically located elsewhere but are doing work for North Carolina and Wake and Vance County residents. Through our Joy W. Pope Memorial Grant Program we will consider organizations located anywhere in North Carolina.

Should I submit a letter of inquiry? The Pope Foundation does not respond to letters of inquiry. Interested organizations may apply for the Annual Grants and Joy W.

Pope Memorial Grants without any advance work. What documents should I prepare for the application? We do our best to keep our application succinct, however we do request a few documents including your most recent annual audit and IRS Form 990.

Annual Audit – if your organization does not complete an audit, please prepare a balance sheet and income and expense statement that cover your most recent fiscal year. Please have them signed by your board chair. IRS Form 990 – If your organization submits a postcard, please submit a copy of the successful submission.

If you have not received a JWPF grant before, please be prepared to share your IRS determination letter that shows your tax-exempt status. All applicants should prepare a written narrative that details your request. There is no page or word limit.

End your written narrative with a list of your current board members. Financial documents and the written narrative will be uploaded to the application. Do you require a meeting for applicants?

We do not require meetings or phone conversations before or after you apply. We will reach out to you if we have additional questions or need to discuss your application further. What types of grant requests do you consider?

Through Annual Grants, the Foundation considers both general operating and program/project-specific requests. Through the Joy W. Pope Memorial Grants, the Foundation considers only project-specific requests.

The Foundation does not make direct aid grants to individuals or loans of any kind. All recipients must be fully compliant with nonprofit IRS rules and regulations. Do you have an overhead policy for universities or colleges?

Many of the Pope Foundation’s grants are unrestricted and can be used for general operating expenses. However, the Foundation will not provide support for overhead costs at colleges, universities, and similar organizations. Review ‘Our Policies’ page for the full statement.

We have two deadlines for our Annual Grant program. Organizations in public policy or higher education should apply in February. Organizations in human services, K-12 education, or the arts should apply in August.

Specific deadlines are listed on our Annual Grants information page . Deadlines will vary from year to year. If you are interested in our Joy W.

Pope Memorial Grant program you should apply between July 1 – September 1, annually. How much funding should I request? We consider all request amounts for the Annual Grant program.

The Foundation meets grant proposals in part and in full. In the Joy W. Pope Memorial Grant program, we cap requests and grants at $100,000 per fund.

You can see our previous year’s grants on our ‘Grant Priorities’ page. If the Foundation declines my proposal, can we apply in the future? We do not limit the number of times your organization can apply.

You are welcome to submit again, and we will most likely consider your proposal during the next applicable grant cycle. Can I submit more than one proposal at the same time? You are welcome to request funding for more than one need.

However, we ask that you condense your requests into one proposal package and detail the multiple asks in the narrative section. My organization does not perform an annual audit. What should I submit instead?

The Foundation will consider your proposal regardless of whether or not your organization performs an annual audit. However, you should plan on submitting your most recent year-end financial statements that include a balance sheet, income and expenses, and a basic cash flow signed by your board chair. Do your grants have reporting requirements?

The Foundation makes all attempts to keep reporting simple. We ask project-specific grant recipients to share the progress of their projects in narrative form. We ask all recipients to share financial information, including both audits/financial statements and 990s, and a copy of the annual report for the year in which the grant is received.

Can a group that is a not a nonprofit apply? The Foundation will only grant funds to IRS registered and compliant nonprofits. Our organization is new and does not have its final nonprofit status confirmed yet.

Can we still apply? The Foundation will only grant funds to IRS registered and compliant nonprofits. We are able to consider grants where there is a formal fiscal sponsorship in place.

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