Private Higher Education Program Area

Private Higher Education Program Area is sponsored by The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations. Supports colleges and universities that prioritize undergraduate education and emphasize the liberal arts, with grants typically supporting projects that improve student outcomes or enhance faculty leadership. The Foundations do not provide grants to support capital projects or endowment.

Apply For A Grant - The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations Hello, you are using an old browser that's unsafe and no longer supported. Please consider your browser to a newer version, or downloading a The submission window for the 2026 LOI cycle is now closed. Between now and March 2027, no new LOIs may be started.

Information for the 2027 – 2028 Review Cycle will be announced in March 2027. We strive to make our grantmaking process systematic, rigorous, and as streamlined as possible. Here are eight important things you need to know.

We accept open-submission funding requests in one Program Area: Private Higher Education. The other four Program Areas are by invitation only. Our application process has two stages.

Funding requests begin with the submission of a Letter of Inquiry (LOI). Competitive LOIs are invited to a Full Proposal stage. We do not provide feedback on draft LOIs or consultations on potential funding requests.

We only support public charities within the United States. All application materials are submitted through the AVDF portal. More information can be found on our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Generally we fund discrete projects rather than providing organizational support. We do not fund capital projects or endowments. We review requests at specific times of year.

Please review our grant calendar. The Foundations' Grantmaking Process Step 1: Letter of Inquiry The Letter of Inquiry (LOI) is the required first step in the Foundations’ grant process. The LOI requests basic information about the project, including the request amount, a brief description of the proposed activities, and the anticipated results.

If you would like the Foundations to consider your request, please submit an LOI . Please note that AVDF accepts open-submission funding requests in one Program Area: Private Higher Education. The other four Program Areas are by invitation only.

” The Foundations’ program staff reviews each LOI to determine if the proposed project represents a potentially successful opportunity to advance the philanthropic mission of AVDF. The Foundations consider each LOI in light of our limited resources and in comparison with other requests submitted within each Program Area. Those submitting the most competitive requests will be invited to submit a full proposal.

Full Proposals are submitted by invitation only and are the required second step in the Foundations’ grant process. Invitations to submit a full proposal are issued in accordance with the dates listed on the Grant Calendar . The Full Proposal requires additional information about the project budget and the anticipated results of the project.

It also requires applicants to provide a document that addresses key questions about the project. Most applicants find that information provided in the Letter of Intent can be repurposed for use in this document. The Foundations have developed a rigorous process of Full Proposal review which takes up to five months.

The review process for each Full Proposal involves one or more of the following steps: Step 1: Initial Proposal Review AVDF program staff review each Full Proposal and may request additional information or clarification as needed to carry out this initial review. These requests are sent via email and may require applicants to revise their Full Proposals through the AVDF portal. In some cases, proposals are externally reviewed.

The Foundations sometimes use external reviewers as an additional means of assessing Full Proposals. These reviewers are asked to assess the quality and significance of the project and the capacity of the project leadership to carry out the proposed activities. In some cases, anonymous external reviewer comments are forwarded to applicants so that they may respond to questions or concerns or revise their proposal materials.

Step 3: Applicant Revisions After Full Proposals are assessed by program staff and external reviewers, applicants may be asked to respond to questions or concerns or revise their proposal materials. Applicants receive requests of this sort via email, and are able to revise their proposal materials in the AVDF portal.

The Foundations assign a specific deadline for responses and revisions in order to meet the timelines of the Grant Calendar. Step 4: Final Proposal Review At the conclusion of the revision process, the most competitive Full Proposals are recommended for approval by the AVDF Board of Trustees. AVDF aims for a Full Proposal approval rate of 70% or higher.

Step 3: AVDF Board Review All funding decisions at AVDF are made by the AVDF Board of Trustees. The Board meets to decide Full Proposals in February and May. Because the review process for some Full Proposals can take up to 5 months, projects should not have start dates before June 1.

All applicants will be notified via email of the Foundations’ decision concerning their proposal no later than June 1. The U.S. and the Holocaust The Emmy-nominated documentary tells the story of how Americans grappled with one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the 20th century. Explore our Grant Database Explore our Grant Calendar