FAQs
+ Eligibility
> Matching & Spending
* Stewardship
+ Who is eligible for funding from EE Ford?
All applying schools must:
- Serve a 9–12th grade program
- Students must have graduated from your school
- Be a member of NAIS
- Have a mission to serve a diverse population
- Have a current Head of School who is serving in at least their 2nd year (Traditional Grant) or 3rd year (Leadership Grant) before a proposal from the school can be considered and must plan to remain in the role for the period of time specified to raise the match
- Not have applied for funding from the EE Ford Foundation within the last 4 years
All applying associations must:
- Not have applied for funding from the EE Ford Foundation within the last 4 years.
- Have a current Association Executive Director serving in at least their 2nd year.
- Have a proposal that supports the work of students and faculty in independent secondary schools, grades 9-12. Support will not be provided for administrative expenses of the Association.
+ Is there a Leadership term requirement?
Yes. In order to bring a proposal for consideration, the current head of school must be serving in at least their 2nd year (Traditional Grant) or 3rd year (Leadership Grant) and must plan to remain in the role for the period of time specified to raise the match. Association Executive Directors must be serving in at least their 2nd year.
+ What happens if we withdraw from an Agenda?
If for any reason your school should need to withdraw from an Agenda, please notify our office as soon as possible. According to the Board’s policy, a school that withdraws late in the process, without compelling reason, is required to wait a four-year period before seeking placement on another Agenda.
+ Is there a waiting period between grant applications?
Yes. Applicants must wait 4 years between grant applications, regardless of whether the proposal was granted or denied. (There is some flexibility with regard to the scaling up of Traditional Grants to Educational Leadership Grants. This circumstance is best pursued in conversation with the Executive Director.)
+ How do we request placement on an Agenda?
You can fill out this form! After you submit the form, we’ll be in touch to schedule a brief, introductory call between your Head of School and our Executive Director.
+ Are Associations eligible for funding from EE Ford?
National, regional, state and local independent school associations located in the United States and other similar member associations where a majority of the member schools are otherwise eligible to make proposals to the Foundation, may be eligible to apply. Other domestic associations or organizations pursuing significant work in the independent school world can be considered upon the recommendation of the Executive Director to the Board. Proposals must support the work of students and faculty in independent secondary schools, grades 9-12. Support will not be provided for administrative expenses of the Association.
+ Can a proposal developed collaboratively by more than one School or Association be considered?
Yes.
+ Are there formatting requirements for Educational Leadership Grant proposals?
Yes, see requirements here.
+ Can the school request funds for a capital project?
If our grant is going to be but a small component of the cost of a capital project, there needs to be a compelling reason why we should support such a project and any school considering such a project should discuss it first with the Executive Director.
> Are EE Ford grants matching grants?
Yes, all grants must be matched at least one-to-one (1:1).
> Are the expectations different for schools that have significant financial resources?
Better resourced schools are expected to seek funding from the Foundation to “leverage its unique talents, expertise and resources to advance teaching and learning” more broadly and not just to benefit the school itself.
> Can the school count funds already received toward the match?
Funds must be "booked" subsequent to the Foundation's Board awarding the school the grant. Support can be cultivated in advance of the Board's decision date but the gifts must come after.
> Can the matching funds be used for a different purpose?
The Board expects matching funds will be used for the same general purpose as the grant monies. Matching gifts must be solicited for the specific purpose of meeting the match challenge.
> Can pledges count toward the match?
Only cash gifts may be applied to the match. Pledges do not qualify.
> If a distinct, explicit effort is made to secure matching funds, will every dollar count?
Yes!
> Can Annual Giving count toward the match?
The Foundation formerly allowed schools to use increased annual fund donations to make the match but this is no longer permitted, except in limited cases where permission to do so is given to the school at the time it seeks placement on an Agenda.
> How are matching funds typically raised?
The matching funds are usually raised through targeted, individual major gifts sought for the grant purpose. The match can also be raised through increased annual fund support, through a school's annual fund gala (if the support is explicitly requested to satisfy the match), and/or through outside foundations that don't, themselves, require a match.
> In our proposal, how specific should we be about our plan to raise the match?
The plan to raise the matching funds must be made explicit in your proposal grant budget. (Questions concerning match eligibility are best pursued in conversation with the Foundation Executive Director.)
> Can funds given in response to another matching challenge be used toward the EE Ford match?
No, but there is no conflict if a third party matches some or all of the Edward E. Ford funds and the funds are given to meet the matching challenge.
> How long do we have to raise the match after being awarded the grant?
Successful schools generally have a little more than one year to raise the required matching funds for a Traditional Grant and a little more than two years for a Leadership Grant. The specific date by which the match must be made is always specified in the formal documents awarding the grant and, while cultivation of support for the match can take place before the Board makes a decision to approve a proposal, only gifts booked after that date but before the deadline can be counted.
> We successfully raised our match! How do we unlock the grant funds?
Check the letter/email you received from the bank confirming your grant award. You’ll find instructions and a match report template attached. Once you have submitted the necessary documentation, the EE Ford grant is paid by J.P. Morgan, the Foundation’s trustee.
> What is the spending timeline of the grant? Is it more than a year?
The Foundation's grant can be spent down over more than one fiscal year. The spending timeline should be specified in the proposal.
> Can EE Ford grants be placed in endowment?
Typically no, unless special permission is given. Matching funds may be directed toward endowment to support a program initiated by a grant. Endowments established, at least in part, by past grants from the Foundation, must be able to be tracked for total gift value and current market value. A reasonable yield from such endowments must be used annually for the original intended purpose.
> What are the matching expectations for Associations?
The Board expects a matching component appropriate to the particular proposal. The means for raising the match should be discussed with the Executive Director. Some appropriate portion of the total cost of the project will be supplied by sources other than the grant of the Foundation. (A Resolution of the Board of the Association to this point can be sufficient for a request to the Trustee to release the funds granted.)
> What types of funds can count toward the match for Associations?
Matching funds may include gifts or grants in response to the Foundation’s grant, fees and other charges generated by a project, or monies transferred from other resources.
> Can the matching funds be used for a different purpose?
The Board expects matching funds will be used for the same general purpose as the grant monies. Matching gifts must be solicited for the specific purpose of meeting the match challenge.
> Can pledges count toward the match?
Only cash gifts may be applied to the match. Pledges do not qualify.
> If a distinct, explicit effort is made to secure matching funds, will every dollar count?
Yes!
> Can Annual Giving count toward the match?
The Foundation formerly allowed schools to use increased annual fund donations to make the match but this is no longer permitted, except in limited cases where permission to do so is given to the school at the time it seeks placement on an Agenda.
> How are matching funds typically raised?
The matching funds are usually raised through targeted, individual major gifts sought for the grant purpose. The match can also be raised through increased annual fund support, through a school's annual fund gala (if the support is explicitly requested to satisfy the match), and/or through outside foundations that don't, themselves, require a match.
> In our proposal, how specific should we be about our plan to raise the match?
The plan to raise the matching funds must be made explicit in your proposal grant budget. (Questions concerning match eligibility are best pursued in conversation with the Foundation Executive Director.)
> Can funds given in response to another matching challenge be used toward the EE Ford match?
No, but there is no conflict if a third party matches some or all of the Edward E. Ford funds and the funds are given to meet the matching challenge.
> How long do we have to raise the match after being awarded the grant?
Successful schools generally have a little more than one year to raise the required matching funds for a Traditional Grant and a little more than two years for a Leadership Grant. The specific date by which the match must be made is always specified in the formal documents awarding the grant and, while cultivation of support for the match can take place before the Board makes a decision to approve a proposal, only gifts booked after that date but before the deadline can be counted.
> We successfully raised our match! How do we unlock the grant funds?
Check the letter/email you received from the bank confirming your grant award. You’ll find instructions and a match report template attached. Once you have submitted the necessary documentation, the EE Ford grant is paid by J.P. Morgan, the Foundation’s trustee.
> What is the spending timeline of the grant? Is it more than a year?
The Foundation's grant can be spent down over more than one fiscal year. The spending timeline should be specified in the proposal.
> Can EE Ford grants be placed in endowment?
Typically no, unless special permission is given. Matching funds may be directed toward endowment to support a program initiated by a grant. Endowments established, at least in part, by past grants from the Foundation, must be able to be tracked for total gift value and current market value. A reasonable yield from such endowments must be used annually for the original intended purpose.
> What are the matching expectations for Associations?
The Board expects a matching component appropriate to the particular proposal. The means for raising the match should be discussed with the Executive Director. Some appropriate portion of the total cost of the project will be supplied by sources other than the grant of the Foundation. (A Resolution of the Board of the Association to this point can be sufficient for a request to the Trustee to release the funds granted.)
> What types of funds can count toward the match for Associations?
Matching funds may include gifts or grants in response to the Foundation’s grant, fees and other charges generated by a project, or monies transferred from other resources.
* Is grant stewardship a requirement?
Yes. If a school has received a grant from the EE Ford Foundation in the past, it must have shown that it has been a good steward of our prior philanthropy. This includes timely submission of stewardship reports and appropriate accounting for any past grants that included funds for permanently restricted endowments.
* When should we submit a Stewardship Report?
Once all of the Foundation's funds and the matching funds have been put to work, we require a Final Stewardship Report. There is no hard deadline for submission of these reports, though we prefer to receive them as soon as possible after the funding has been deployed and the project has been completed. Good stewardship includes us not having to remind the school or association to fulfill this obligation.
* What should a Stewardship Report consist of?
While the format of the final Stewardship Report is left to the school and could include photos, video, websites and other web or non web content, we ask that you make sure to use the original proposal as a guide for creating the stewardship report and, at the bare minimum incorporate the following components:
Narrative: In the context of the original proposal, please provide us with a sense of the school's or association's overall experience with the project. While we understand that circumstances often arise that require minor modifications of specific elements of a proposal, the stewardship report should reflect a good faith effort on the part of the school or association to fulfill the goals of the original proposal that was approved by the EE Ford Board.
Actual Budget: Please include a final, actual budget outlining how all of the funds (our grant and the match) were used while also noting any significant variances from the originally proposed budget, if any. (Small variations do not concern us nor do they require explanation.) If a project needs to be modified a great deal due to external circumstances, the school or association needs to contact us in advance and ask for permission from the Exectuive Director. The Foundation wants the money to be used well and thoughtfully rather than rushed and hastily.
* Should we submit interim stewardship reports if ours is a multi-year project?
Interim reports are welcome but not required.