How to Apply
The Robert W. Woodruff Foundation is an independent private foundation that seeks to improve the quality of life in Georgia by investing in health, education, economic opportunity and community vitality.
Eligibility
Your organization may be eligible for a grant if it:- Is a 501(c)(3) public charity.
- Is located or operating in Georgia.
- Aligns with the Foundation’s program interests in Health, Education, Environment, Human Services, Arts & Culture or Community Development.
Application Deadlines
The Foundation accepts grant requests throughout the year. We encourage you to submit before the deadlines listed below.- February 1 – Requests received by the first business day on or after February 1 will be considered at the April meeting of our Board of Trustees.
- August 15 – Requests received by the first business day on or after August 15 will be considered at the November meeting of our Board of Trustees.
Application Process
- Review our eligibility requirements (above), grantmaking guidelines and program interests. We encourage you to email an informal inquiry to fdns@woodruff.org to determine if you should apply for a grant.
- Submit a request using our online grant portal by clicking “Submit Grant Request Letter” below. The Foundation has moved to Blackbaud’s YourCause system. All organizations should click “Create Account” to submit a request in the new portal and add noreply@yourcause.com to your safe senders list. After setting up an account and logging in, please enter your organization’s tax ID number and complete the short eligibility quiz.
If you are eligible to apply for a grant, you will proceed to an application form that asks for contact information and the following materials uploaded as a single PDF:- Grant request letter that is prepared on letterhead, dated, signed by your organization’s leadership, and addressed to P. Russell Hardin, President of the Woodruff, Whitehead and Evans Foundations. We prefer letters that are concise and no more than 5 pages long before attachments. Please address the following in your letter.
- Organization: Describe your organization’s mission, history and programs. If applicable, include program outcomes, any significant partnerships, and population served (please share demographic and geographic information if available).
- Funding request: Describe the initiative for which you seek support, including the challenges you intend to address, your goals, implementation timeline, expected outcomes, and capacity to achieve your goals. If the initiative adds costs to your annual budget, please share how you will fund those costs long-term.
- Itemized project budget, including all major categories of expense. If personnel expense is part of your project budget, please indicate the number of staff.
- Operating budget, including budgeted and actual amounts for all major income and expense categories for your current fiscal year.
- Fundraising status report, including all sources of support in hand or anticipated. Please include totals.
- Financial statements, including most recent audit report.
- Board list, including name, title and professional affiliation for each member. Please note officers.
- Current IRS determination letter.
- Grant request letter that is prepared on letterhead, dated, signed by your organization’s leadership, and addressed to P. Russell Hardin, President of the Woodruff, Whitehead and Evans Foundations. We prefer letters that are concise and no more than 5 pages long before attachments. Please address the following in your letter.
- Please add any staff who should have access to the application by clicking “Manage Applicants” in the grant portal. You can save and return to a grant request at any time by clicking “Return to Saved Grant Request” below.
Grant Review Process
Grant requests are reviewed by our president, grants program director and program officers. If your request is clearly not within the giving interests of the Foundation, we will notify you promptly by email.If your request is accepted for consideration at the next meeting of our Board of Trustees, you will be notified by email and contacted by Foundation staff for a meeting or site visit.
All grant decisions are made by our Trustees at their board meeting based on the merits of your request and the priorities of the Foundation. The Foundation will notify you of its decision by email within one week of the Board of Trustees meeting.