How do I apply for a grant from the Medina Foundation?
To apply, please send us a one- to two-page letter of inquiry describing your organization and your services. Your letter should include your full contact information, including an e-mail address. Upon review of your letter, the Medina Foundation will provide a grant application via e-mail to selected organizations. If you are asked to submit a full application, the Medina Foundation staff will carefully review it and will usually request a site visit. After the site visit, the trustees meet to make grant decisions.

Letters of inquiry should be sent to:

What is the application review process?
Full applications will be e-mailed to selected organizations that submit a one- to two-page letter of inquiry describing your organization. If you are asked to submit a full application, the Foundation staff will carefully review it and will usually request a site visit. After the review process, the trustees meet to make grant decisions. A grant decision typically is made within three months after the receipt of a complete application.

Are there application deadlines?
No. Trustees meet several times each year and consider completed applications in the order they were received.

Why do you not accept Philanthropy Northwest?s Common Grant Application form and why do you require your budget format?
Several questions from the Common Grant Application have been integrated into our application to better fit our needs. Recently, the Medina Foundation Trustees went through a strategic planning process and revised the guidelines and the application form. In order to make sure the application was as straightforward as possible, a focus group of our grantees provided feedback on the application.

Because the Foundation staff and trustees review so many proposals each year, we have found that requiring a specific budget format helps to keep consistency in our review process.

Do you have a preference for the types of grants you award?
The Foundation funds general operating expenses, program costs, capital requests and start-up projects. No one type of support is given priority. We rely on each organization to let us know their greatest area of need. Although about 80% of the funding generally goes to human services and 20% goes to education, the trustees give preference to requests that meet critical needs, employ innovative and effective approaches, fill a unique niche in their community and have a diverse funding base.

What is an average grant size?
Typical grant size varies depending on an organizations size, project and need. The median grant range is $15,000 to $25,000.
For information on specific grant awards

How much does the Medina Foundation give away each year?
On average, approximately $4 million is granted each year, depending on the performance of the endowment investments. This amount varies each year. For example, in 2009 we granted $4.1 million and in 2008 we granted $4.4 million.

Do you make multi-year gifts?
While not typical, the Foundation has made a few multi-year gifts. If you have a specific project that would require multi-year funding, please contact us to discuss your request.

Can I apply in consecutive years?
Yes. Because of the volume of requests we receive we are not able to consider a letter of inquiry until a 12-month period has passed since the last grant was awarded.

If my organization has received a grant from the Medina Foundation in the past, do I still need to submit a letter of inquiry?
Yes.

What should I expect during a site visit?
We schedule site visits for one hour. Ideally, our staff will go to an organization, meet the executive director, a board member and other key staff and, if possible, see a program. There is no need to prepare a special presentation or provide additional information at that time. Our staff just wants to see how your organization or program operates and have a conversation about your work.

If my organization is awarded a grant, what are the reporting requirements?
For one-year grants, a status report is requested one year after a grant is awarded. For multi-year grants, a status report and updated budget spreadsheet is requested 10 months after receiving each grant payment. You can download the templates for status reports by going to the bottom of the Guidelines page.

How can we show recognition for your support?
If awarded a grant, please do not give gifts to the Foundation. It is reward enough for us to be able to provide support to worthy organizations and we want you to be able to spend your funding on programs instead of gifts.

What if I have more questions?
Please feel free to contact Carolyn Wall at (206) 652-8783 or e-mail us.