Overview & Guidelines
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How to Apply
The Medina Foundation uses an online grants management and application system. Applicants log into this E-Grant System to create an account with Medina Foundation, and to submit and manage new requests. All of our final reports and any other “follow-ups” associated with a grant are also submitted through the system.
The Medina Foundation uses an online grants management and application system. Applicants log into this E-Grant System to create an account with Medina Foundation, and to submit and manage new requests. All of our final reports and any other “follow-ups” associated with a grant are also submitted through the system.
Please note: Given the Foundation's recent decision to sunset within the next few years, we are currently prioritizing LOIs only from our existing grantees. If you have not received a grant from Medina Foundation in the past, unfortunately we cannot accept an LOI this year. We appreciate the amazing hard work of all nonprofits working to improve the lives of those in need in the greater Puget Sound area, and thank you for your understanding as we navigate this transition.
Timeline (2025 Update)
Please see our FAQs for more information.
Funding Areas
The Medina Foundation funds in the following focus areas: Positive Pathways for Youth; Stabilization for Families & Individuals; and Economic Opportunities.
Geographic Funding Region
The Medina Foundation funds in the following fourteen Greater Puget Sound counties of Washington State: Clallam, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Mason, Pacific, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston, and Whatcom.
Funding Guidelines
The Foundation makes grants to organizations qualified under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) and classified as public charities (not private foundations) under Section 509(a). No grants are made to environmental, arts, healthcare-related or political programs, or to religious institutions for religious purposes. If you are unsure if you are eligible to apply, please review the Eligibility Quiz below before submitting an LOI.
For full instructions on how to apply, please see Application Process. For FAQs related to our E-Grant System, click here. For general FAQs related to the Medina Foundation, click here. For all other questions, please contact us.
Eligibility Quiz: Can I submit an LOI?
What happens after I submit an LOI?
Your LOI will be reviewed by our staff and Trustees at the next available review meeting. If approved, you will be invited to submit a full application. Typically, you will receive a decision within one to two months of submitting your LOI.
What happens after I submit an Application?
What makes a strong proposal?
The Medina Foundation considers many qualities of an organization when reviewing proposals. Writing quality and strong English language skills are not necessarily required -- we simply want to be able to understand the work you do, and how your organization operates.
We look for organizations that are addressing critical community needs, engaging in strategic planning to meet well-mapped programmatic and financial goals, and seeing positive results through their programs. We believe organizations that are driven by strong leadership, through a diverse and engaged board and a dedicated executive director and staff, have a high likelihood of success.
Grant amounts awarded reflect both the needs of the nonprofit and the Foundation's desire to see the presence of other support. Generally, this means no more than 10% of an operating or capital budget. We do consider making exceptions for innovative start-ups. Since grant sizes vary widely, please review recent grants lists to see the size and types of grants that we have recently awarded. The Foundation’s median grant size is around $20,000 - $25,000.
Application Assistance
After reviewing the grant guidelines, application process, and frequently asked questions, feel free to contact the Foundation at [email protected] if you need assistance.
- LOIs (and applications, if invited to submit a full application) are accepted on a rolling basis. There are no calendar deadlines.
- We do ask that you wait 12 months after your last decision date before submitting a new LOI (and submit the Final Report for the previous grant, if applicable).
- All LOIs are reviewed at the next available review meeting. You will typically be notified within 1-2 months as to whether your LOI is approved and you are invited to submit a full application.
- If your LOI is approved, we currently ask our nonprofit partners to submit the full application within approximately 3 months.
- Once your application is received, you will typically be notified of the funding decision within 2-3 months, depending on the volume of applications we receive. Applications are processed in the order they are received. Please see What happens after I submit an LOI?, below, for more information.
- Processing times for LOIs and Applications can be longer, depending on our current meeting schedules and the volume of requests we receive at any given time. Feel free to contact the foundation if you want to check in on the status of your application after the typical amount of time has passed.
Please see our FAQs for more information.
Funding Areas
The Medina Foundation funds in the following focus areas: Positive Pathways for Youth; Stabilization for Families & Individuals; and Economic Opportunities.
Geographic Funding Region
The Medina Foundation funds in the following fourteen Greater Puget Sound counties of Washington State: Clallam, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Mason, Pacific, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston, and Whatcom.
Funding Guidelines
The Foundation makes grants to organizations qualified under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) and classified as public charities (not private foundations) under Section 509(a). No grants are made to environmental, arts, healthcare-related or political programs, or to religious institutions for religious purposes. If you are unsure if you are eligible to apply, please review the Eligibility Quiz below before submitting an LOI.
For full instructions on how to apply, please see Application Process. For FAQs related to our E-Grant System, click here. For general FAQs related to the Medina Foundation, click here. For all other questions, please contact us.
Eligibility Quiz: Can I submit an LOI?
- If you have never received a grant from Medina Foundation, please do not submit an LOI. The Foundation has limited staff time available and we are no longer able to accept LOIs except from existing or recent grantees. Thank you for your understanding.
- If you have received a prior grant from Medina:
Have you applied for (or received) funding from Medina Foundation within the past 12 months?- YES – You may work on your new LOI at any time, and click “Save” to save your progress. However, we cannot accept a new LOI until at least 12 months have passed from your last decision date. Contact us if you are unsure of when to submit your next LOI. If your last request was approved, we will also need you to submit the Final Report for that grant before we can review your new LOI.
- NO – You are eligible to submit a new LOI at any time. Please read through the Application Process or proceed to our login page to apply.
- If this is your first time applying to the Medina Foundation, click “Create New Account.”
- If you have applied before (or are unsure) and need a login/password, please contact us.
- If you are unsure of your grant history/eligibility, please contact us.
- Note: If you are new to an organization that is an existing Medina grantee, please contact [email protected] so we can set up a new user login for you. Please do not overwrite old login/contact information for prior contacts within your organization.
What happens after I submit an LOI?
Your LOI will be reviewed by our staff and Trustees at the next available review meeting. If approved, you will be invited to submit a full application. Typically, you will receive a decision within one to two months of submitting your LOI.
What happens after I submit an Application?
- If you are invited to submit an application, we ask that you submit it within three months of the emailed invitation (contact us if you need more time).
- Once your application is submitted, we will contact you (typically within 1-6 weeks) to set up a site visit, which is our chance to have a conversation and ask you any further questions.
- After your application and site visit are complete, your request will be reviewed at the next available meeting of the Trustees. Decisions are typically made within two to three months of your application submission. During periods of high volume, decisions may be take up to five months, as we schedule site visits and review applications in the order they come in. Please be patient with our small number of staff and check in any time on the status of your review.
- If your application is approved and a grant is made, we will ask your Executive Director/CEO or equivalent to sign a Grant Agreement via DocuSign before the grant funds are issued.
What makes a strong proposal?
The Medina Foundation considers many qualities of an organization when reviewing proposals. Writing quality and strong English language skills are not necessarily required -- we simply want to be able to understand the work you do, and how your organization operates.
We look for organizations that are addressing critical community needs, engaging in strategic planning to meet well-mapped programmatic and financial goals, and seeing positive results through their programs. We believe organizations that are driven by strong leadership, through a diverse and engaged board and a dedicated executive director and staff, have a high likelihood of success.
Grant amounts awarded reflect both the needs of the nonprofit and the Foundation's desire to see the presence of other support. Generally, this means no more than 10% of an operating or capital budget. We do consider making exceptions for innovative start-ups. Since grant sizes vary widely, please review recent grants lists to see the size and types of grants that we have recently awarded. The Foundation’s median grant size is around $20,000 - $25,000.
Application Assistance
After reviewing the grant guidelines, application process, and frequently asked questions, feel free to contact the Foundation at [email protected] if you need assistance.