Applicant Eligibility

Organizations must be classified as tax-exempt under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code and as public charities, under Section 509(a).  Individuals and for-profit organizations are not eligible for funding. 

Supporting organizations—those with an IRS classification of 509(a)(3)--are required to complete a Self Certification Form and submit a signed and completed form along with copies of their By-Laws and Articles of Incorporation.   

Churches and religious organizations may be eligible to receive funding for activities that are non-sectarian and benefit the larger community.  Government agencies are not generally funded, except in certain cases where there is no suitable tax-exempt organization to carry out a program or project.   

Organizations that do not have tax-exempt status may not use conduit organizations to apply for funding.   

Organizations should have at least a three-year history of programming.

Grants are made to organizations located in and serving constituents in the six-county Greater Philadelphia region (Bucks County, Camden County, Chester County, Delaware County, Montgomery County, and Philadelphia County).  Some grants are made beyond these counties as part of our efforts to preserve and protect the Delaware River Watershed through the Environment and Communities program.  The Foundation may also consider funding requests for projects that, although administered by an organization located outside this region, are expressly for the benefit of this region and its constituents.

Project Eligibility
The Foundation provides funding for a wide variety of purposes that address the priorities within its grant interest areas and to strengthen the effectiveness and capacity of nonprofit organizations that are doing this work.  Examples of the types of grants awarded include:

• New programs, expansion of ongoing successful programs, or core programs.
• Replication, in this region, of successful national practices.
• Research.
• Policy-related work and advocacy.
• Project evaluation.
• Strategic planning.
• Organization capacity building.
• Capital expenditures.
• Publications and other public information projects.
• Collaborative efforts with other nonprofits.

The Foundation provides operating support and indirect costs for nonprofits in the following ways:

• Most grant awards can include up to 10 percent above the total project budget's direct costs, to support indirect costs (such as rent, utilities, financial staff, leasing of office space, etc.). 
• We occasionally consider proposals for core operating support if specific operating goals are identified as anticipated outcomes of the grant, and the organization has a recently completed long-range strategic plan. 
• We support certain nonprofit agencies that provide technical assistance to nonprofits at reduced rates.

Ineligible Projects

The following are broad categories of activities that we do not fund:

• Work that does not fit our funding priorities, objectives, and strategies.
• Institutions that discriminate, in policy or in practice, on the basis of age, color, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, race, religion, marital status, disability, veteran, or other legally protected status.
• Scholarships, fellowships, or grants to individuals.
• Non-public schools or individual charter schools.
• Programs to treat or rehabilitate those with specific physical, medical, or psychological conditions or diagnoses.
• Debt reduction.
• Sectarian religious activities, political lobbying, or legislative activities.
• Hospital capital projects.
• Housing construction or rehabilitation, including financing and capital costs.
• Profit-making enterprises.
• Programs targeted for the elderly.
• Medical research.
• Direct replacement of discontinued government support.
• National or international programs, unless funding is targeted specifically to or benefits the region.