Name:
RGK Foundation Grants for K-12 programs
Description:
The RGK Foundation funds a variety of projects, including youth-related and K-12 programs. Programs that the foundation has funded in the past can be found on their web site. Priority is placed on education, community, and medical initiatives. Education grants typically average $15,000, but they have ranged from $2,000 to $150,000. Nonprofit organizations, including schools and school districts, are invited to apply. The foundation reviews and judges proposals throughout the year, and there is no deadline. Contact Jami Hampton, RGK Foundation, 1301 W. 25th St., Suite 300, Austin, TX 78705-4236; (512)474-9298; fax (512)474-6389; e-mail jhampton@rgkfdn.org; http://www.rgkfoundation.org/
RGK Foundation awards grants in the broad areas of Education, Community, and Health/Medicine.
The Foundation's primary interests within Education include programs that focus on formal K-12 education (particularly mathematics, science and reading), teacher development, literacy, and higher education.
Within Community, the Foundation supports a broad range of human services, community improvement, abuse prevention, and youth development programs. Human service programs of particular interest to the Foundation include children and family services, early childhood development, and parenting education. The Foundation supports a variety of Community Improvement programs including those that enhance non-profit management and promote philanthropy and voluntarism. Youth development programs supported by the Foundation typically include after-school educational enrichment programs that supplement and enhance formal education systems to increase the chances for successful outcomes in school and life. The Foundation is also interested in programs that attract female and minority students into the fields of mathematics, science, and technology.
The Foundation's current interests in the area of Health/Medicine include programs that promote the health and well-being of children, programs that promote access to health services, and Foundation-initiated programs focusing on ALS.
Although there are no geographic restrictions to the Foundation's grantmaking program, the Foundation no longer accepts unsolicited requests for international agencies or programs. While the Foundation occasionally awards grants for operating expenses, capital campaigns, endowments, and international projects, such grants are infrequent and usually initiated by the Foundation. Multiyear grants are rare; most grants are awarded for a one-year period. Click here to view listing of recent grants awarded by the Foundation.
How to Apply
RGK Foundation no longer accepts unsolicited grant proposals. All applicants must complete an electronic Letter of Inquiry from the Web site as the first step. RGK Foundation will entertain one electronic Letter of Inquiry (LOI) per organization in a twelve-month period. Organizations that submit unsolicited proposals will receive notification directing them to submit an electronic Letter of Inquiry via the Web site. After reading the remaining application guidelines, you may click on the link at the bottom of the page to begin.
Eligibility
Grants are made only to nonprofit organizations certified as tax exempt under Sections 501(c)(3) or 170(c) of the Internal Revenue Code and are classified as "not a private foundation" under Section 509(a). Hospitals, educational institutions, and governmental institutions meeting these requirements are eligible to apply. Organizations that have completed and filed Form 1023 but not yet received an IRS determination letter are not eligible to apply. The Foundation does not make grants or loans to individuals.
Limitations
As a general practice, RGK Foundation refrains from funding:
- Annual funds, galas, or other special-event fundraising activities
- Capital campaigns/renovation projects
- Debt reduction
- Emergency or disaster relief efforts
- Dissertations or student research projects
- Indirect/administrative costs
- Sectarian religious activities, political lobbying, or legislative activities
- Institutions that discriminate on the basis of race, creed, gender, or sexual orientation in policy or in practice
- Loans, scholarships, fellowships, or grants to individuals
- Unsolicited requests for international organizations or programs
- Unsolicited requests for ALS research projects
Deadlines
There is no deadline for submitting an electronic Letter of Inquiry. Foundation staff reviews electronic Letters of Inquiry on an ongoing basis and typically responds within two days, although we ask that you allow up to two weeks for a response. The Foundation will send an e-mail message either declining your request or inviting you to submit a formal application packet for further consideration. If you are invited to submit an application packet, your message will include detailed instructions on how to apply. Please allow up to four months for proposals to be reviewed by staff. In some cases, a phone conference or site visit may be scheduled as part of the review process. The Grants Committee typically meets four times each year to consider requests over $100,000 that have been recommended by staff for review. You will be notified if your proposal will be considered at one of the Grants Committee meetings or will take longer than four months to review.
Grants Committee Meeting Dates for 2011
March 4, 2011
June 10, 2011
September 16, 2011
December 2, 2011
