FAQs

Please familiarize yourself with the information on this page before proceeding to the application page.

The Beveridge Family Foundation has made incremental improvements to the grant application process. In April 2026 we removed the categories of funding and organization from the eligibility pages. In May and October 2025 we removed certain outdated questions from the eligibility form as well as the 990 questions from the application. The goal is to improve efficiency, transparency, and fairness. Click here for more details on the questions that were removed.

What are the deadlines for submission?

There are two funding cycles per year. The deadlines are February 1 and August 1 before 5 pm ET.

What are the steps in applying?

  1. Enter your application and put it on hold until you are satisfied it is complete.
  2. Submit your application.
  3. The Foundation Directors will review the submission and a decision will be entered to accept or reject the application. If rejected, you are able to submit a new application for the next funding cycle. If accepted, you will receive an email requesting the submission of additional documentation by Feb 15 or Aug 15th.
  4. If you are able to submit the required documentation, your application will be entered for consideration at the April or October board meeting.
  5. Prior to the meeting, you will be contacted for a site visit.
  6. At the Board meeting in April or October, a determination will be made.
  7. You will receive a notice of denial or an award contract within a few weeks of the Board meeting. If denied, you are not eligable to apply for two years. If awarded, you must return a signed copy of the contract.
  8. Payment of awarded grants is usually made on June 15 or December 15 by check.
  9. A followup report is required after one year on the website.

What is the typical timeline of a general grant cycle?

Feb 1/Aug 1 Pre-application discussions
Feb 1/Aug 1 Application submission on www.beveridge.org
Feb 2/Aug 2 President assigns applications to Directors for review.
Feb 7/Aug 7 Director initial review of submitted applications
Feb 8/Aug 8 President enters accept/reject decisions on website, generating email notifications to applicants.
Feb 15/Aug 15 Supporting documents submitted for accepted applications.
Mar 1/Sep 1 Site visits for selected applications
Apr 1/Oct 1 President assigns applications to Directors for review.
Apr 15/Oct 5 Directors submit funding recommendations to President
Late Apr/ Late Oct Board meeting to consider applications. Vote on awards.
May/Nov Rejection notices and award contract mailed to applicants
May/Nov Signed contracts returned to President for filing
Jun 15/Dec 15 Grant distributions mailed to awarded applicants.
One year following award Grant review submitted on website by awarded applicants.
Please note that certain dates are approximate.

My organization serves your area, but is located in a different ZIP code. How can I apply for a grant?

Indicate which counties you serve: Hampden, Hampshire County, or both.

I received a discretionary grant within the last two years, do I need to wait to apply?

We require two years between board considered applications. Discretionary grants may be ignored on the two year wait requirement.

Why doesn't the Foundation support my organization?

It is the Foundation's policy not disclose why an application or type of organization is funded or not funded.

If I have been denied funding, can I amend my application and try again?

If your application is denied without advancing to board presentation, you may try applying again at any time. If your organization is denied funding after presentation, you must wait two years to reapply.

If I have been approved for funding, can I apply again at a later date?

Yes. However, it must be at least two years following receipt of the previous grant payment.

What documents are required?

If you application is accepted in step 3 above, you will be asked to submit the following documents:
    • IRS Form 501(c)(3)/509(a)
      A copy of the most recent letter of exemption from federal income taxes under Section 501(c)(3) and applicant classification under Section 509(a) of the Internal Revenue Service Code
    • IRS Form 990
      A copy of the Internal Revenue Service Form 990 for the most recent fiscal year, if applicant is required to file. If your organization filed Internal Revenue Service Form 2758, Application for Extension of Time to File the Internal Revenue Service Form 990 for the most recent fiscal year, please provide a copy of Form 2758 and submit the previously filed Internal Revenue Service Forms 990
    • Construction Bids
      Three (3) bids, if construction project
    • Directors and Affiliations
      The names and affiliations of the members of the Board of Directors of Trustees responsible for the management of the requesting organization
    • DON or CON
      If a hospital or other health-related facility, a copy of the Determination of Need (DON) or Certificate of Need (CON)
    • Financial Statements
      Latest balance sheet and detailed income statement as audited by the organization’s certified public accountant (if such audits are made)
    • Grant Administrator
      The name and qualifications of the individual proposed to administer the grant
    • Project Budget
      Detailed budget of the project showing how the requested funds would be spent
    • Source of Funding
      List of other sources of funding for this project
    • Statement of Authority
      A statement on your organization’s letterhead signed by an officer other than the applicant that the grant request is executed by a person authorized to submit on behalf of the requesting organization
    • Table of Organization
      Organization Chart
    • Unit of Government
      If applicant is a unit of government, evidence of relationship
    • Supporting Documentation – Other
      Optional: Other documentation vital to the understanding of the project or organization, such as an annual report.
    • Management Letter
      If your latest Audit contained a Management Letter, please provide along with a narrative describing steps taken or planned to address the issues raised.

What is the maximum amount I may request?

The Beveridge Family Foundation, Inc. imposes the following limitations on the maximum grant amount you may request. The lesser of:
  • 25% of Contributions and grants
  • 20% of the PROJECT Budget
  • 50,000

What questions are in the application?

Click here to download a Word version of the application. You may complete it offline then copy and paste it into the online submission when ready. Following are the fields of information requested in each step.

Step 1 of 5

  • Organization Name
  • Street Address
  • City
  • State
  • Website URL
Contact Information
  • Name
  • Title
  • Email Address
Project Information
  • Grant Amount to Be Requested
  • Project Budget (Not Agency Annual Total Budget)
  • Name of the program or activity to be funded

Step 2 of 5 – About the Program and Funding Needs

  • Please give a brief description of the program or activity to be funded: (280 Characters)
  • Summarize how the grant funding from the Beveridge Family Foundation will be used: (280 Characters)
  • List the objectives and/or results to be achieved by the program or activity (short descriptions of 4 items)
  • Summarize the need for this program or activity: (280 Characters)
  • Summarize the action plan to address the need: (280 Characters)
  • Summarize the current status of the project/activity: (280 Characters)

Step 3 of 5 – Project Timeline, Other Funding Sources, and Similar Projects

  • List the major steps and timetable for the project/activity (5 Major steps with start and end dates).
  • List other major funding sources sought for this project, and results to date (name four with results of funded, pending, or denied)
  • List other agencies with similar project/programs in your region (List 4 agency names with “city where located” and comments.

Step 4 of 5 - Impact and Capacity

  • How is this program/activity essential to your organization(s)? (280 Characters)
  • What is the impact on youth and/or people in distressed circumstances? (280 Characters)
  • How does this activity build capacity of organizations meeting that need? (280 Characters)

Step 5 of 5 - Collaboration and the Future

  • How does this activity or the Beveridge Foundation funding promote collaboration among organizations addressing that need? (280 Characters)
  • How will this activity be sustainable after the Beveridge Foundation grant ends? (280 Characters)
  • How will the Beveridge Family Foundation funding leverage more and/or future funding? (280 Characters)
  • How is your organization especially valuable to the community it serves? (280 Characters)

How can I start the application and finish later?

After you complete the eligibility steps, you will be asked for your name and email address. If this is the first time you have registered the email address, an email will be sent to you with a password which you may change at any time. As you work through the six steps of the application, the system will save your work when you click the "Save Progress and Continue" button. To proceed to the next step, you must have entered something in each of the required fields. You may enter a placeholder for now, and come back to it later. It is recommended that you work on your application offline, making sure of spelling, grammar, punctuation and length. Note that many fields limit entry to 280 characters. This is to make the process efficient for our Directors, and to help you hone your message.

Is there more guidance on how to answer each question in the application?

Yes. Please click here to download a pdf explaining each question in more detail. The best applications tell a story by weaving common themes through the answers. It's highly recommended that you draft responses to each question off-line. Let others in the organization review it. Make sure you are fitting in the 280 character limits for each question, then copy and paste from your document into our online application, checking carefully that nothing was cut-off. Also note that there is no formatting allowed in the entry fields, so don't use bold, italics, or underlying and try to avoid things like bullet points which don't often turn out well in an on-line form.

Will there be a site visit? If so, how do I prepare?

We conduct site visits for the majority of our applications that are approved for board consideration (see the timecycle above.) We will use a Doodle Poll or similar tool to schedule the visit. Please be sure to select as many options as possible when completing the schedule poll as it is difficult for us to fit them all in during the months of March and September. At the site visit, please have your Executive Director, the person who submitted the application, and the key person/people who will be responsible for the program or project. You may wish to include your Board President or other board members as well as constituents who represent the beneficiaries of your work. The visit is imformal although we do tend to dress for the importance of the business out of respect for your fine work. We take extensive notes so it is preferable to meet in a quiet, well lit, comfortable space with a table and chairs for all. We may bring between one and four of our directors. Water is always appreciated. If we are to conduct a tour, it is best if we do so at the end, so we can take our notes first. In general, we like to review the applicaiton in more detail, providing time for you to tell your story in more than the 280 characters allowed in the application. We will want to review your organization's management and financial position, so please be familiar with your own submitted documents and be prepared to discuss any anomolies or areas lacking clarity. Most of all, we want to hear about your vision, strategy, goals, and needs. We want to hear your story and share ideas about collaborators, resources, and other thoughts we might have from our extensive experience in working with the community. Most site visits last around 90 minutes.

General Operating Support

In April 2026 the Foundation removed its prohibition against funding General Operating support. We do still encourage applications focused on a single project or program for clarity and understanding. For smaller organizations we recognize that the program may include the entire operations of the organization.

What Support Type and Category Should I select?

In the next step of the application process you will answer some basic questions about your organization and project to see if it meets our basic guidelines. In the past we only provided funding for certain support types and program categories. Those are still tracked for data collection purposes, but are no longer used as selection criteria. For help in deciding which to use, you can see more detailed descriptions here. We use the Foundation Center definitions for categories and support types as maintained and used by CANDID (formerly Guidestar.) You can find those definitions here.

Who Decides?

Our Board of Directors takes the time to read the applications and vote on which ones should pass from initial to subsequent phases. Our President is just one of the many Directors and has just one vote, so time spent explaining things with the President has little influence on the outcome of the voting although you may find it helpful in answering your questions. You are always welcome to reach out. See the Contact page to send an email and you should hear back within twenty four hours, usually with a clear answer or an offer to meet via Zoom at your convenience.

Where are my previous applications?

In June of 2021, The Beveridge Family Foundation implemented Submittable for its online grants management. All legacy data has been retained. You may request a copy of your legacy application data by using our contact page.

Problem?

If you think you have found an error in the implementation, please let us know right away. The Contact page is the quickest way to reach us. Thank you.

Once you've read the Beveridge Foundation's FAQs you may proceed to the application.

Apply