Grant Procedures

It is important to note the following criteria for eligibility regardless of type of funding:

• Grants are awarded only to organizations that have a current I.R.C. Section 501(c)(3) status. 
• All applicants must have at least one (1) year of 990 filings to be eligible to apply for a grant; please note that postcard filings do not meet eligibility criteria 
• Applicants should be located in or serving one of the eight counties of Western New York: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming. Special consideration will be given to organizations outside of the aforementioned on a case-by-case basis.
• We look favorably upon projects where there is a shared commitment among or between more than one organization planning the endeavor under review.

Foundation 214 will not consider grant funding for the following:

• Attendance at or sponsorship of fundraising events for organizations
• Annual events or festivals
• Governmental (public) institutions, agencies, or projects
• Lobbying or advocacy for specific political candidates or legislation
• Deficit funding
• Grants or Loans to Individuals
• Individual scholarships or fellowships
• Single-occurrence conferences, seminars, or workshops (except as they relate to core operation improvements)
• Projects and activities that have occurred
• Organizations that make grants to other organizations
• Endowments
• Museums 

We will fund Capital Grants and Innovative Program Grants. Funding may be made in the form of a one-time investment or a multi-year arrangement. The following will explain how to determine which program will work best for your organization’s needs.

Capital Grants are for projects which involve raising money to pay for the purchase and proper installation and training of physical assets to assist your organization’s ability to service its clients and constituents.

Multi-Year Capital Grant –Multi-year capital projects are considered for funding at Foundation 214. These types of projects typically require a multi-year disbursement program while the project unfolds in its construction and/or implementation. Further, given the inherent nature of large projects, longer timelines may be required to determine levels of success. When considering your LOI submission, please make careful indication of the issue needing solution and how the goal will be accomplished. Special consideration will be given to projects where other foundations have already committed to partnering with you to partially meet your goal.

Innovative Program Grants are made to assist a charitable organization in its delivery of its mission on a day-to-day basis. Typically, these are multi-year commitments whereby the committed dollars help to offset the associated expenses and costs in delivering your institution’s programs. Organizations may include reasonable administrative or overhead expenses as a percentage of the overall budget (generally up to 10-12% based on actual costs)