APPLICATION TOOLS
Elements of a Successful Application
These elements can greatly strengthen your grant application:
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Need is demonstrated by the organization, and grants have specific uses with measurable results. The grant would be large enough to make a significant public impact.
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The grant would be leveraged with other funding sources, with a plan for securing additional support. There is clear community support for your organization.
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The funds would be spent to provide a direct service with immediate or near-future results.
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The project is consistent with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation’s culture and values.
SMART Reading
Application Attachments
Detailed Project Budget
This should break down specifically how the Wildhorse Foundation funding will be spent. Please show what the entire project will cost and a column for the items where the Wildhorse Foundation funds would be allocated if granted. Your project budget should be consistent with the information provided in your application. Example:
Audited Financial Statement
This should be an audited financial statement (reviewed and verified by a CPA) from the last completed fiscal year. If your organization is too small to have an audited financial statement, please include an IRS Form 990. Bank statements are not able to fulfill this requirement.
W9
Use only the IRS’s 2024 version of the W-9 and do not substitute any other document in place of the W9. The W-9 must include a signature and date. W-9 Form
Organizational Budget
This should show revenue and expense categories of the organization for the budget year. Other pending funding requests should be included under revenue and marked as pending. Example:
FAQ's
Can you fund projects in other counties?
Our funds cannot be used to help supplement projects outside of our giving area (See Map). The counties and territory included are not negotiable – they are defined by the Foundation’s bylaws.
If your organization’s headquarters are located outside of our giving area, but the services performed will be in the giving area and serve residents of the giving area, your organization may be eligible to apply for funding. If your project will serve people both inside and outside of our giving area, focus your grant application only on the counties within our giving area.
What do we need to submit if we have a fiscal sponsor?
If your organization uses a fiscal sponsor, we consider the fiscal sponsor to be the applicant organization. The application must be under their account in the grant portal and include required documents from the fiscal sponsor: the organization budget, audited financial statement, and W-9.
When can our organization reapply?
If your grant request was declined or rejected because it was incomplete, you are eligible to reapply at the next quarterly grant deadline – as long as you do not have an active grant.
Only one grant per organization is customarily awarded in a 12-month period. If your organization has an active grant, you are eligible to apply for another grant when a final report has been submitted and the active grant has been closed.
GRANT REPORTING
Financial Summary & Variance
The format of the financial section of this report should be consistent with that of the original budget as it was approved by the Foundation and show a comparison of actual to budgeted expenditures. If there is any variance from the original budget, please explain in detail.
Funds must be allocated towards the approved expenses found in the original budget. The signed grant agreement might also include special conditions that further restrict the expenditure to only particular expense(s) from the original budget.
Budget modification must be requested a minimum of one month in advance of any potential modification in order to obtain the Foundation’s prior written approval. If there is any unspent balance of the grant, those funds must be returned to the Foundation at the close of the project period.
Publicity
Public recognition showcases the positive outcomes achieved through our partnerships – allowing us to collectively celebrate the impact made and inspire further support for these meaningful projects. As a requirement of our grant agreements, we ask that all grant recipients issue a press release about the award, the project, and who will benefit from this work. In your award notice email, a Grant Publicity Guide is attached to assist you in communicating about your grant. If you wish to include custom acknowledgment language, we request that you share a draft for our review to ensure all the information provided about the Foundation is accurate before you issue the release.
If you haven’t already shared it with us, please attach a copy of your organization’s press release that announced the grant award in your Final Report. We also encourage you to include any additional public mentions of the grant by your organization – social media, newsletters, email announcements, etc. Photos of the project are also welcome.
Extension Requests
In the event that circumstances put the project behind schedule, the grant recipient may request an extension a minimum of one month prior to the project end date. These exceptions may require approval by the Foundation Board of Directors, in which case an updated project end date (and final report due date) will be assigned. If unapproved, the organization must return any unexpended funds to the Wildhorse Foundation.
Union School District
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
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Art's Center East
THE FORD FAMILY FOUNDATION
Grants are open year-round to support organizations serving children, families and rural communities.
OREGON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
As a statewide community foundation, OCF works alongside donors, stewarding their priorities into strategic giving to support diverse communities across Oregon, creating lasting, transformative change.
THE ROUNDHOUSE FOUNDATION
Supports rural Oregon communities, including Tribal communities. All proposals, regardless of an applicant’s location, must have a clear and compelling benefit to rural Oregon.
BLUE MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Local or regional organizations providing services in one or more of the following counties may be eligible for discretionary grants: Columbia, Garfield and Walla Walla or Umatilla County.
www.bluemountainfoundation.org
SHERWOOD TRUST
Annual competitive “Core Grant” cycle for organizations serving the Walla Walla Valley – extending from Dayton, Washington to Milton-Freewater, Oregon.