Wege Foundation Grants FAQ
Do organizations need a consultant to complete an application?
- No, the foundation has worked hard to make the grant application process as equitable and barrier free as possible. If there are any questions about the process, program staff can be contacted at 616.957.0480 to schedule a time to discuss the process and any questions.
Can organizations meet with program staff to discuss the grant application prior to submitting?
- Yes, organizations can call or schedule a time to meet with the program officer, program director or CEO prior to submitting a proposal. Program staff can be reached by calling 616.957.0480.
Are letters of interests, executive summaries, or any other documentation required prior to submitting a grant application?
- No, there are no pre-requisites to submit a grant.
How do people get funded by the Wege Foundation?
- Grant awards are based on alignment with the foundation Themes and Goals.
What geographic areas does the Wege Foundation fund?
- The Wege Foundation is geographically focused and funds in the Greater Grand Rapids area. The Environmental pillar includes the entire state of Michigan.
When does the Wege Foundation accept grant applications?
- There are only two grant application cycles during the year in which organizations can submit a grant application.
- The first grant cycle time frame is from January to February.
- The second grant cycle time frame is from August to September.
- Exact dates are posted several weeks prior to the application portal opening.
Do organizations need to be a 501c3?
- Yes, unless the organization is a public school or governmental entity.
Can an organization act as a fiduciary?
- Yes, but fiduciaries are the exception and not the norm.
- Organizations using a fiduciary must have a Memorandum of Understanding with the fiduciary organization.
- The organization serving as fiduciary must submit the grant proposal using the fiduciary’s 501c3 status.
Can an organization serving as a fiduciary also submit their own grant?
- Yes
Does the Wege Foundation provide operations funding?
- Yes
Does the Wege Foundation provide multi-year grants?
- Yes
Does the Wege Foundation fund capital campaigns?
- Yes, however capital campaigns must result in a LEED certified facility.
Can an organization submit an application for the same program that they were previously funded for?
- Yes
Is it required to expand programming for a program that was previously funded?
- No
How do I access the application?
- Organizations must complete the “eligibility quiz” on the Wege Foundation website to access the application.
Is there a minimum or maximum amount that organizations can apply for?
- No minimum or maximum amount is required.
Is there a minimum administrative amount required?
- No
What will the application require us to submit?
- Organizations will be required to submit the organization budget, grant project budget, DEI policy, board of directors’ roster, and an ACH form.
- NOTE: A sample grant application can be found here.
What does “terms” mean on the application.
- Terms is the length of your project grant. If it is one year, the term is 12 months; 2 years, then the term is 24 months; 3 years, then the term is 36 months.
What if the organization aligns with more than one Wege Foundation goal?
- Organizations can only identify one goal in the application.
- However, if there is overlap into another goal, this can be described in the narrative of the grant proposal.
How are outcomes determined?
- Organizations determine their own objectives and measurable outcomes. There should only be three objectives maximum and a maximum of three measurable outcomes. However, if an organization has less than three objectives or outcomes that is fine, but again, objectives and measurable outcomes are not to exceed three of each.
- Objectives should not be more than two sentences.
- Outcomes should be one bulleted sentence.
- Outcomes should have a specific measure.
- If the outcome references an increase/decrease to the grant, please provide the baseline and the specific amount or percentage of increase/decrease.
- NOTE: Do not provide the measurement (ie. survey, focus group, etc.) Please provide the quantifiable outcome.
How long does it take for an organization to be notified as to whether a grant is funded?
- Organizations will be notified in early May in the first grant cycle.
- Organizations will be notified in mid-November in the second grant cycle.
Can organizations re-apply if they do not get funded?
- Yes
Can an organization get feedback as to why they were not funded?
- Yes, program staff can be contacted for feedback if the application is declined.
BUDGET:
Can organizations use their own project budget when completing the grant application?
- No. Organizations are required to use the Wege Foundation project budget template.
- The project budget template and the budget amount listed in the application should equal the same amount.
- Column F in the expense portion of the budget template should equal the total amount of the grant being requested.
Do organizations need to use the Wege Foundation budget template for overall organization budget?
- No. Organizations can use their own budget for the overall organizations budget. The Wege Foundation budget template is required to be used solely for the grant proposal funding being requested.
NOTE: If your project is funded, organizations are to contact their lead program staff if there is an issue with the grant or the grant will need to be extended. Do not wait until the final report to let the foundation know that not all funds were expended, objectives and outcomes will not be met, or that the grant project deadline will not be met.