Before You Apply
Cause Collective also provides a range of information about other Lincoln funders and foundations, and a range of resources for nonprofits, including for those interested in starting a nonprofit.
Woods Charitable Fund offers two grant cycles per year and only accepts applications from nonprofit organizations serving Lincoln, Nebraska, that have completed a Letter of Intent (LOI) and have been asked to complete an application form.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND A FULL GRANT PROPOSAL BEFORE CONTACTING THE FUND.
Applicants generally should be organizations described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and have a written ruling from the IRS that they also qualify under Section 509(a)(1), (2) or (3) of the Code (publicly supported organizations and their affiliates). Organizations must be in good standing with the IRS.
You are welcome to contact the Fund by phone or email, and our staff can help you decide if it is worth your time and expense to proceed with an inquiry. Potential applicants must complete a Letter of Intent (available in PDF and Word formats), which includes information about the organization and proposal, including budget information. Organizations interested in applying for Breakthrough Initiative Grants, when they are available, must contact the Fund to receive permission to complete an online Letter of Intent.
Please read the Fund’s Timetable and Limitations and What We Do Not Fund documents before contacting WCF. These provide details on the Fund’s previously supported organizations and general grant size, and can help you determine if your organization’s mission is a funding priority of the Fund’s. Organizations that have never received a WCF grant should request no more than $10,000 in their first Letter of Inquiry. You also can review the list of considerations the Board of Directors makes when reviewing a grant proposal and view grants made in the previous year. You also can download a PDF or Word version of the grant application to preview the questions on the application in case you are invited to apply.
Many excellent proposals cannot be funded because there are absolute limits to the number of proposals the Fund can study thoroughly and support.
Woods Charitable Fund believes diverse viewpoints and perspectives enhance and strengthen communities. Grant applicants will be expected to supply a list of their organization’s leadership structure in regards to diversity for the current and past 5 years including gender, racial and ethnic demographics and others and to address how this leadership reflects and benefits the community and the people they serve.
If your organization receives a grant, you will be asked to sign a grant agreement form requiring an online report on use of the grant in relation to the original proposal objectives and the program’s results. A selected number of grantees may be asked to participate in a post-grant evaluation to study program accomplishments in more depth.