General FAQs What are the deadlines to submit proposals to the Pennington Family Foundation? Beginning in 2008, the proposal deadline is 4:00 p.m. August 15th. If this date falls on a weekend, then the deadline is 4:00 p.m. on the following Monday. Beginning 2007, The Irene W. and C. B. Pennington Foundation will review unsolicited applications once a year in a single step proposal process. Concept papers have been stricken from this procedure. Applications are evaluated for alignment with the Foundation's strategic goals and objectives. Guidelines are available to download on this site. Before applying, please visit the Areas of Interest section to get more information about the Foundation. Please refer to the Grantmaking Process link on this site for more specific information. Note that the foundation only considers proposals that have been invited. May our organization submit more than one proposal per year? No. Please contact Vonnie Hawkins, the foundation's program officer, to determine which project you want to propose is of most interest to the trustees. You can reach Vonnie at (225) 928-8346 or vonnie@penningtonfamilyfoundation.org. How many times per year are grants awarded? Grants are awarded once a year--in early or late November. What is the average grant award size? Many grants range from $15,000 to $30,000. These are usually for specific programs. Grants that range from $5,000 to $10,000 are often considered annual support for the organization. Grants of more than $50,000 are not common, and those that are awarded at higher levels are typically for capital projects. Does the foundation give multi-year grants? In rare cases. Large capital gifts are often awarded over a three to five year period. Few other types of grants are awarded for more than a year. Are grants renewable? At times, the Pennington Foundation will consider a request to continue funding a project. These organizations must still follow the foundation's two-step grant process. There is no guarantee that the foundation will provide additional funding for a project that has received support in the past. Does the Pennington Family Foundation provide capital grants? What should we do if we want to ask for a leadership gift for a capital campaign? The foundation does provide grants for capital needs. However, an organization MUST contact the foundation's program officer to discuss the project. The trustees are highly selective about the capital projects the foundation supports. You can reach Vonnie Hawkins, Program Officer, at (225) 928-8346 or vonnie@penningtonfamilyfoundation.org. Does the Pennington Family Foundation provide grants for operating costs? Yes, but at lower levels, typically $10,000 or less. The trustees prefer to give operating support to organizations that have ongoing relationships with the foundation. Does the Pennington Family Foundation provide funding for events? The foundation is no longer funding unsolicited events. The foundation does fund some events, but many of these awards are determined well in advance of the events. Organizations that receive event funding typically have strong connections to the trustees. What are the reporting requirements if our organization received a grant? Every organization or agency that receives a grant must submit a final report. If an organization intends to apply for funding in a subsequent year, then that organization must file a mid-term report as well. If an organization DOES NOT intend to apply for funding in a subsequent year, then a mid-term report is not required, and only a final report is due. The specific dates when these reports are due are based on the date when funds are received, but an organization should anticipate submitting reports after six months of funding receipt (if applying for funding in the following year) and at the end of the grant term. Please refer to the Reporting Requirement link for more information and to download the report guidelines. If an organization doesn't submit the required reports, what could happen? The foundation reserves the right to decline funding, regardless of the request, if an organization does not meet this requirement. Late reports are considered a violation of the grant agreement and could result in a loss of future funding. What should I do if our organization realizes it cannot use a grant award as we stated in the proposal that the Pennington Family Foundation used to base its decision? Call the foundation's program officer immediately to discuss the situation. Please understand that the Pennington Family Foundation makes awards in good faith that every organization will use the funds as they are intended and within the specified grant term. To use funds in any other way is not considered good stewardship. However, there are times when an organization is faced with a program change or other circumstance that will require funds to be used in a different way. If this happens, your organization MUST contact the foundation's program officer as soon as possible to discuss a mutually-agreed upon alternative. ***It is not acceptable for an organization to use Pennington funds--or any other funders' awards--at its discretion and inform the foundation after the fact. If an organization does not have a 501 (c) 3 IRS designation, can it still receive a grant? No. The Pennington Family Foundation requires this documentation of the organization's credibility. By law, the foundation is bound to the types of organizations and agencies it can support. What areas of interest are most important to the Pennington Family Foundation? The foundation gives a majority of funding in the areas of education, human services, and medical/health. Some support is given in the arts and humanities and community development. Rarely does the foundation give to environmental or religious efforts. What types of projects are of most interest to the Pennington Family Foundation? Trustees prefer projects that serve a direct benefit to individuals, children, and families. What geographic areas does the Pennington Family Foundation support? Most of the foundation's giving focuses on organizations and agencies within or near Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This includes East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, and West Feliciana Parishes. Some support is given in Tangipahoa Parish and the Florida panhandle. Nonprofits and agencies that receive funding typically have a direct connection to the Pennington Family Foundation's trustees. Our organization wants to make sure that the Pennington Family Foundation would be interested in our project. What should we do? First, please review the foundation's website. Check to see whether your organization serves the geographic areas that the foundation funds, whether your project fits within the foundation's primary giving interests, and whether the foundation's grantmaking schedule works with your plans. If you determine that your project is a potential match, please contact the foundation's program officer, Vonnie Hawkins. She will ask about your project and offer guidance on what steps to take next. You can reach Vonnie at (225) 928-8346 or vonnie@penningtonfamilyfoundation.org. Should a representative from our organization speak directly to one of the foundation's trustees / Pennington family members about submitting a grant? All organizations are encouraged to contact Vonnie Hawkins, the foundation's program officer. She will be able to provide important guidance and information. You can reach Vonnie at (225) 928-8346 or vonnie@penningtonfamilyfoundation.org. Is the Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation (also known as the Pennington Family Foundation) the same as the Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation? No. The Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation is a completely separate entity. I'd like to send a thank you note / gift acknowledgment to the Foundation. What should I do? Send all correspondence to the Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation, 2237 S. Acadian Thruway, Suite 705, Baton Rouge, LA 70808. You may address your note to Lori J. Bertman. If a trustee assisted you directly, you may name him or her personally. How do I get a copy of the Pennington Family Foundation logo? Please use one of these links to download 300 dpi resolution images of the Pennington Family Foundation logo: .gif (860 KB) | .jpg (150 KB). For PC users, please right-click on the link and select "Save Target As" to download to your computer. For Mac users, please Control-click and select "Download Link File."
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