The David and Lucile Packard Foundation is a private foundation incorporated under California law. We accept grant proposals only from tax-exempt, charitable organizations.
Grant applicants are requested to take note of the following:
We do not accept proposals that benefit specific individuals or that serve religious purposes.
The Foundation encourages potential applicants, whenever appropriate, to submit a letter of inquiry to their program area of interest before preparing a full proposal. A letter of inquiry need not be submitted first if a full proposal has already been prepared.
Before preparing any proposal, please carefully review the guidelines and geographic limitations for your area of interest. In several program areas, as noted, there are initiatives or nominating processes with unique requirements. In addition, the application procedures for the Organizational Effectiveness Program and the Pueblo, Colorado, Program differ from other areas. Before applying for a grant in either of these two program areas, please visit their specific program pages on this site by clicking on the highlighted links above.
When to Apply
Members of the Board of Trustees review proposals at quarterly meetings. The following is a schedule of deadlines for receipt of proposals and Board meetings:
Proposal Deadline
Board Meeting
March 15, 2000
June 2000
June 15, 2000
September 2000
September 15, 2000
December 2000
December 15, 2000
March 2001
What the Letter of Inquiry Should Include
The letter of inquiry should provide a descriptive title for the project and should explain the project's objectives, significance, funding needs, and relationship to the specific grantmaking priorities of the Packard Foundation.
What the Proposal Should Include
Proposals for all program areas-with the exception of the Organizational Effectiveness Program, the Pueblo, Colorado, Program, and special Foundation initiatives-must include the following important elements:
Cover Letter
__ Brief description of the applying organization and proposed program
__ Amount of request
__ Organization's legal name as it appears on its IRS exemption letter, address, and telephone number
__ Name and phone number of appropriate contact person
Background Information
__ History and purpose of the organization
__ People and groups the organization serves
Specific Request
__ Description of the proposed program and its objectives
__ Evidence showing a need for the program and its value
__ Geographic area to be served
__ Outline of program phases, from beginning to end
__ Anticipated methods of evaluation
Personnel Information
__ Organization personnel who will implement the program and their qualifications
__ Names and principal affiliations of directors, senior staff members, and trustees
Financial Information
This information is necessary to make a grant request complete. Please be certain the following items are included in your proposal:
__ Detailed program budget showing other sources of funding and the amount requested from the Foundation (Please note: It is Packard Foundation policy to carefully review requests for indirect costs)
__ Overall organizational budget covering the years during which the proposed program will take place
__ Most recent annual financial statements, preferably audited
__ Statement of the sources of organization funds, both public and private
Addenda
__ A copy of the organization's IRS exemption letter
__ Documentation that the proposal is supported by the organization's board of directors, for example meeting minutes
__ Colleges and universities should provide written institutional endorsement from the president, provost, dean, or development department
__ Any other supporting materials that would be helpful in evaluating the proposal
Review Process
The Foundation makes every effort to notify an applicant as soon as we receive a proposal. Program staff members review each proposal to determine whether it falls within the Foundation's areas of interest and fits funding priorities. When a proposal matches our criteria, staff members generally meet with the applicant prior to making recommendations to the Board. In addition to making grants, whenever possible Foundation staff members provide potential network contacts, advice, and other assistance to applicants.
During the review process, we may ask various people for information, including the organization's board members, other agencies and grantmakers, clients, and members of the community. If you do not wish us to contact any of these sources, please let us know.
The Foundation Board makes funding decisions on a quarterly basis. Not all grant requests are considered in the quarter following their submission; requests may be carried over to a future quarter. Foundation staff members will seek to coordinate the timing of the review process with grant applicants.
Where to Send Your Request
Address one copy of the letter of inquiry or proposal to the staff member in your area of interest (see directory below) and mail to
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
300 Second Street, Suite 200
Los Altos, California 94022
Foundation Directory
Richard T. Schlosberg III, President
Carol S. Larson, Vice President and Director of Foundation Programs
Science
Jaleh Daie
Conservation
Jeanne Sedgwick
Population
Sarah Clark
Children, Families, and Communities
Lorraine Zippiroli
Arts
Nancy Glaze
Organizational Effectiveness
Barbara D. Kibbe
Philanthropy
Barbara D. Kibbe
Pueblo, Colorado*
Pam King, Mary Gunn
* Please send proposals for the Pueblo Program only to The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Pueblo Advisory Board, P.O. Box 1664-0664, Pueblo, Colorado 81002. Please note that sending proposals for other Foundation programs to our Pueblo, Colorado location may result in processing delays.
