General Grant Program

General Grant Program - The Madison Foundation

Geographic Scope: Town of Madison, Connecticut

Eligibility:

• Must be eligible nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations
• Based in or serving Madison
• Cannot be for-profit organizations
• Cannot be programs of a religious or partisan nature
• Cannot discriminate by race, color, creed, gender, or national origin

Focus Areas:

• Arts and culture
• Civic affairs
• Education
• Environment
• Health and human services

What They Fund:

• Specific projects and initiatives
• Challenge grants (with conditions on receipt of other pledges)
• Multi-year grants in special situations (must discuss with grant committee first)
• Seed money for new organizations (at board's sole discretion)

What They DO NOT Fund:

• General operating expenses
• Fundraising events
• Annual giving appeals
• Research projects (unless associated with specific action project)
• Funding from intermediary fund agencies
• Requests to individuals (only nonprofits)

Award Amount: Variable depending on program objectives; no pre-established funding levels

Application Review Process:

• Considered on a monthly basis year-round
• Board of Directors has ultimate authority
• Grants committee recommends projects; full board votes on recommendations
• Funded from unrestricted reserves or donor-advised funds when projects align with donor interests

Contact Information:

• Email: contact@themadisonfoundation.org
• Phone: 203-245-2796
• Address: PO Box 446, Madison, CT 06443

Background:

• 25-year history of grantmaking
• Over $2 million in grants and scholarships awarded historically
• $226,400 awarded in grants marking 25th anniversary (2021)

Grant Application Process

Submission Method:

• All grant applications must be submitted through the grant portal
• Grant-related questions should be emailed to contact@themadisonfoundation.org

Required Materials:

• Organizational mission statement
• Names of directors
• Financial report (audited financial report or tax return required)
• Supporting statements
• Project descriptions
• Other documentation as applicable

Application Form Fields:

1. Date
2. Organization name
3. Address
4. Contact person with phone and email
5. Person in charge of project with phone/email
6. Project purpose/objectives of the grant
7. Summary of the project
8. Description of benefits to be achieved and population to be served
9. Amount requested and rationale
10. Estimated cost of project (if different from request)
11. Other funding sources contacted
12. Brief summary of current organizational budget, including all funding sources
13. Date for first funding
14. Whether funding in installments is desired (Yes/No)
15. Schedule of implementation

Pre-Application Discussion:

• Encouraged to email to determine eligibility and ask questions before submitting
• Include contact details for callback if necessary

Timeline:

• Grant requests reviewed and awarded on monthly basis throughout the year
• Applicants contacted via email if project has been funded

Special Considerations:

• Organizations turned down may apply again; each proposal considered on own merits
• Organizations may apply for multiple grants if they are separate applications for differing projects
• For multi-year funding requests, strongly encouraged to discuss with grant committee prior to submission