General Grants (Program Grants, Research Grants, and Seed Money)

General Grants Program

Purpose: Awards grants to support projects, research and education that advance understanding of death, dying and bereavement.

Geographic Scope: New York State (organizations must be located within New York State)

Award Range: $500 to $15,000 per grant. The Foundation will occasionally consider multi-year requests for funding.

Knowledge

• Consumer education and outreach programs working to raise public awareness regarding death, dying and bereavement
• Research grants may include scientific, cultural, anthropological, epidemiological and environmental research programs that relate to and advance general understanding of death, dying, bereavement and the changing professional and societal approaches to end-of-life

Charity

• Support agencies and organizations whose mission includes activities that significantly enhance the understanding of death, dying and bereavement

Education

• Scholarships to increase the number of new funeral service professionals
• Encourage previously licensed funeral directors to return to the profession
• Ongoing professional education support
• Development of state-of-the-art educational programming and best practice curricula for allied professionals in related human service fields

Strategic Priorities:

• Foster renewed and modern interest in scientific and educational programs for better understanding of death, dying and bereavement
• Aid development of new and existing agencies and institutions that provide progressive educational activities and scientific programs
• Aid in study and promotion of highest ethical practices within funeral service profession
• Encourage and assist qualified candidates who aspire to career in funeral service
• Encourage and support research and scholarly activities that help advance understanding of death, dying and bereavement
• Foster collaboration and community-based partnerships between institutions, industry and government to enable sharing of people, ideas and tools for policy planning and times of crisis

Program Grants

• Support operational costs needed to underwrite specific programs or projects
• May include: publications, conferences, seminars, educational material development, curriculum development

Scholarships

• Professional scholarships for individuals who aspire to careers in funeral service
• Can be utilized for college-level courses and ongoing professional development

Seed Money

• Provided to help new organizations get started
• Organizations must fall under the funding priorities developed by the NYS Tribute Foundation

Research

• Provided to cover costs of investigations and clinical trials
• Includes demonstration and pilot projects that specifically relate to or advance goals and objectives of the Foundation

Eligible Applicants:

• Not-for-profit organizations with 501(c)(3) status
• Located within New York State
• Registered with the New York State Department of Law Charities Bureau
• Examples: Public and private schools, colleges and universities, social service organizations, environmental organizations

Does NOT Fund:

• Dinners, dances
• Advertising
• Fundraising contests, raffles, booster clubs
• Endowments
• Capital campaigns
• Deficit financing
• Loans
• Political organizations
• Financial assistance for burial costs

Contact Information:

• Phone: 518.452.8230
• Email: info@tributefoundation.org
• Address: 1 South Family Drive, Albany, New York 12205

Application Process

The grant application process involves two stages:

Stage 1: Letter of Inquiry

Timeline: Letters of inquiry are accepted and reviewed throughout the year

Format Requirements:

• Should not exceed two pages
• Should be mailed (not emailed) to: New York State Tribute Foundations, Inc. 1 South Family Drive Albany, New York 12205

Required Content:

• The legal name used by the applicant exactly as recorded by the Internal Revenue Service
• IRS tax identification number
• A concise statement of the purpose of the request, its significance and strengths, and the results sought
• An estimated project budget (if project funds are being applied for) and the current annual budget for the organization
• Organizational and professional capacity and expertise
• A timeline for the implementation of the project and for intended results

Stage 2: Full Proposal (by invitation only)

Process:

• Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal following review of their letter of inquiry
• Download the funding guidelines including the funding application OR download the funding application only (only if invited)
• Completed applications are reviewed by Foundation staff and Board of Directors
• Foundation staff may call to inquire about the application or clarify information
• Board of Directors is responsible for final funding decisions

Required Materials:

• Full proposal application form
• Supporting documentation as requested in application guidelines