PFF: Signature Grants

_NOTE:  We are happy to announce that for 2025, PFF is planning on two grant submission cycles for the spring and fall. Please note that when the grants submitted during this period totals more than 150% of our grants budget, the grant submission period will be closed.
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The Petit Family Foundation is pleased to support local communities and does so by funding two different types of grants, [General Project Support Grants]() and Signature Grants.
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Criteria
**During the review process the Petit Family Foundation Grants Committee puts a significant focus on the following criteria:

• Mission Alignment with the Petit Family Foundation’s mission and goals.
• Financial and Programmatic Capacity: Successful applicants will show evidence that they are stable, and their program plans give us confidence their work will be sustained beyond our funding.
• Leadership: Successful applicants will have strong leadership that is collaborative and knowledgeable about the community and the field in which they operate.
• Measurable Results: We place a high priority on organizations that are able to clearly articulate organizational goals, present a clear plan for achieving results and track outcomes and impact on the people and communities served.

Signature Grants

Currently, the Petit Family Foundation does not fund unsolicited Signature Grant proposals. Typically, the Foundation will reach out to one or more agencies in an area that previously had grant support that the Board of Directors feels they would like to fund. The Grants Committee first considers Signature Grants and then presents them to the Board of Directors for approval. Signature Grants may be for multiple years with the funding request range of $10-$50,000 per year up to a total of $100,000. Signature Grants must meet the current existing Grant Project Support criteria but impact a more substantial number of people. If this is an organization’s initial grant request, you may only apply at the General Impact grant level and not at the Signature Grant level. If you are awarded funding, there is a waiting period of two years before you can apply for another Signature Grant. Recent examples of signature grants are multi-year partnerships with the Community Mental Health Affiliates in New Britain, The Injury Prevention Program at CCMS running the Hayley Petit Fellowship Program, and The Hospital for Special Care Foundation in New Britain. Applicants who apply for grants typically meet with the Grants committee and/or the Board of Directors to present a funding request and, if funded, issue a final report on the program’s outcomes.

Eligibility

_You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website._

• Only organizations with tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service Code are eligible to apply.
• Prior grant recipients are eligible to apply for an additional grant if the organization meets the current eligibility requirements and has provided a Grants Impact Report with measurement results and outcomes from any prior grant.
• We currently fund programs/projects rather than individuals.
  • The Board of Directors believes this creates the greatest benefit to the most people for the dollars expended.

Ineligibility

• The Petit Family Foundation will not generally consider requests for:
  • International organizations
  • Endowment or Medical research endeavors
  • Relatively new entities
  • Political, legislative, or lobbying organizations
  • Individuals or debt reduction, no matter how worthy
  • Organizations that do not regularly file IRS Form 990
  • Major capital campaigns, unless very near completion
  • Primary and secondary schools that charge significant tuition.
  • Very large organizations already supported by robust endowments
  • National or regional organizations, or local branches thereof, that do not have an EIN separate from that of the larger entity
  • Organizations that discriminate based on race, color, gender, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, etc.