Strengthening Partner Capacity Grant

Overview

Overview

The Tower Foundation is a family foundation that helps children, adolescents, and young people affected by intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, mental health issues, and/or substance use disorders. Our goal is to improve the lives of young people in our geographic footprint of Erie and Niagara Counties in Western New York, and Barnstable, Dukes, Essex, and Nantucket Counties in Eastern Massachusetts.

The Tower Foundation believes every young person should have the chance to achieve their personal goals, regardless of the challenges they face. Individuals who live with one or more of these issues may be overlooked or stigmatized, creating additional challenges. We also know that some young people face more challenges than others because of systemic inequalities. The convergence of our focus areas with racism, ableism, sexism, and other types of discrimination warrants the Foundation’s attention because as we know, people do not live single-issue lives.

The Tower Foundation sees its role as more than just a funder. These issues are near and dear to us because we have members of our family who live with one or more of the issues. These are individuals who are resilient—persevering despite the challenges they face— and who should be valued by our communities. The Tower Foundation envisions a future in which equitable communities include, accept and value these young people.

Strengthening Partner Capacity Grants

The Foundation seeks to fund requests that, “build and/or strengthen the systems, structures, cultures, skills, resources, and power that organizations need to serve their communities.” Strengthening Partner Capacity grants are available for board/leadership development; diversity, equity, inclusion; evaluation/evaluation design; organizational development; professional development; program design and planning (not service delivery); small capital projects/equipment purchases; staff mental wellness support; technology planning/purchasing; and other ideas that help organizations better serve their communities as described above. We accept applications for Strengthening Partner Capacity grants multiple times a year. All other grants in this category are by invitation only.

Focus Areas

The Foundation supports organizations and initiatives that help provide young people with opportunities to realize their highest potential regardless of the challenges they face. Our funding supports work in four focus areas: Intellectual Disabilities, Learning Disabilities, Mental Health, and Substance Use Disorders – all typically underfunded and stigmatized conditions.

We have set out broad, aspirational goals to guide our work and to keep us focused on the big picture. With these in mind, we hope to move a little closer each day to these ideals.

Intellectual Disabilities

* Children with intellectual disabilities are identified early and receive services that meet their evolving needs.
* Young people with intellectual disabilities are engaged in meaningful, social, vocational, and educational pursuits.
* Families understand intellectual disabilities and secure needed supports.
* Communities embrace young people with intellectual disabilities and provide them with a full range of supports and opportunities to engage in community life.

Learning Disabilities

* Children with learning disabilities are identified early, diagnosed, and connected to services that meet their ongoing individual needs.
* Youth with learning disabilities understand how they learn and pursue resources that support them accordingly.
* Young adults are confident and do not view their learning disability as a liability.
* Young adults with learning disabilities are ready for work and/or educational pursuits.
* Families are informed about learning disabilities and can identify and navigate available services.
* Communities value persons with learning disabilities and accommodate their needs.

Mental Health

* Stigma related to mental illness is eliminated.
* Children with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges are identified early and connected to appropriate services.
* Young people with mental health challenges understand and manage their conditions and behaviors.
* Families understand mental health challenges and help young people live productive lives.
* Communities offer meaningful opportunities and appropriate support to young people with mental health challenges and their families.

Substance Use Disorders

* Community members understand the prevalence and harmful effects of alcohol and drugs on young people and work to address them.
* Resources for substance use disorders prevention, treatment, and recovery are readily available.
* Families provide safe environments that support healthy and informed choices about alcohol and drugs.
* Young people make healthy and informed choices about alcohol and drugs.

Click here for the Foundation’s definitions of the above four focus areas.

What We’re Most Interested in Funding

Here are some examples of the sorts of things the Foundation might be willing to fund, just to get you thinking. This is not a complete list of everything we’ll consider!

* Board/Leadership development
* Diversity, equity, inclusion
* Evaluation/Evaluation design
* Mergers/affiliations
* Organizational development (e.g., strategic planning; marketing, development, and/or communications support; process improvement; succession planning)
* Professional development
* Program design and planning (not service delivery; contact us if you have questions!)
* Small capital projects/equipment purchases
* Staff mental wellness support
* Technology planning/purchasing
* What are your ideas? (We’re happy to discuss them!)

Eligibility

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* It's easiest for us to accept grant applications from:
* Not-for-profit organizations with a 501(c)(3) designation that are not private foundations;
* Not-for-profit public benefit corporations;
* Public or diocesan school districts; or
* Private or charter schools.
* We will be making grants to organizations currently providing services in one or more of these regions:
* Massachusetts: Barnstable County, Dukes County, Essex County, Nantucket County
* New York: Erie County, Niagara County
* At a minimum, grant partners currently provide prevention, treatment, and/or recovery services to people aged 26 years or younger from at least one of these populations:
* People with intellectual disabilities (including autism spectrum disorders)
* People with specific learning disabilities
* People with mental illness/mental health challenges
* People with substance use disorders
* Our ideal grant partners serve one or more of the populations listed above who also have intersecting identities as members of historically marginalized communities (e.g., Black/AfricanAmerican, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American/Indigenous Peoples, disability, housing insecure, immigrant/refugee, LGBTQIA+).
* Reminder: Organizations must currently provide services to our focus populations and geographies to be eligible.
* See FAQ for further informations.

Ineligibility

* What We’re Not Interested in Funding
* Existing staff positions (we’ll consider start-up/temporary/short-term positions)
* General operating support
* Multi-year projects
* Service delivery or program implementation (these are a better fit for our Programs & Services portfolio).
* We will not consider applications for multi-year awards through this funding opportunity.

Application Details

Strengthening Partner Capacity
2025 Guidelines
Eligibility
• We will ONLY make grants to organizations CURRENTLY PROVIDING SERVICES in one or more of these
regions:
o Massachusetts: Barnstable County, Dukes County, Essex County, Nantucket County
o New York: Erie County, Niagara County
• At a minimum, grant partners MUST CURRENTLY PROVIDE prevention, treatment, and/or recovery
services to people aged 26 years or younger from at least one of these populations:
o People with intellectual disabilities (including those on the autism spectrum)
o People with specific learning disabilities
o People with mental illness/mental health challenges
o People with substance use disorders
• It’s easiest for us to accept grant applications from:
o Not-for-profit organizations with a 501(c)(3) designation that are not private foundations;
o Not-for-profit public benefit corporations;
o Public or diocesan school districts; or
o Private or charter schools.
• Our ideal grant partners serve one or more of the populations listed above who also have
intersecting identities as members of historically marginalized communities (e.g., Black/African-
American, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American/Indigenous Peoples, disability, housing insecure,
immigrant/refugee, LGBTQIA+).
• While organizations may have more than one active grant with the Foundation at any given time, we
are likely to give preference to organizations that have not received a grant award recently.
If we decline a funding request, your organization may reapply as soon as the following cycle.
Funding Availability
• Grants are for one year, with a MAXIMUM AWARD OF $30,000, including administrative overhead (at
20%). We will not consider applications for multi-year awards through this funding opportunity.
• A total of $1,050,000 is available in 2025, with $350,000 awarded in each of three grant cycles.
• We anticipate making approximately 20 awards each cycle: five awards for $30,000; five awards for
$20,000; and 10 awards for $10,000 or less. We will make additional awards as funds permit.
• Note: We ask that you include a budget for your request, but you do not need to supply quotes for
goods or services.
Application Timeline
Cycle 1 Cycle 2 Cycle 3
Applications Due January 17, 2025 May 30, 2025 September 26, 2025
Decisions Sent March 3, 2025 July 11, 2025 November 7, 2025

What We’re Most Interested in Funding
Through its Strengthening Partner Capacity grants, the Foundation is interested in funding requests that,
“build and/or strengthen the systems, structures, cultures, skills, resources, and power that
organizations need to serve their communities.”
Here are some examples (in alphabetical order) to get you thinking, but this is not a complete list of
everything we’ll consider:
• Board/Leadership development • Professional development
• Diversity, equity, inclusion • Program design and planning (not service
• Evaluation/Evaluation design delivery; contact us if you have questions!)
• Mergers/affiliations • Small capital projects/equipment purchases
• Organizational development (e.g., strategic • Staff mental wellness support
planning; marketing, development, and/or • Technology planning/purchasing
communications support; process • What are your ideas? (We’re happy to
improvement; succession planning) discuss them!)
We recognize that many of these investments target the growth and well-being of an entire
organization. For capacity-building projects intended to benefit specific programs or departments, we
will give preference to requests that address the needs of young people affected by intellectual
disabilities, learning disabilities, mental health, and substance use disorders who also have intersecting
identities as members of historically marginalized communities (e.g., Black/African-American,
Hispanic/Latinx, Native American/Indigenous Peoples, disability, housing insecure, immigrant/refugee,
LGBTQIA+).
What We Will Not Fund
• Existing staff positions (start-up/temporary/short-term positions will be considered)
• General operating support (i.e., support for existing costs of doing business)
• Multi-year projects
• Service delivery or program implementation (these are a better fit for our Programs & Services
portfolio).
• REMINDER: ORGANIZATIONS MUST CURRENTLY PROVIDE SERVICES TO OUR FOCUS POPULATIONS AND GEOGRAPHIES
TO BE ELIGIBLE.
How to Apply
• We STRONGLY encourage first-time Tower Foundation grant applicants to contact us to discuss your
proposal idea before applying. Go to https://calendly.com/towerfdn-program to book a time to talk
with a Program Officer.
• Most of our grant requests come in through the Foundation’s grants portal. If you don’t need any
sort of special consideration (see “How to Contact Us” below), please submit your application at:
https://towerfdn.link/grants-portal
• Please drop us an email (info@thetowerfoundation.org) to let us know what accommodations
would make it easier for you to apply.
• For any of the following situations, please get in touch with a Program Officer to discuss your
circumstances:
Peter & Elizabeth Tower Foundation: 2025 Strengthening Partner Capacity Guidelines
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o We’re happy to take applications in non-written formats (e.g., video, audio). Nothing highly
produced, though – keep it simple (but make sure you have good sound quality!).
o Not one of the organization types listed above? No problem. We’ll take proposals from
groups or organizations that do not have non-profit status as long as they apply through a
fiscal sponsor.
o We’re very open to accepting proposals written for other funders.
How to Contact Us
If you have any questions that aren’t covered in these guidelines, you’d like to discuss a special
circumstance, or you want to see whether an idea you have for a grant is a good fit for the Foundation,
please get in touch with one of our Program Officers. We particularly recommend that first-time
applicants connect with a Program Officer before submitting a proposal – preferably several weeks in
advance of the deadline.
• Schedule a phone call: https://calendly.com/towerfdn-program
• Send us an email: info@thetowerfoundation.org
Having Problems with the Grants Portal?
• If you’re having trouble with the grants portal (e.g., you aren’t able to create a new application),
please use the Support button on the grants portal home page to request assistance. Please DO
NOT send an email to the general info email address or to any specific Program Officer (even if
you know them well and really like them).
• If the issue is that you can’t get into the grants portal, please try a password reset (there’s a link
on the login screen). If that doesn’t help anything, please send an email to
support@thetowerfoundation.org and our system administrators will get you squared away.
Peter & Elizabeth Tower Foundation: 2025 Strengthening Partner Capacity Guidelines
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