For Grantseekers

Welcome grantseekers!  The May and Stanley Smith Charitable Trust has a two-stage application process: an online letter of inquiry (LOI) submission followed by an invited full proposal submission.  Processing a grant application from receipt of the LOI to funding notification generally takes between four and six months.

The application process is competitive.  The Trust receives many more requests than it is able to fund and must often make difficult decisions in the allocation of grants. Funding decisions reflect the Trustees’ best judgments about the potential success of the program, the capacity of the requesting organization, the proposal’s compliance with the application guidelines, and the appropriateness of the proposal to the Trust’s primary interests and priorities.

Below is a step-by-step guide to the grant application process.  All applicants (including previously funding organizations) begin by checking alignment and eligibility to ensure that your organization and program are aligned with the Trust’s priorities and that you meet minimum eligibility requirements.  If your organization and program are consistent with the guidelines of the Trust, next complete the electronic Letter of Inquiry (LOI) form.  Your LOI will be reviewed by staff and selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal.  Please note that proposals are accepted by invitation only.  An invitation to submit a proposal does not guarantee funding.  Organizations that receive a grant are required to submit a report which confirms that the funds granted were used for the intended purpose.

We highly recommend that you review these steps in order.  If you have questions at any point, please feel free to contact the Grants Manager.