TG Public Benefit Grant Program

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Want to know more about the TG Public Benefit Grant Program? Call (800) 252-9743, ext. 4518, or send an email to public.benefit@tgslc.org.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How much funding does TG award each year?
TG makes awards through the Public Benefit Grant Program based on the financial performance of the corporation each year. Because of this, funding varies from year to year. In past award years, the total has ranged from $1.8 million to $6.4 million.

2. Who may apply for grants from TG?
TG funds organizations classified as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and as public charities under section 509(a) of that Code or to public organizations that are designated under section 170(c) of the Code. Individuals and for-profit organizations are not eligible.

3. Is there a geographic area of focus for TG?
TG considers applications from within the United States. Two-thirds of the funding for direct services and capacity-building grants will be awarded to programs serving Texas students.

At this time, TG is unable to make grant awards to higher education institutions in New York state pending the adoption of final regulations for the Student Lending Accountability, Transparency and Enforcement (SLATE) Act of 2007. Once final regulations are in place, TG will be able to determine what restrictions, if any, are required for grants to schools through the Public Benefit Program. These conditions do not apply to non-profit organizations that are not institutions of higher education and subject to the SLATE Act.

4. How often does TG consider proposals?
TG offers a grant competition annually. Letters of Inquiry (LOIs) are due in late January, with full applications due in March. Notifications of funding go out to grantees in June.

5. Does TG consider ongoing projects or just new initiatives?
TG will consider funding ongoing projects as well as new initiatives. If an organization proposes funding for an existing program, however, it is essential for the applicant to include a rationale for why additional funding is being sought (e.g., Has prior funding expired? Is the program expanding to serve additional students? etc.)

6. Is there a limit to the number of proposals my organization can submit?
Applying organizations are limited to two LOIs per competition. University applicants are encouraged to coordinate applications through their respective sponsored projects, corporate/foundation relations, or advancement/development offices. If TG receives more than two applications from the same organization, we will notify the organization and ask them which proposal(s) they wish to withdraw.

7. If my organization has an active grant from TG, are we still eligible to apply?
For applicants with active grants, TG will carefully consider the capacity of the organization to carry out any new programming or projects. Although TG does not expressly exclude current grantees from applying, any overlap in timelines, program activities, and personnel will be closely examined for any potential to impede the progress of any current projects being funded.

8. How will I know if TG receives my proposal?
We acknowledge receipt of every completed application electronically within 24 hours.

9. Does TG conduct site visits for all applicants?
TG does not conduct site visits for all applicants. If an applicant is selected for a site visit, TG will request an appointment date and time and provide an agenda in advance.

10. Can funding be renewed for subsequent years?
TG does not automatically renew funding for ongoing projects. If an organization wishes to solicit funding for subsequent years, they must submit a proposal and compete with all other applicants for that year. No preferential treatment is given to prior grantees, and there is no guarantee of continued funding. In addition, proposals for projects that have been funded by TG in prior years must demonstrate that at least 75 percent of the project costs will be funded from sources other than TG.

11. Can we combine grant categories within our proposal?
Proposals must be in one category only.

12. If a university is working with a nonprofit on a project, which entity should submit the proposal?
As long as the applying organization has the capacity to manage the project and the partnership is solid and committed to by both parties, TG does not favor one over the other. You might consider having the application come from whichever partner is already equipped to administer grant projects and has more flexibility in administering the process.

13. Is there a page limit for the application?
For the LOI template, TG recommends that the completed template be four to five pages in length.

If invited to continue in the competition, prospective grantees should plan on full proposals in the direct-services and capacity-building categories being six to eight pages, and proposals in the education research category being eight to ten pages. The project budget should be submitted as a separate attachment and will not be included in the page count.

14. Does TG require letters of support with the application?
If your project includes collaboration and partnership with another organization or entity, TG will require a letter of support or memorandum of understanding indicating that there is a shared commitment to the project. If additional information or support is needed, the staff person reviewing your proposal will ask for more details.

15. When will we find out if our project has been approved for funding?
We anticipate that decisions will be announced by the end of June.

16. Will you contact organizations that are unsuccessful in applying?
Yes.

17. What types of projects has TG funded in the past?
The project descriptions for all prior grantees can be found at www.tgslc.org/publicbenefit/.

18. What are the most common reasons proposals are unsuccessful in securing funding?
Because TG has limited financial resources, we are able to fund only a small percentage of qualified applicants. This means that many excellent projects, even ones that fall within our areas of interest, may not be funded. In the vast majority of cases, a declination to fund a proposal does not mean that the project lacks merit. However, the proposals that are successful often excel in the following areas:

Presenting compelling, clearly defined goals tied to measurable outcomes
Indicating evidence of partnerships (funding or programmatic)
Inclusion of a viable sustainability plan

19. Is there a minimum or maximum grant amount that TG considers?
TG has no set minimum or maximum amounts. To date, grant awards have ranged from $8,000 to $300,000.

20. What is the average grant amount TG has awarded?
For the six years of combined giving, the average grant award has been about $160,000.

21. If an organization is unsuccessful in applying in a given year, can the same project be submitted again for consideration?
TG does not encourage repeated submissions of unsuccessfully proposed projects.

22. Does TG provide feedback on unsuccessful applications?
Applicants can request feedback in writing. Due to operational constraints, TG may not be able to respond to these requests quickly.

23. Are there items or activities that TG will not fund?
In general, TG will not make grants for purposes of annual fund-raising events or general sustentation drives; performances or competition expenses; building infrastructure, physical plant, and brick-and-mortar construction; motor vehicles; endowments; debt retirements; indirect costs; and lobbying efforts, to include attempts to influence specific legislation.

24. Can you direct me to a place that offers resources for proposal writing?
While TG does not provide grant-writing assistance, we encourage applicants to follow our guidelines in preparing a proposal and to call if they have a question. In addition, The Foundation Center at http://foundationcenter.org/ has a good collection of resources online, and, for Texas applicants, the Center for Nonprofit Management Assistance in your area may be able to help.

25. What if I have additional questions?
You can contact TG's Public Benefit staff at public.benefit@tgslc.org.