Application Process

Applying for a Heckscher grant is a two-part process.

1. Initially, applicants should submit only a letter of inquiry, preferably online by clicking here. If applying to the Foundation by mail, your letter of inquiry should be no longer than three pages and must include the following information:

• A description of your organization’s mission and core activities.
• An overview of the issue your project addresses and how your efforts can advance the public good.
• Your funding request, specifying an amount and a time period for the grant.
• A description of the proposed project, including basic demographics for the youth served, whether or not you will collaborate with other organizations and the necessary staffing.
• A brief statement of the specific outcomes you hope to achieve and what evaluation mechanisms you will employ.
• Your organization’s credentials for successful use of the Heckscher grant.
• A budget for the proposed work, indicating whether the amount requested is a portion of a larger project cost.
• Contact information for Foundation follow-up.

The above will be sufficient for the Foundation to determine whether it will consider a full proposal, and all inquiring organizations will be notified of the outcome of this review. Please do not send additional information or materials unless requested to do so.

2. If asked to submit a full proposal, the Foundation will require:

• A detailed description of your organization’s history and mission.
• An abstract of the proposed project that elaborates on the information provided in the letter of inquiry.

In addition, please make sure the following are included in your application:

• An organizational budget that gives details about income derived during the last fiscal year from a) foundations, b) corporations, c) government grants, d) government contracts, and e) individual donors.
• Information regarding your organization’s endowment, if applicable. What was the value of the corpus at the end of the last fiscal year? What was the annual return on the endowment during the last fiscal year?
• A list of sources of foundation and corporate support for the organization, with amounts, for the current and two previous fiscal years, preferably in one table.
• Your latest audited financial statements, annual report, IRS Form 990 and IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exemption letter.
• A list of officers, directors, trustees and, where appropriate, project leaders. Include the percentage of board members who have contributed to your organization during the current and three previous fiscal years, and the total of these contributions for each year.
• A detailed project budget showing income and expenses. If this request is for partial funding of a project, list other sources being approached with requested amounts and indicate which sources are committed, anticipated or unknown. Can the program go forward if not all the necessary funds are raised?
• A further statement of the desired outcomes for the proposed project and the specific evaluation mechanisms. How will you track youth participation, retention and demographics? What types of outreach and recruitment will be necessary to ensure full youth enrollment?
• Information regarding the percentage of this grant that will be used for non-program related (“overhead” or “indirect”) costs. What percentage of your organization’s overall budget is devoted to such costs?
• Detailed demographics for the youth intended to be served by this proposal, including information relevant to the parent organization and the specific project for which funds are requested (if applicable). Be sure to include the number of youth served, age range, gender, geographic distribution by NYC borough, public school enrollment, and defining characteristics such as eligibility for free school breakfast/lunch, dependence on public assistance, etc.
  

Full proposals currently cannot be submitted online and must be sent by mail to:

Mrs. Virginia Sloane
President
The Heckscher Foundation for Children
123 East 70th Street
New York, NY 10021
Phone: 212-744-0190
Fax: 212-744-2761