Who should apply?

Grants are available to 501c-3 organizations, projects with 501C-3 sponsoring organizations and individuals working on new, non-profit projects. Please read about our approach to funding individuals.

Read about Sparkplug's ideals and specific funding guidelines before applying, and visit some of our past grantees to learn what kind of work the foundation has supported. Please be aware that Sparkplug makes grants only for seed money, or to launch new ideas within existing projects. Also please read our list of expenses we don't fund.

Currently, our grants are open to people and organizations everywhere in the United States. We make very few international grants. The international grants we do make are limited to places where we're familiar with ongoing non-profit work, where we may be able to make site visits, etc. We regret that we can't make grants in areas where we're too unfamiliar with local work to be able to assess applications. Please call us to find out if we can fund in your area.

 

To apply:

First, telephone us for a talk through of your proposal to determine eligibility. Please be aware that an application will not be considered unless it has been discussed with us in advance. The deadline to telephone us to talk through your application is 6:00 PM EST on Friday, September 25, 2009. Since the line may already be in use with another caller as this date approaches, we advise you to telephone long before the deadline. All calls made before September 25 will be returned in sufficient time for you to mail in your application.

Further, the application must be received in our post office box by Friday, October 9, 2009 but we ask that you send it as soon as you can. That way, if we need more information, we can ask you for it. Remember: please do not send an application unless you have spoken to us first.

If you're applying as an organization or have a fiscal sponsor, use the Organization Application. If you're applying as an individual, use the Individual Application.

We need your application on or before the deadline. Note that some express mail services do not deliver to postal boxes, so plan ahead to use regular "snail mail." Don't plan to deliver it by hand to the P.O. box either; it will still be stamped and posted, and won't reach our box right away.

If we need additional materials from you, we will request them within a few days, and you will have a few days to provide them.