Get a grant for your nonprofit
We support nonprofits that take on projects that match our grantmaking priorities. Some we have worked with before. Others are new to the Westchester Community Foundation.
As a community foundation, we focus primarily on Westchester. Our competitive grants support projects that improve the lives of all Westchester residents. Making grants that make a difference requires a good understanding of the problems you’re trying to fix, the methods that others have tried and how they’ve fared, and the capabilities of the organization proposing a program.
We think that experience in the field is also essential. WCF staff have all worked for nonprofit organizations. This helps them appreciate the complexities of designing projects, translating them into compelling proposals, and competing for the limited amount of money that’s available.
WCF must also balance the needs of the Westchester region with the charitable intent of our generous donors who make these grants possible. Every year, we give away about $2-3 million to carry out the wishes of donors who have left us bequests. Since 1975, we’ve granted more than $84,426,212 to worthy nonprofits in Westchester.
| Step | Cycle 1 | Cycle 2 | Cycle 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOIs Due by 5 p.m. | October 14, 2022 | January 27, 2023 | May 26, 2023 |
| Invited proposals due by 5 p.m. | December 2, 2022 | March 17, 2023 | July 21, 2023 |
| Announcement of Awards | Late March | Early July | Late November |
Learn more about our main program areas and the grant guidelines for each.
APPLICATION CHECKLIST
Step One:
Submit a Letter of Intent to info@wcf-ny.org. The Letter of Intent will be reviewed by WCF staff. If it is accepted, you will be invited by a program officer to submit a full application.
Step Two:
Upon invitation, download and complete the Proposal and submit it with all other required documents listed here.
- A list of your board of directors, including community or professional affiliations;
- Your most recent 990 if it is not available on GuideStar;
- Your annual operating budget, along with actual income and expenses for the most recently completed fiscal year;
- Your most recent audited or reviewed financial statements, if available.
Step Three:
Email all documents to your program officer and to proposal@wcf-ny.org.
NOTE: Include your agency name in the subject line of the email. Be sure to name all documents with your agency name.
Discover additional funding opportunities for your organization through current Requests For Proposals.
Grantees are required to submit interim and final reports that provide a clear and concise narrative describing progress made toward meeting the expected grant results; how any problems were addressed; and a fiscal accounting of grant expenditures
Download the Interim/Final Report Form here and email it to interim@wcf-ny.org or final@wcf-ny.org AND to your Program Officer. Include your agency name in the subject line of the email. Be sure to name all documents with your agency name and minimize the number of separate documents sent. Include as many documents as possible in one file.
A key component of our grant making program is understanding the effectiveness of the initiatives our grants help to fund. Our goal is to inform and improve our decision-making and, where appropriate, share this learning with future grantees. Ultimately, we collect best practices and lessons learned to better inform our own grant making, and we thank all of our grantees for helping us with this process.
Do you want the story of your grant to be featured in our newsletters, read by our donors and partners? Send them to Laura Rossi, Executive Director, at lrossi@wcf-ny.org.
Download a PDF listing our competitive grants from our most recently completed fiscal year.
