Funding Guidelines

The Humanitas Foundation makes grants for a variety of programs in line with its mission, but these are initiated by the Humanitas Foundation. Unsolicited applications are not accepted.

The Humanitas Foundation may also initiate grants for projects of interest to its Board of Directors which are related to the mission of the Humanitas Foundation but which fall outside its established areas of interest or geographic limitations. The emphasis upon individual categories might vary in any given year and exceptions to these guidelines may occur at the discretion of the Humanitas Foundation.

The Humanitas Foundation does not provide funds to individuals, endowments, capital campaigns, or building funds. The Humanitas Foundation does not underwrite annual meetings, conferences or special events, nor does it fund religious programs or purchase tickets to fundraising events.

Although the Humanitas Foundation does not currently produce an annual report, a list of sample grants is available on this website.

Grant Application Procedure

The Humanitas Foundation is NOT accepting Letters of Inquiry at this time.

A one-page Letter of Inquiry is required (sent electronically to humanitas@hfound.org). The Letter of Inquiry should include a brief description of the organization, its history and current programs, a statement of need, the specific amount requested, and, if applying for a particular program, a statement of the objectives for that program. In addition, all proposals should include:

• a current annual operating budget and, if appropriate, a program budget
• a 501(c)(3) tax determination letter or an Advance Ruling letter from the Internal Revenue Service
• the most recent audited financial statements
• a the most recent complete Form 990 filed with the Internal Revenue Service
• a list of the current Board of Directors
• any other pertinent supplemental documents

New organizations that do not yet have audited financial statements or a Form 990 may send unaudited information.

Only one copy of each Letter of Inquiry is required. Please do not send videos or materials that need to be returned. There will be a delay in processing incomplete Letters of Inquiry. Organizations invited to submit complete, formal grant applications will be notified immediately after the Humanitas Foundation’s annual Board of Directors meeting. Organizations whose grant applications are declined must wait one year before re-applying.