Grantmaking
Funding Priorities
The Foundation, drawing on the desired outcomes for people served developed by the National Core Indicators and the Council on Quality Leadership, has identified “Access to Services” as the priority outcome for persons with IDD on which grantmaking will be focused.
Specific Grant Focus for 2025
The Enterline Foundation’s overarching funding priority is to increase access to services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Believing that an adequate direct support professional (DSP) workforce is essential to ensuring the provision of services, The Foundation will focus its giving in 2025 on initiatives that support the recruitment and retention of DSPs. Although not limited to these examples, initiatives could include:
- Internship programs
- New hire welcoming, orientation and coaching
- Training and professional development including certification programs
- Establishment of career ladders
- Connection to community resources for nonwork related needs of DSPs
- Improvements to organizational culture
- Communication and feedback soliciting initiatives
- Recognition and appreciation activities
- Front line supervisor coaching and development
- Technology needed to support data collection and employee experience
Types of Grants
Single Year Grants
Single Year Grant
- Open Call
- Not to Exceed $25K
- Applicant must have annual operating budget less than $10M
Applicants in this category will be evaluated based on the evidence of documented community need and the project’s likelihood of increasing access to services by persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities or their families.
Multi-Year Grants
Multi-Year Grants (2 or 3 years)
- By invitation only
- Capacity Building projects
- Not to exceed $25K per year or a total of $75K over three years
The Foundation utilizes the National Council of Nonprofits definition of capacity building as follows:
“Whatever is needed to bring a nonprofit to the next level of operational, programmatic, financial or organizational maturity so it may more effectively and efficiently advance its mission into the future.”
Applicants invited to apply for a capacity building grant should be prepared to provide meaningful evidence to support why an investment could be reasonably expected to lead to one or more of the following outcomes:
- Increased capacity to serve individuals currently waiting for services or are anticipated to need services in the near term.
- Greater operational efficiencies leading to improved financial performance and/or organizational stability.
- The provision of higher quality services and supports that meet a currently unmet need.
- Access to resources currently unavailable to the organization.
Before You Apply
Eligibility
All applicants must:
- Be either a provider of services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities or be a sector level organization that supports providers of services or the sector at large
- Have been in operation as a 501c3 nonprofit for at least 2 full years prior to the current year’s funding deadline
- Have at least 1 full-time employee
- Have not received funding in the previous years’ grant cycle
- Have submitted a final report for all previous grants
Areas Not Typically Funded
- Organizations whose sole focus is not individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities
- Requests outside the stated focal or thematic area
- Endowment Funds
- Individual travel and conference attendance
- Publication of books
- Projects that promote political or religious views
- Political or lobbying activities
- Direct support of individuals and individual sponsorships
- Program, school or camp scholarships
- Coverage of continuing operating deficits
- Event Sponsorship
Apply For A Grant
Grant Availability
The foundation anticipates making 7-10 single year grants and up to two multi-year grants.
Deadline and Funding Cycle
The deadline for all grants is 8 pm EST, January 31. Funding decisions will be communicated in May and grant awards shortly thereafter.
Submitting an Application
The single-year grant application must be submitted online using the link below which is activated 60 days prior to the deadline. Hard copy or emailed applications will not be accepted.
The online application must be completed in one sitting. A complete copy of the application is available here so you may draft your answers and then copy and paste them into the portal. Please note the word limits as the form will cut answers to conform to the set parameters.
The link for completing the multi-year application will be provided directly to selected organizations.
For Sector Organizations:
For Provider Organizations:
File A Grant Report
Please use the appropriate link to complete your organization’s grant report. The grant type and report due date are noted in your grant agreement.
Funding FAQs
Can organizations that serve people with physical disabilities apply for a grant?
Only if those individuals also have an intellectual and/or developmental disability.
Does The Enterline Foundation make grants in any state in the US?
Yes, eligible organizations in any state or US territory may apply.
Can organizations that serve children with intellectual and developmental disabilities apply?
The Enterline Foundation is focused on organizations that serve transition-age youth (ages 14 and up) and adults.
What can I do if my organization is interested in being considered for a multi-year (invitation only) grant?
Please submit an inquiry through our Contact Us page. Include the organization website address and a 2-3 sentence description of the project in the “Message Box”.