Full Proposal Guidelines

Applying to Gaia Fund involves a two-step process, as outlined in the Applying for a Grant section of the website. The first step requires Making an Initial Inquiry in a manner consistent with the Fund’s published instructions.

Based upon the trustees’ review of an initial inquiry, a select number of applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal. The full proposal consists of a formatted application letter, accompanied by a set of specified attachments.


The Application Letter

The application letter should be organized according to the following seven headings (shown in underlined font) and in the order indicated:

  1. Statement of Purpose and Goals for the activity that is the subject of the request, including an explanation of how the program or project advances your organization’s mission.

  2. Strategies/Tactics for Achieving Stated Goals, including a program timeline.

  3. Desired Outcomes and Evaluation Methods that will be used to assess the success of the program.

  4. Qualifications of Key Staff involved with the project. If additional staff will be hired for the program, include a brief job description and explanation of the search/hiring process.

  5. Other Players and Organizational Niche, citing other organizations that are working on issues related to the request, your view of your organization’s distinct niche relative to those other organizations, and a description of any relevant collaborations.

  6. Recent Accomplishments of the Organization that indicate it has the skill, experience, and capacity to successfully complete the project that is the subject of the request.

  7. Additional Comments that you feel will help Gaia Fund evaluate your request.
The application letter, exclusive of the attachments, should be limited to six pages (three pages if double-sided). It is to be written in 12-point font with 1" margins on all sides.


Application Letter Attachments

The application letter should be accompanied by the following seven attachments, in the order listed below:
  1. A list of the organization’s governing body, indicating officers and relevant affiliations.

  2. The organization’s budget for the current fiscal year.

  3. A project budget if the request is for other than general operating support.

  4. Committed major funding sources and grant amounts in support of the project (or, if the request is for general support, year-to-date major funding sources/amounts for the organization).

  5. Financial statements (audited, if available) for the most recently concluded fiscal year. Financial statements are to be unbound, submitted on loose sheets.

  6. The most recent annual report, or an appropriate substitute document if the organization doesn’t prepare an annual report. Annual reports are to be unbound, submitted on loose sheets.

  7. A copy of the organization’s IRS 501(c)(3) tax determination letter, or that of its fiscal sponsor.
The application letter and all attachments should be printed on standard 8.5" x 11" sheets of paper. Applicants should send two complete sets of the full proposal, three-hole punched, to the Fund via regular mail. No other materials should accompany the full proposal submission.

Consistent with the Fund’s efforts to be environmentally conscious, we prefer that submissions be double-sided and/or printed on recycled paper. Please do not use plastic folders or other unnecessary presentation materials.

The Fund will confirm receipt of the full proposal by return mail. Applicants will be contacted if additional information is needed, or it the Fund wishes to schedule a site visit or face-to-face meeting. Communication from applicants to discuss the status of pending proposals or to schedule meetings is strongly discouraged.

The Fund reserves the right to decline proposals that fail to follow any of these instructions.