INITIAL
APPROACH
New requests for support to the Merck Family Fund should be made by a letter of inquiry rather than with a full proposal or a request for a personal meeting. The letter should not exceed two pages and should concisely describe the project, its purpose, its likely impact, and the amount being requested. The letter should also briefly describe the organization and the overall budget. The Fund's staff will review the letter and decide whether to invite a full proposal. Letters of inquiry are acknowledged as soon as possible.
INQUIRY
DEADLINES
Letters of inquiry may be submitted at any time. Hard copy format is preferred over fax or email transmission.
INVITED
PROPOSALS
Proposals should be written concisely and the narrative section should not exceed eight pages (less is more). Since fundraising is both time consuming and labor intensive, we encourage grant seekers to use a common proposal format (such as one offered by the Associated Grantmakers), or to send us a proposal prepared for another foundation. If detailed changes in format or presentation are needed, we will contact you.
Merck Family Fund considers invited proposals only
and an initial approach should be made as above.
PROPOSAL FORMAT
The full proposal must include the following information
and supporting documents. Please note the new and
last point concerning climate change. We will not
judge the proposal on this question but rather hope
to initiate a learning opportunity for both you
and the Fund.
- A one page summary of the project. This
is required and needs to be its own separate
page.
- A clear statement of the need(s) or problem(s)
to be addressed.
- The project's goals and a compelling strategy
or action plan for achieving those goals (preference
is given to proposals that include detailed
and pragmatic notes on strategy and project
implementation, rather than those that focus
primarily on the need for support).
- A project timeline.
- The expected results and impact of the project.
- A description of how you will determine whether
the project is successful.
- A history of your organization, including
its mission and goals.
- Project and organizational line item budget(s).
- A list of other sources of actual and potential
financial support for the project and a brief
description of plans to secure additional funding.
- Most recent financial statement.
- IRS letter certifying tax exempt status.
- Current annual report.
- List of Board of Directors and Officers.
- Resume(s) of key personnel involved in the
project.
- NEW! - Briefly describe
the ways in which you are responding to climate
change. This may include operationally (i.e.
purchasing decisions) and/or program direction.
If you are able to measure your emissions (see
Tracking Your
Carbon Footprint for calculator) let us
know as we may try to offset them. If there
are other resources that would help you reduce
your carbon output please list them as well.
For further information see the Climate
Change section. We welcome all your ideas,
regardless of your familiarity with this topic.
It is new for us too.
- Final Reports must be submitted
prior to applying for a new grant.
Deadline for full proposals will be February 1 and
August 1, 2010 . The Merck Family Fund makes funding
decisions twice a year in May and November. Please
note: invited proposals should be postmarked by
the deadline and sent to Merck Family Fund promptly.
However, we do not encourage applicants to spend
extra money on express delivery services. Regular
mail is preferable. Final reports must be submitted
prior to applying for a new grant.
SEND
PROPOSALS TO
Jenny Russell, Executive Director
Merck Family Fund
95 Eliot Street, Suite 2
Milton, MA 02186-4253
LIMITATIONS
The Merck Family Fund contributes to tax-exempt organizations in the United States. It does not support individuals, for-profit organizations, or candidates for political office. The Fund does not generally support: governmental organizations, academic research or books; endowments, debt reduction, annual fund-raising campaigns, capital construction, purchase of equipment, the acquisition of land, or film or video projects.
NOTE ON
PAPER AND ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICE
The Fund strongly prefers applications printed double-sided on non-chlorine bleached 100% recycled or alternative paper, and organizations that have a commitment to recycled and reused products throughout their work. Check our LINKS for access to related resources.
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