CCF Guidelines FAQ
Grant Criteria and Grant Priorities
Q. Do you make grants outside the United States?
A. No. As a general rule, all our member funds restrict funding to organizations within the United States. Very rare exceptions are made for cross-border organizing efforts in Mexico and environmental campaigns in British Columbia.
Q. What are your other geographical limitations?
A. The Abelard Foundation West makes grants to organizations located in the Northern Rockies, the Great Basin, the Northwest, the Southwest and California. The Acorn Foundation also prioritizes western United States, but may make a few grants each year to environmental organizations in the South and in Appalachia. The Victor & Lorraine Honig Fund (invitation only) prioritizes California. The Penney Family Fund (invitation only) prioritizes Oregon and California. The Grassroots Exchange Fund accepts proposals from organizations throughout the United States.
Q. What types of organizations do you NOT fund?
A. Common Counsel members generally do not fund the following:
* organizations with total annual budgets over $400,000 per year (only the Grassroots Exchange Fund considers organizations with budgets up to $750,000);
* intermediary organizations that serve grassroots organizations or that are primarily training or technical assistance providers;
* large national or regional networks;
* international organizations and organizations located outside of the United States;
* direct social services such as counseling, mentoring, healthcare, housing shelters;
* educational, cultural or medical institutions or programs (including enviro-education);
* capital campaigns, construction or renovation programs, endowments;
* film, video, publications, or other media projects;
* grantmaking institutions;
* scholarship funds or other aid to individuals;
* research or fellowships;
* land trusts/land acquisitions;
* government sponsored programs or programs undertaken by tax-supported institutions;
* organizations with access to mainstream funding; and
* emergency funding.
Q. What percentage of proposals receive funding?
A. Approximately 10% of proposals receive funding each cycle.
Q. Why was our proposal or letter of inquiry declined? Can I contact Common Counsel for feedback?
A. Each proposal is first screened to determine if it fits Abelard and Acorn Foundation guidelines. If you received a guideline decline within eight weeks of submitting your request, then that means staff found your work to be outside the grant guidelines, and you are not encouraged to re-apply. Most other declines are due to the sheer volume of grant proposals Common Counsel receives each cycle. Staff evaluates each request and gives priority to those organizations that best match the criteria listed above, while also attempting to address the greatest funding needs in the Western States. If your organization fits into guidelines but receives a volume-based decline, you are welcome to contact Common Counsel staff for feedback and to determine if you should submit requests in future cycles.
Process for Applying to Common Counsel, Abelard and Acorn Foundations
Q. I'm interested in applying for a grant. Can I set up a meeting with staff?
A. Regrettably, while we would enjoy talking at length with prospective grantees, our time is extremely limited. Because of the sheer volume of letters of inquiry, proposals and telephone inquiries Common Counsel receives, program staff is not available to take meetings with prospective grant applicants. Staff members are only able to schedule meetings with organizations that have been invited to submit a proposal after submitting a letter of inquiry. The best way to learn more about Common Counsel grants is to carefully review the guidelines and grants lists. You are then welcome to submit a letter of inquiry if you feel your work is eligible for funding. You can find our guidelines here.
Q. We're interested in more than one of your member foundations. Should we submit more than one copy of the letter of inquiry? To whom should we address letters?
A. All applicants should submit just one copy of the letter of inquiry. Correspondence should be addressed to:
Common Counsel Foundation
405 Fourteenth Street, Suite 809
Oakland, CA 94612
Common Counsel staff will review each letter of inquiry and determine if we would like to invite a full proposal from your organization. Some proposals may fit into the guidelines of both the Abelard and Acorn Foundations, and will be considered for both foundations accordingly. Proposals reviewed for the Victor & Lorraine Honig Fund are by invitation only.
Q. What are your letter of inquiry deadlines? May we submit a letter after the deadline?
A. Letter of inquiry deadlines are January 15th and June 15th for the Abelard and Acorn Foundations. Letters must be received by these dates to be considered for the current grant cycle. An organization may add supplemental materials (including letters of support) to its file at any time after submission. If you submit a letter of inquiry after a deadline, it will be placed into consideration for the following grant cycle.
Q. If my organization is invited to submit a proposal, when can we expect to hear about the status of our proposal?
A. You will hear back from us no later than four to six months after the proposal is submitted. The dates of the Abelard and Acorn Foundation grantmaking meetings change from year to year, but they are generally in the spring and then again in the fall. Proposals invited for consideration by the Victor & Lorraine Honig Fund are reviewed quarterly.
Q. Should we contact Common Counsel to follow up on our application?
A. If you have not received a message from us confirming receipt of your letter of inquiry within four weeks of the submission deadline date, please contact us. As we review your request, we will contact you if we need additional information. You are always welcome to send in updated materials while your application is under consideration.
