Apply for Open Meadows Foundation Application Process – Female entrepreneurs face a lot of difficulties in funding their businesses compared to men. If you’re a female entrepreneur launching a startup company or need funds to expand your business then consider applying for the Open Meadows Foundation grant. These grants are an excellent resource of funds for women startup companies to grow and expand.
Open Meadows Foundation is a popular grant-making organization that funds business projects based in the United States or international locations led by female entrepreneurs who promote racial, gender and or economic justice. This guide will shed light on the Open Meadows Foundation grant, the eligibility criteria, the application procedure and other alternative business grants for women that you can consider.
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Highlights of this Post
What Are Open Meadows Foundation Grants?
The Open Meadows Foundation Grant sponsors business projects or companies that do not discriminate against people based on their religious commodities, gender identity, national origin, expression, language, sexual identity, ability or age.
The foundation offers grants below $2000 for projects that fulfill their eligibility criteria and guidelines. For instance, the Open Meadows Foundation Grant covers projects that focus on boycotts, standing rock, founding new activist organizations, marches, community organizations, workers’ rights, environmental activism, voting rights, political action, and economic rights that promote the participation of girls and women.
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What Are The Eligibility Criteria To Qualify For Open Meadows Foundation Grant?
Open Meadows Foundation grants are awarded for business projects that cover the following aspects.
- Designed and implemented by girls and women
- Promote building community power
- Reflect the diversity of communities served by the project in organization and leadership
- Have limited financial resources or have faced struggles in search for funding
- Projects that are planned and can be implemented in the plan
- Need support from the foundation to ensure the success of a proposed project.
Following is the list of eligibility criteria that you need to fulfill to qualify for the Open Meadows Foundation grant program.
- Businesses applying for the Open Meadows Foundation grants must have tax-exempt status or a fiscal sponsor that is tax-exempt under the 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
- Startup or small business organization are encouraged to apply for the Open Meadows Foundation grant
- Business projects must be led by females and benefit girls and women belonging to vulnerable communities
- The annual budget of the business or organization must not exceed the limit of $150,000.
- The foundation does not provide funds to individuals, public or private educational institutions, for-profit businesses or governmental agencies.
The Open Meadows Foundation is interested in investing in programs and projects that address and incorporate the human-animal connection as a part of the delivery service. For more information, you can visit the animal welfare plan of the foundation.
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What Are The Documentation Required For The Open Meadows Foundation Grant?
Applicants need to download a copy of their proposal and cover sheet from the official website of Open Meadows Foundation, fill in the proposal and provide accompanying materials through email. The supporting documents that are required during the application procedure are as follows.
- Must have a cover sheet.
- Project description must be provided but should not contain more than three pages. It should hold specific information about the project and community where it is taking place. It must contain all information about your organization.
- Detailed information about the budget for the project must be showcased along with the income and expenses.
- The budget must contain information about income and expenses. The budget of the previous 2 years must be provided, if they are available. Only those organizations are eligible for the grant that earn less $75,000 annually.
- If it is a US proposal then a copy of the organization’s tax exemption letter is required from the IRS with status 501 (c ) (3). A copy of the tax exemption letter from the IRS tax advisor will also count. If it is an international proposal, a copy of the organization’s registration is mandatory.
- It should also contain all the list of employees whether it is a part-time or full time including gender, ethnicity and race.
- It must also contain the list of board of directors including gender, ethnicity and race.
- The art projects must be submitted through pdf, video link, mp3 or other online sources. However, those film and video projects will only be considered that are completed.
- You can include additional samples or material to support the program for needy women.
The Foundation only provides grants to the qualified public institutions or charities that operate in Texas. You should also remember that the foundation does not provide any money to the individuals directly.
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How to Apply for the Open Meadows Foundation Grants?
The Open Meadows Foundation Grants is a program that provides financial assistance to nonprofit organizations. To apply for the grants, you first need to complete an application form and provide submission information. The form can be found on the Open Meadows Foundation website.
Once you have completed the application form and provided all required information, you will need to wait for review before receiving funding. Reviewing the applications will take between two and four months.
Once you have applied and received funding, you will need to use the funds for your project. Once your project has been completed, use the funds to help support your development. This could include hiring professionals. Make sure to keep a track of any progress made on your project and make changes as needed so that everyone remains on track.
What Are The Different Types Of Grants Available From The Open Meadows Foundation?
Numerous grants from the Open Meadows Foundation are awarded to eligible business projects. A common type of grant program awarded is the leadership grant. The grant is designed to assist new leaders start a new business or grow their organizations. Following are the other types of grants that are awarded to deserving projects.
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Professional Development Grants
Professional development grants by the Open Meadows Foundation assist individuals in developing their talents or skills in a particular activity or field. The emphasis of the grant is to help people advance in their careers provided they can show commitment and a strong passion for their careers.
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Education And Research Grants
Education and research grants by the foundation focus on advancing knowledge for researching issues that are important to the Open Meadows Foundation.
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Community Service Grants
Community Service Grants by Open Meadows Foundation are designed to help community members and give them an opportunity to take part in activities that support the mission of the foundation or philosophy. The activities may range from collaborating with local food banks to volunteering at local libraries or hospitals.
The Open Meadows Foundation offers a number of financial assistance programs that you can apply for. The grants are provided in the following categories:
- Human Services
- Civil and Public Affairs
- Arts and Culture
- Career Development
- Community Relations
- Public Education
- Mental Health
- Environment.
The foundation offers grants to organizations that are in Texas. However, it also distributes one third or half of the grant to the organization that operates in Dallas.
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What Are The Purposes When Open Meadows Foundation Does Not Offer Grants?
You should also be aware that grants are not awarded by the foundation for purposes like:
- To support unique artistic representation and events.
- Out of state travel expenses for the purpose of competition or performances.
- Professional symposia and conferences unless that are directly related to our area.
- Annual fundraising programs or campaigns.
- Subscription for any fundraising events.
- For constructing seminaries or churches.
However, you should note that progress reports related goals and expenditures of grant funds are mandatory for all the recipients.
What Does The Open Meadows Foundation Look For in The Application Form?
Following are the factors that the Open Meadows Foundation look for in the application form:
- The project must be well planned and the agency should hold the capacity to execute the project effectively.
- The support that is offered by the organization should be very vital and act as a catalyst to grow the project in the long run.
- The project must receive financial support from various sources so that it can be implemented within the given period. The best thing about it is that it will help in speeding up the review process and one third of the funding will be required after submitting the application.
Another great thing about the foundation is that they are also interested in other programs and projects that promote human-animal connection. If you want to know more you can visit the foundation’s Animal Welfare Plan.
How Will You Know If Your Proposal To Open Meadows Foundation Has Been Awarded Or Declined?
Women entrepreneurs can submit a proposal every 12 months. The grant cycle of Open Meadows Foundation takes four to five months from receiving the application proposal to making the final call. The foundation encourages applicants to apply at least four months before in need of assistance.
The board of directors of the foundation meets five times every year in the months of January, April, June, September and November to review the proposals and grant funding to companies that meet their guidelines. The foundation will let you know if your grant request is declined or approved within a period of two weeks of taking a decision.
In case your request is approved, the Open Meadows Foundation program officer will contact you directly and provide you with information about the report form and necessary payment. In case your proposal gets declined you can submit a new request in 12 months from the date your previous application was submitted to the foundation. For instance, if you have submitted a business proposal on 1st May 2023 then you can again apply on 1st May 2024.
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What Are The Other Alternative Small Business Grants For Women?
Besides the Open Meadows Foundation Grant, there are many other small business grants designed to support women business owners. Grants unlike traditional loans are not required to be repaid and are funded by local, state or federal government including nonprofit organizations, corporations, women’s business centers and other foundations.
Let’s take a look at the following alternative small business grants that you can explore.
The federal government is the first and foremost place you must check before pursuing other grants. The database lists federal-sponsored grant programs including small business grants. To apply you need to get a DUNS number for your business which is a nine-digit Identification number unique to every business.
The next step is to register your business with the government register award management website and also create an account on the database. Searching in this database will help you explore multiple grants for your small business.
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The Small Business Administration oversees the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs which provides grants to eligible businesses and companies that contribute to the federal research. To qualify for the grants your business should be a for-profit business having less than 500 employees.
A yearly grant that assists 21 female entrepreneurs all across the globe is known as the Cartier Women’s Initiative Award. The grant covers newly established businesses that run between one to three years.
You need not run a profitable business to become eligible for this grant however you need to show that your business is generating revenue and value. The top seven finalists of this grant receive assistance up to $100,000 with one-to-one mentoring sessions while the remaining applicants get an award of $30,000. They also provide networking opportunities for entrepreneurship programs and business coaching conferences.
The Eileen Fisher Woman-owned Business Grant Program is an excellent resource for women entrepreneurs who are seeking funding opportunities to grow their businesses. The women’s clothing brand Ellen Fisher has awarded plenty of grants to women or nonprofit organizations.
The program awards $20,000 to 10 recipients each year. To apply for assistance you need to make sure business positively impacts the economy or supports women’s rights.
WomensNet offers numerous grants to female entrepreneurs. Amber Grants are not only easy to apply but also take a few minutes to fill out the application form. Eligible women-owned businesses receive assistance up to $10,000 every month through this grant program and a previous winner receives an additional $25,000 grant each year.
To apply you need to answer a few questions about your business, state your plans about using the grant fund and pay an application fee of $15. The Amber Grant Foundation is an excellent resource for women with a passionate and compelling story.
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The Girlboss Foundation Grant supports female entrepreneurs in the creative field. The foundation offers grants of up to $15,000 to deserving companies and gives businesses an exposure on the official website of the foundation including other social media platforms. The grant targets creative and innovative women entrepreneurs who need to provide samples of their creative work to qualify for assistance.
Halstead Grant targets jewelry artists and provides them with a grant award worth $7500 particularly to emerging silver jewelry artists so that they can launch their brands. Applying for the Halstead Grant is a great way to kick-start your career in the jewelry industry.
To qualify, women entrepreneurs need to answer a few pertinent questions about their company’s goals and strategies. Besides the $7500 grant, you can also get Halstead jewelry supplies worth $1000 and publicity within the jewelry industry. The eligibility criteria require women entrepreneurs to run the company for a minimum of three years.
FedEx provides grants of up to $50,000 every year to eligible small businesses including $7500 in print, shipping and many other business services. FedEx Small Business Grant is a popular resource for small businesses who want to grow and expand their business.
The popular grant selects winners through public voting every year. 10 lucky winners are selected by FedEx Small Business Grant and the first-place winner gets support up to $25,000. In addition, the winner can also access FedEx office print and copy services. The application process requires candidates to have less than 99 employees and must run for a minimum of six months.
A grant reward for men and women-owned companies is the Visa Everywhere Initiative. The grant assists fintech and startup companies to address their business challenges.
Visa awards may range between $10,000 to $50,000. The Woman’s Global Edition by Visa assists women-owned businesses with grants of up to $100,000 for answering social impact and fintech challenges.
The National Association for Self-employed Growth Grants assists employees through a multitude of benefits including accessibility to NASA Growth grants. Grant winners receive assistance up to $4000 every month to support their business.
You can use the funding opportunity for business development expenses like hiring employees, expanding facilities, marketing or advertising etc. To qualify you need to be a member of the National Association For The Self-Employed in good standing.
Idea Café Small Business Grant Program is an excellent resource for both men and women business owners. The program provides cash awards to eligible entrepreneurs so that they can launch their businesses quickly. The grant program is easy and quick to apply.
The criteria to receive assistance under the Idea Café Grant is simple and all you need to do is sign up as an Idea Café Regular and apply for the grant. The grant offers a $1000 award to each recipient.
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Conclusion
The Open Meadows Foundation Grant is committed to fund projects led and funded by women and girls in the United States and across the globe. The foundation prioritizes organizations and businesses with limited financial resources or those who are finding obstacles to securing funding. A grant award of $2000 is provided to nonprofit organizations having an annual budget of $75,000 or less.
Learn more about Government Grants and Loans for Small business at the Get Government Grants’ section today. Our resources will help you to find the right type of support based on your financial situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much assistance can you receive from the Open Meadows Foundation Grant?
The grant amount that is offered by Open Meadows Foundation goes up to $2,000. The grants are offered to those projects that are run by women or girls.
What are the types of Open Meadows Foundation Grants that are awarded?
The grants that are awarded by the foundation are for Human Services, Art and Culture, Civil and Public Affairs, Education etc. Grants are also offered for special projects that are led by women or girls.
What Are The Deadlines For Open Meadows Foundation Grant Proposals?
Open Meadows Foundation accepts grant proposals at any time throughout the year. The foundation recommends applicants to submit their business proposal at least four to five months before the funding is required.
How Can You Contact Open Meadows Foundation To Discuss A Possible Proposal?
Applicants can call the Open Meadows Foundation at 214-826-9431 and get connected to a grant staff member to discuss their project. The foundation is available by email or phone and in some cases, they can schedule a meeting if additional details are required.
When Are Grant Requests Turned Down By Open Meadows Foundation?
The Open Meadows Foundation can decline a request based on a wide array of factors. Most frequently the foundation turns down requests because they are unable to fund every request due to the limitations of funding. The board of directors looks for projects and programs that are best aligned with their missions, program areas and initiatives.
