MBF Grant Guidelines/Application
Grant Process
1. The Foundation has established its fiscal year as July 1 – June 30. It considers grant applications two times during each fiscal year at both its January and June meetings. December 1st is the deadline for consideration at the January meeting and April 1st is the deadline for consideration at the May meeting. Grant deadlines are subject to review/postponement by the MBF Board. Grant applications received after a deadline will be considered at the next designated grant review meeting. In its sole discretion and for good cause shown, the Foundation’s Board may consider a grant application on an expedited basis at any time during its fiscal year.
2. Completed application – the attached application must be fully completed and returned electronically.
3. Signed electronically under oath;
4. Approval by the Foundation Board – all requests for grants will be reviewed and acted upon by the Board of Directors of the Maryland Bar Foundation;
5. Funding mechanism – when a grant is approved, the grant will either be an outright award, or will be provided under certain conditions that the Board considers reasonable.
6. Grants awarded each cycle will receive a letter detailing the award along with an acceptance form. Payment will not be made until this acceptance form is completed and returned.
7. Final Reports are due approximately one year after the award is made. Due dates are listed within award letters.
Part II – Grant Application Directions
1. Please provide a brief description of the grantee organization and its history.
2. Please provide documentation of any tax exempt status: identify what exemption has been granted;attach a copy of most recent Internal Revenue Service letter recognizing grantee as a tax exempt organization; and in the event grantee has a non-profit corporate status, identify the state of incorporation and the date of grant of charter, and state whether the charter is currently effective.
3. Please provide a complete description of the specific project for which funding is desired including a detailed timeline for the project from commencement to conclusion.
4. Please attach the past two years of financial data for the grantee organization including: financial statements and audit reports or, in the alternative tax returns
5. Please provide any proposed budget for the project for which the grant is requested. Please note, generally speaking, the Maryland Bar Foundation does not support funding for salaries and benefits. Please provide an itemized budget, including the exact amount being requested from the Maryland Bar Foundation as well as any proposed funding from non-MBF sources, if any. For items that are currently unfunded by any specific grant or source, describe all organizational fundraising efforts for said project to date and proposed. If it is anticipated that more funding will be required beyond the scope of this grant application in order to proceed with the project, or to continue the project, please describe all efforts to obtain additional or permanent funding.
6. Identify all other organizations to whom any grant application has been made, and whether or not they have been received, during the past three years for this or any other fund raising.
7. In the event the grant will be used for the purchase of equipment, describe the anticipated use of the equipment at the conclusion of the project.
8. In the event of dissolution of the grantee organization, describe any controlling provisions relating to the disposition of assets.
Part III – Release of Liability & Right to Audit
Acceptance of any grant monies from the Maryland Bar Foundation is specifically conditioned upon the release from liability of the Foundation and its employees, agents or representative by the grantee, its agents or assigns. The Maryland Bar Foundation reserves the right to conduct a financial audit of the grantee and the project for which the grant of the Foundation was given upon reasonable notice during regular business hours. The Maryland Bar Foundation specifically conditions any grant to the grantee upon the complete, prompt and continuing disclosure of information relating to the grant and its use upon further request for information by the Foundation. The grantee agrees to indicate the Maryland Bar Foundation’s financial support in connection with the project in such reasonable manner as the Foundation’s Board of Directors my request. The undersigned agrees to accept all aforementioned terms, and solemnly swears or affirms that the answers to the foregoing questions and the information provided with the answers are true to the best of the undersigned’s personal knowledge, information and belief.
