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Grant Guidelines

STEP ONE: Determine if your organization is eligible

To be considered for a grant, organizations must:

  • Be an organization designated as not-for-profit and tax-exempt as defined under IRS 501(c)(3) codes.
  • Serve the needs of seriously ill children and those who love and care for them.
  • Wait a minimum of one (1) calendar year after an RMHC grant is awarded to submit another Letter of Inquiry.

Organizations seeking funding should have a specific program which:

  • Directly benefits children only (newborn to 18 years). If your program benefits children and adults, you must identify which costs specifically support children. Only those costs directly supporting children are eligible for funding by RMHC.
  • Serves the needs of seriously ill children and their families and/or those who love and care for them.
  • Serves children in the following Western Washington Counties: Clallam, Grays Harbor, Island, Snohomish, Jefferson, Lewis, King, Kitsap, Mason, Pacific, Pierce, San Juan, Snohomish, Skagit, Thurston and Whatcom; and the state of Alaska.
  • Expends RMHC grant awards within one year from the date the grant is awarded.

Priority will be given to organizations and/or programs which:

  • Address a significant funding gap or critical opportunity.
  • Have long-term impact.
  • Produce measurable results.

RMHC does not fund:

  • Grants to individuals.
  • Programs that receive more than 40 percent of their support from government funding or government grants/contracts. (Excludes reimbursement or fee-for-service from Medicare/Medicaid. Forty percent cap does not apply to organizations in Alaska.)
  • Overhead or general administrative costs, except for those specifically related to program for which funds are requested.
    • RMHC will fund up to 50% of the total grant request for program-related overhead/ administrative costs and/or salaries (combined total can not exceed 50% of the total funds requested)
  • Requests that are not in writing.
  • Requests for programs which have already been completed.
  • Grant requests exceeding $15,000.
  • Requests for ticket and/or admission fees.
  • Advertising or fundraising drives, capital campaigns or endowment campaigns.
  • Intermediary funding agencies or “pass-through” grants (not-for profit organizations that ask RMHC for funds to distribute to other not-for-profit organizations).
  • Medical research.

STEP TWO: Submit a Letter of Inquiry

Letters of Inquiry may be submitted via fax or mail. Letters cannot be accepted via e-mail.

Letter of Inquiries must:

  • Be submitted on organization letterhead.
  • Be signed by a senior management representative.
  • Be submitted in English.
  • Be no more than two pages in length.
  • Be received (not postmarked) by the letter deadline.

Your Letter of Inquiry must include:

  • Organization name.
  • Contact name, phone number and e-mail of person(s) responsible for grant application.
  • Organization’s mission statement.
  • Name of project and brief project overview (maximum two paragraphs).
  • Dollar amount of request.

Note: Proof of organization’s 501(c)(3) status will be required if you are invited to apply for a grant

Please send Letters of Inquiry to:
Grants Administrator
RMHC of Western Washington
5130 40th Avenue NE, Seattle, Washington 98105
Phone: (206) 838-0628 Fax: (206) 838-0650


STEP THREE: Organizations are invited to submit grant application

After reviewing all letters of inquiry, RMHC of Western Washington will invite those organizations whose objectives most closely match our focus and mission to submit a full grant application. Organizations will be notified of the decision a minimum of 30 days prior to the grant application deadline. Applications must be received by (not postmarked on) the due date.

Preparation and Submission Guidelines
You must be invited to submit a grant application. If you are invited to submit a formal grant application, you will be asked to submit TWO sets of every item listed below, in order listed:

  • Completed grant application summary sheet (RMHC will send this to you.)
  • This application checklist indicating inclusion of all requested information.
  • Organization history: a brief description (one paragraph) of your organization.
  • Project summary, briefly addressing each of the following areas:
    • Additional pertinent details about your program not included in letter of inquiry.
    • Project timeline (example: for what program year will these funds be used).
    • Long range objectives of project and how objectives will be accomplished.
    • Target audience, including:
      ¨ How many children will be served.
      ¨ Age breakdown of participants.
      ¨ Geographic area served.
      ¨ Estimate ethnicity of target audience or program participants in percentages (This information is not a factor in local funding decisions but is required by Global RMHC. An estimate will be accepted if this information is not regularly tracked.).
  • Current board of directors list.
  • Past donor information over 12 months showing all private, corporate and foundation support for organization.
  • Budgets and financial information attachments:
    • One-page, itemized project budget with funds requested from RMHC clearly identified.
    • Current year operating budget (for organization).
    • Last year operating budget (for organization).
    • Audited financial statements for most recent fiscal year.
      If audited financial statements are not available, explain in project summary and submit most recent IRS Form 990 tax return. You do not need to submit both.
    • Last year balance sheet (for organization) – if not included in audited statements.
    • Last year income statement (for organization) – if not included in audited statements.
    • Statement and back-up showing percent of government funding of organization's overall and project's budgets (excluding reimbursement or fee-for-service from Medicare/Medicaid).
    Please send application and all supporting documents to:
    Grants Administrator
    RMHC of Western Washington and Alaska
    5130 40th Avenue NE, Seattle, Washington 98105
    Phone: (206) 838-0628 Fax: (206) 838-0650

Please direct questions about your application to RMHC Grants Administrator at (206)838-0628.
Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Committee funding decisions
Grant applicants will be notified via e-mail of committee funding decisions. If your proposal is approved, you will receive a letter of agreement outlining the terms and conditions of the grant, which must be signed by an authorized official of the organization and returned to RMHC. It may take 6 to 10 weeks for the checks to be processed and mailed to grant recipients.