Before You Apply
Please read the information below
Review our Eligibility Requirements to learn more about our funding criteria. To begin the application process, an organization must establish an account in our grant management system, complete and pass the Eligibility Quiz, and complete the Letter of Intent (LOI) form. The Eligibility Quiz and LOI form can be accessed in the grant management system after an account has been established. All requests for funding begin with the submission of a LOI. The LOI is the best way to present your request to the Trust and is a pre-requisite for application.
Always feel free to contact the Trust by email oe@hfctrust.org, with any questions about funding priorities or procedures before you apply.
Note that our Letter of Intent (LOI) and Application deadlines are firm. Proposals submitted after their respective deadlines will not be considered for the funding cycle. Please note that the Letter of Intent is not the application. An invitation to apply is not guaranteed with the submission of an LOI. An invitation to complete the full application is extended to an organization after the LOI has been reviewed and approved to continue.
Additionally, Continuing Partners (current grantees) are also required to complete a LOI form in the online portal if the organization plans to request continued funding. Continuing partners must submit a LOI prior to the end of their current grant period.
Explore our Applicant Resources to learn more about the grant application process and download required forms for your proposal.
Prepare to begin the application process by submitting your Letter of Intent. We only accept information submitted via our online portal. Please be sure to save your responses intermittently as you work through the questions. Incomplete submissions will be saved as a draft until it is submitted. Once we receive your submission, HFCT staff may contact your organization if additional information or a site visit is required. Prior to submission, ensure all questions have been answered, and the data is current and accurate. Any request submitted after the deadline will not be reviewed. Only complete submissions will be reviewed.
We Are Here To Help
The Trust wishes to support potential grantees in the application process. Please call our office at (610) 293-2225 or email oe@hfctrust.org with additional questions about any phase of the application process or login procedure.
Eligibility Requirements
Please select one of the tabs above to learn more about how we fund these programs.
Who Is Eligible for our Funding
Please carefully review the following criteria for HFCT eligibility in Philadelphia, PA before you submit a Letter Of Intent or an Application.
1. Financial Documents
- 501(c)(3) status: first-time applications must provide documentation verifying tax-exempt status. For organizations that are part of a larger group, such as a religious affiliate, the ruling organization’s 501(c)(3) will suffice.
- Project Budget
- Organization Overall Operating Budget
- Audited Financial Statements: Organizations with revenue less than $750,000 must submit their most recent two-year comparative internally prepared, reviewed, or audited financial statements. Organizations with revenue over $750,000 must submit their most recent two-year comparative financial statements audited by a CPA.
- IRS Form 990: Applicants must submit the organization’s IRS Form 990. IRS Form 990 should not be older than 10.5 months after your most recent fiscal year-end.
2. Geographical Focus
- Programs supporting children and youth in Philadelphia, Chester, Montgomery, Delaware, and Camden Counties
3. Population(s) Served
- Children and youth in grades K-12 in under-resourced educational environments and communities — more than 70 percent of all participants in the organization should be eligible for free or reduced-rate lunches in schools.
4. Program Focus
- Data-driven literacy-based programs focused on developing robust reading and writing skills with a strong history of success. These can be programs that:
- Take place during school hours, after school, or during the summer.
- Take place across school systems, but the funding can support only nonsectarian programming including within a religious institution.
- Grades K-8 programs should devote at least 70 percent of their time directly to instruction and activities in reading and writing.
- Grades 9-12 programs should provide innovative approaches to students in under-resourced areas for high school completion and/or post-secondary success.
- Youth workforce development programs that focus on quality career exploration and preparation initiatives.
- College programs are not funded.
Outside Our Mission
The Trust does not provide funding for:
- Individuals
- Capital Projects
- Human Services
- Programs focusing on/serving: school assembly, religious education, or college or university students
- Endowment funds
- Other foundations or family trusts
- Entry fees for museums or other cultural institutions
- Projects with unpaid teaching artists
- Political candidates, parties, or PACs
- Debt-reduction programs
Notes For Applicants
Please carefully review the following criteria for HFCT before you submit a Letter of Intent or an Application.
Size of awards
- First-time grants vary in range up to $25,000.
Things To Consider
- First-time grants: are generally designated for program support. The Trust rarely funds new staff positions for initial grants.
- Continuing partners (current grantees): may apply for continued funding if they have met all the grant requirements including the submission of required reports.
- Multi-year grants: requests are typically reserved for grantees with three (3) years or more of consecutive funding from the Trust. Multi-year grants require approval prior to application submission. Approval is generally communicated as a part of the response to the organization’s LOI.
Frequency
- An organization may only apply to the Trust once per year.
- Consecutive applications: The Trust may request that an organization which has received funding for three continuous years (or more) delays any further applications for support for a year (or more), to expand opportunities for other potential grantees.
- Reporting: The Trust requires that each grantee comply with all required reporting, including an evaluation report and financial report on how funds were spent. The Trust is unable to process any subsequent grant proposals or renewal requests until the grantee has completed the required report(s) through our Grant System.
Who Is Eligible for our Funding
Please carefully review the following criteria for HFCT eligibility in Palm Beach County, Florida before you submit a Letter of Intent or an Application.
1. Tax-Exempt Status and Financial Documents
- 501(c)(3) status: first-time applications must provide documentation verifying tax-exempt status. For organizations that are part of a larger group, such as a religious affiliate, the ruling organization’s 501(c)(3) will suffice.
- Project Budget
- Organization Overall Operating Budget
- Audited Financial Statements: Organizations with revenue less than $750,000 must submit their most recent two-year comparative internally prepared, reviewed, or audited financial statements. Organizations with revenue over $750,000 must submit their most recent two-year comparative financial statements audited by a CPA.
- IRS Form 990: Applicants must submit the organization’s IRS Form 990. IRS Form 990 should not be older than 10.5 months after your most recent fiscal year-end.
2. Geographical Focus
- Programs supporting children and youth in Palm Beach County, FL.
3. Population(s) Served
- Children and youth in grades K-12 in under-resourced educational environments and communities — more than 70 percent of all participants in the organization should be eligible for free or reduced-rate lunches in schools.
4. Program Focus
- Data-driven literacy-based programs focused on developing robust reading and writing skills with a strong history of success. These can be programs that:
- Take place during school hours, after school, or during the summer.
- Take place across school systems, but the funding can support only nonsectarian programming including within a religious institution.
- Grades K-8 programs should devote at least 70 percent of their time directly to instruction and activities in reading and writing.
- Grades 9-12 programs should provide innovative approaches to students in under-resourced areas for high school completion and/or post-secondary success.
- Youth workforce development programs that focus on quality career exploration and preparation initiatives.
- College programs are not funded.
Outside Our Mission
The Trust does not provide funding for:
- Individuals
- Capital Projects
- Human Services
- Programs focusing on/serving: school assembly, religious education, or college or university students
- Endowment funds
- Other foundations or family trusts
- Entry fees for museums or other cultural institutions
- Projects with unpaid teaching artists
- Political candidates, parties, or PACs
- Debt-reduction programs
Notes For Applicants
Please carefully review the following criteria for HFCT eligibility before you submit an application.
Size of awards
- First-time grants vary in range up to $25,000.
Things To Consider
- First-time grants: generally designated for program support. The Trust rarely funds new staff positions for initial grants.
- Continuing partners (current grantees): may apply for continued funding if they have met all the grant requirements including the submission of required reports.
- Multi-year grants: requests are typically reserved for grantees with three (3) years or more of consecutive funding from the Trust. Multi-year grants require approval prior to application submission. Approval is generally communicated as a part of the response to the organization’s LOI.
Frequency
- An organization may only apply to the Trust once per year.
- Consecutive applications: The Trust may request that an organization which has received funding for three continuous years (or more) delays any further applications for support for a year (or more), to expand opportunities for other potential grantees.
- Reporting: The Trust requires that (within a year of receiving the grant) each grantee provides an evaluation report and financial report on how funds were spent. The Trust is unable to process any subsequent grant proposals or renewal requests until the grantee has provided an interim report through our Grant System.
Who Is Eligible for our Funding
Please carefully review the following criteria for HFCT eligibility in Aquidneck Island, RI before you submit a Letter of Intent or an Application.
1. Tax-Exempt Status and Financial Documents
- 501(c)(3) status: first-time applications must provide documentation verifying tax-exempt status. For organizations that are part of a larger group, such as a religious affiliate, the ruling organization’s 501(c)(3) will suffice.
- Project Budget
- Organization Overall Operating Budget
- Audited Financial Statements: Organizations with revenue less than $750,000 must submit their most recent two-year comparative internally prepared, reviewed, or audited financial statements. Organizations with revenue over $750,000 must submit their most recent two-year comparative financial statements audited by a CPA.
- IRS Form 990: Applicants must submit the organization’s IRS Form 990. IRS Form 990 should not be older than 10.5 months after your most recent fiscal year-end.
2. Geographical Focus
- Programs supporting children and youth in Aquidneck Island.
3. Population(s) Served
- Children and youth in grades K-12 in under-resourced educational environments and communities — more than 70 percent of all participants in the organization should be eligible for free or reduced-rate lunches in schools.
4. Program Focus
- Data-driven literacy-based programs focused on developing robust reading and writing skills with a strong history of success. These can be programs that:
- Take place during school hours, after school, or during the summer.
- Take place across school systems, but the funding can support only nonsectarian programming including within a religious institution.
- Grades K-8 programs should devote at least 70 percent of their time directly to instruction and activities in reading and writing.
- Grades 9-12 programs should provide innovative approaches to students in under-resourced areas for high school completion and/or post-secondary success.
- Youth workforce development programs that focus on quality career exploration and preparation initiatives.
- Recreational programs with a strong academic component.
- College programs are not funded.
Outside Our Mission
The Trust does not provide funding for:
- Individuals
- Capital Projects
- Human Services
- Programs focusing on/serving: school assembly, religious education, or college or university students
- Endowment funds
- Other foundations or family trusts
- Entry fees for museums or other cultural institutions
- Projects with unpaid teaching artists
- Political candidates, parties, or PACs
- Debt-reduction programs
Notes For Applicants
Please carefully review the following criteria for eligibility before you submit an application to the Trust.
Size of awards
- First-time grants vary in range up to $25,000.
Things To Consider
- First-time grants: generally designated for program support. The Trust rarely funds new staff positions for initial grants.
- Continuing partners (current grantees): may apply for continued funding if they have met all the grant requirements including the submission of required reports.
- Multi-year grants: requests are typically reserved for grantees with three (3) years or more of consecutive funding from the Trust. Multi-year grants require approval prior to application submission. Approval is generally communicated as a part of the response to the organization’s LOI.
Frequency
- An organization may only apply to the Trust once per year.
- Consecutive applications: The Trust may request that an organization which has received funding for three continuous years (or more) delays any further applications for support for a year (or more), to expand opportunities for other potential grantees.
- Reporting: The Trust requires that each grantee comply with all required reporting, including an evaluation report and financial report on how funds were spent. The Trust is unable to process any subsequent grant proposals or renewal requests until the grantee has completed the required report(s) through our Grant System.
Important Deadlines
The Trust accepts and responds to requests for funding three times per year. The Grant Cycle represents the stages of the
application process. Each Grant Cycle begins with the Letter of Intent (LOI) submission window and ends with the Board’s decision. Organizations may present their requests for funding to the Trust during the LOI submission timeframe. The LOI is a pre-requisite for application. Organizations that submit a Letter of Intent typically receive a response within 30 days of the end of the LOI submission timeframe. If invited to complete the application, an organization must submit all required information by the application deadline. All complete applications are reviewed prior to the Board meeting, where funding decisions are made. If awarded a grant, the organization will be required to attend the Grantee Orientation meeting. Please review the chart below for important dates for each Grant Cycle.
| Grant Cycle 1: 2025 | Grant Cycle 2: 2025 | Grant Cycle 3: 2025 | Grant Cycle 1: 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Letter of Intent Submission Timeframe | We will not accept any new C1 2025 LOIs due to the shortened timeline. | December 2, 2024 to January 3, 2025 | April 7, 2025 to May 9, 2025 | July 1, 2025 to August 15, 2025 |
| Application Deadline | No application deadline (only accepting eligible C1-2024 extensions). | March 5, 2025 | July 1, 2025 | October 15, 2025 |
| Board Meeting Schedule | February 12, 2025 | June 12, 2025 | September 17, 2025 | February18, 2026 |
| Required Grantee Orientation Dates | Q&A as needed | June 18 & 19, 2025 | September 24 & 25, 2025 | February 25 & 26, 2026 |
The Trust generally notifies each applicant within five (5) business days of each board meeting.
Applicant Resources
Use the links below to learn more about the application process and to download the required forms.
HFCT Applicant Process & Stages
HFCT Applicant Process (Checklist)
HFCT Proposed Program Budget Template
HFCT Prior Program Budgets Template
Submit an Application
Ready to apply? Please log in to our Grant System.
Note for first-time users: When you begin the application, the system will ask you to create an account with an email and password. This will be the username and password for all future applications and support documentation.