Deadlines
Application deadlines are February 1 and August 1 each year, for board decisions in May and November. The windows for application are January and July. If the deadline falls on a weekend, the grant application should be in OCF's Portland office by the end of the day on the previous Friday.
Renewal applications follow the same process as new applications.
Application Packet
Please submit two complete packets of the following information, assembled in the following order, with everything printed two-sided, if possible:
- Completed and signed application summary form
- Detailed project narrative form, no more than three pages in length
- Detailed project budget showing both revenues and expenses (if grant request is for a multi-year project, please show the budget for each year)
- Project timeline, no more than one page (optional)
- Board of directors list, including contact information, affiliations and description of skills each brings to the organization
- Organization budget for the current year
- Organization budget for the past year
- Most recent audited financial statement (if available)
- Organization's letter from the IRS granting 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status
In addition, please submit the following additional copies (printed two-sided, if possible):
- Three copies of the application summary form
Review Process
Once an application has been received, a multi-stage review begins, which occurs over the course of about 14 weeks. Some applicants receive phone calls and/or site visits during this process. Strong proposals may be shared with our advised fund donors, who may choose to support a project even if it does not receive funding through the Community Grants Program.