How to Apply

Applying for a Grant

Developing a Grant Proposal

Eligibility

Piper Trust considers letters of inquiry from nonprofit organizations whose requests fall within the program guidelines. In keeping with its charter, the Trust does not award grants to individuals.

To be considered for a grant, an organization must meet three criteria:

1. Serve residents of Maricopa County.
   
2. Have operated as a Section 501(c)(3) organization or governmental entity for at least three years.
   
3. Is not a private foundation.

 
Grant Application

To be considered for review, initial inquiries must include a completed Grant Summary Form (may be completed online) and a 2-page letter of inquiry, briefly summarizing the following:

• The project's impact, effectiveness, feasibility and sustainability (see What Makes a Strong Proposal).
  
• The community need, problem or opportunity and how the organization's proposed activity will address it.
  
• Brief background information about the organization.
  
• Results expected from Trust funding and how success of the project will be measured (see Evaluations).
  
• The amount of funding and time period for which it is requested.
  
• Total project cost, how the Trust grant would be used, what other sources of funding would support the project, and how the project would be sustained after the grant ends.
  
• The organization's operating budget and current sources of funding.
  

Submission

Please fill out the Grant Summary Form and include it with your two-page letter of inquiry. You may submit your Grant Summary Form online or mail it to:

Grants Manager
The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust
6720 North Scottsdale Road, Suite 350
Scottsdale, Arizona 85253 

When to Apply

Letters of inquiry can be submitted at any time. An organization should submit no more than one request for funding per year and refrain from submitting a request if it already has an active grant. Exceptions may be made for complex institutions with diverse activities (such as universities) or when the Trust initiates the project and asks an organization to apply. This limitation is intended to help both applicants and Trust staff be more thoughtful in preparing and reviewing proposals.

Review Process

Under normal circumstances, the Trust staff reviews the initial grant inquiry and requests any further information from the applicant within six weeks of receiving the inquiry. At this time, the program director may request a site visit and a full proposal.

After staff completes a review of full proposals, the Trust's board reviews the staff recommendations at its grant review meetings. Grantseekers are notified in writing of the result of the board's decision. Proposals that are still under development or pending further information will be considered at a later meeting.

The application and review process can take between two and six months, depending on:

• How fully developed a request is when it is submitted.
  
• The Trust's grant review meeting schedule.

Words of Advice

The Trust offers an informal information session called Piper 101 the first Wednesday of each month. This session may answer questions related to grant proposals. Reservations are required because these workshops fill quickly (registration information).

The Trust also encourages those wishing to submit a letter of inquiry to contact one of the Trust's program directors to discuss a proposal prior to officially submitting a request.