Beginning November 24, 2008, the Samueli Foundation will no longer be accepting Letters Of Inquiry (LOI) or unsolicited proposals.
The United States is in the midst of challenging economic times requiring everyone to rethink their responsibilities and priorities. The Samueli Foundation remains committed to continuing to provide a level of support that minimizes the severity of these conditions.
Like everyone, the Foundation has been impacted. Fortunately, the Foundation remains strong, and committed to its mission. To do so though requires that the Foundation concentrate its resources with its current grantees and partners ensuring their stability. This year the Samueli Foundation distributed over $18 million in grants. Next year’s funding will be mostly comprised of already committee funding to nonprofits through approved capital grants and multi-year operating and program grants.
During the past three years, the Samueli Foundation has increased both the amount and the total number of grants awarded each year. Because of the substantial amount of grants already approved for next year, the strong desire to evaluate the effectiveness of the Foundation’s prior grant making, and a desire to reassess the state of the volatile economy, the Trustees have announced that the Foundation will not be reviewing Letters Of Inquiry or unsolicited proposals until further notice.
It is anticipated that as circumstances change, the Foundation will publish updated guidelines and any changes relevant to its grant making process on its web site. The Foundation recognizes the challenges that lie ahead, and believe that concentrating its resources on the great work already being provided by its partners is the best way to ensure that the safety net continues to be maintained.
A Few Questions & Answers
Q: What does this mean for nonprofits that submitted a Letter Of Inquiry prior to November 24, 2008 or have a full grant application currently under review?
A: The process for handling all Letters Of Inquiry received prior to November 24 and approved for investigation and all full grant applications under review will continue without interruption or change. However, the review process, from the time of receipt of the full grant application to notification, will take approximately three to six months and may not necessarily be reviewed in a ‘first come, first review’ process.
Q: What does this mean for nonprofits that submitted a Letter Of Inquiry prior to November 4, 2008 or have a full grant application currently under review?
A: The process for handling all Letters Of Inquiry received prior to November 4 and approved for investigation and all full grant applications under review will continue without interruption or change. However, the review process, from the time of receipt of the full grant application to notification, will take approximately three to six months and may not necessarily be reviewed in a ‘first come, first review’ process.
Q: Whom may I call with a question?
A: There are several grant staff available to answer any questions. Please call the Foundation’s office at 949-760-4400 and someone will assist you.
Q: If a nonprofit has been awarded a grant from The Samueli Foundation, and it is time to request a payment, is there any change to this process?
A: No, there is no interruption to the payment request process. The Foundation will maintain the level of commitment approved in the executed contracts.
Q: If we had a prior grant from the Foundation and have notified a program director/officer that we will be submitting a new Letter Of Inquiry does that mean we will have to wait to submit the Letter Of Inquiry?
A: Yes. The Foundation will not consider any new Letters Of Inquiry, regardless of the organization or its prior funding status with the Foundation at this time.
Q: Given such difficult financial times, why doesn’t the Foundation decide to increase its distribution to a larger amount?
A: The Foundation is not an endowed foundation. It is funded each year based upon its investment portfolio to meet grant obligations. As a result, the Foundation must carefully track grant distributions to ensure that the Foundation can sustain itself to provide for the greatest sustainable impact.