Grant FAQ

Organizations applying for funding must meet the following requirements:

• Must be an eligible grant recipient, which means an organization that is either:
  • a registered tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization classified as a public charity,
  • a governmental or public entity (e.g., a municipality, health department, or university/school),
  • certain types of supporting organizations under Section 509(a)(3), or
  • a private operating foundation.
• All grant funds must be expended within the state of Texas. Organizations formed in another jurisdiction must be registered with and authorized to do business in Texas through the Texas Secretary of State.

The Foundation will not consider grants to the following types of organizations or for the following purposes:

• Private foundations that are not private operating foundations, or
• Political organizations, political candidates, lobbyists or related organizations.

The Moody Foundation proudly supports organizations of all sizes—from large-scale institutions and universities to small community-based groups. In short, the Foundation aims to support organizations who are dedicated to making a deep and sustained impact in their communities. While the Foundation prefers to make grants for specific programs or projects, the Foundation will consider most types of funding requests (including general operating, program, and capital).

The Foundation is currently focusing on grants that are in line with the following key areas of giving: education, social services and family well-being, health and wellness, and the arts. However, the Foundation maintains broad flexibility in grantmaking, both geographically and categorically within Texas, which allows timely responses to community needs and concerns.

You can find the Foundation’s recently awarded grants here, to review past approved applications.

The Moody Foundation funds projects state-wide, with a key focus on Galveston, Austin, and Dallas. The Foundation gives special attention to rural areas that have less access to philanthropic funding.

The Moody Foundation welcomes inquiries throughout the year. Eligible inquiries and applications are presented to the Foundation’s trustees for consideration at one of four regular meetings held each year. The exact timetable for an application’s progress is dependent on several factors and the process does not begin until the application and all related materials are uploaded into the portal. As stated below, while our grants team works hard to efficiently work through all inquiries, it is common for the grant application process from initial inquiry to a funding decision to take up to twelve months, so please consider this timeframe in determining what projects you propose.

The Foundation is currently focusing on grants that are in line with following key areas of giving: education, social services and family well-being, health and wellness, and the arts. However, the Foundation maintains broad flexibility in grantmaking, both geographically and categorically within Texas, which allows timely responses to community needs and concerns.

The Foundation will not consider grants to the following types of organizations or for the following purposes:

• Private foundations that are not private operating foundations, or
• Political organizations, political candidates, lobbyists or related organizations.

On occasion, the Foundation may award multi-year grant support for a project, or make multi-year payments on awards. Generally, however, grants are awarded for one year at a time.

Grants are considered individually and no grant award should be construed as a precedent for subsequent gifts.

Eligible organizations may apply via the Foundation’s online Grants Portal.  You may submit only one (1) project at a time for consideration. Incomplete grant inquiries not fully submitted within three (3) months will be automatically deleted.

If your inquiry is to receive further consideration, you will be sent an email from [email protected] with a link to complete a full grant application.  Please check your spam folders or add that email address to your SafeSenders or whitelist.

You will be notified by email if your inquiry has not been selected to receive further consideration.

If you would like to apply for the M-Pact Fund, visit the dedicated webpage here.

Many factors influence the size of grant awards, including the size and scale of the organization and its budget; the age and maturity of the organization; prior relationship with the organization; program area, etc. To identify an appropriate request level, the Foundation recommends that you review the Foundation's recently awarded grants here.

It will be beneficial for the applicant to identify additional funding sources and/or how the project is and will be sustainable post-Moody funding.

No. It is a good idea to submit applications to multiple sources of funding to improve your overall chances of success.

While our grants team works hard to efficiently work through all grant inquiries, it is common for the grant application process from initial inquiry to a funding decision to take up to twelve (12) months, so please consider this timeframe in determining what projects you propose.

After submitting a grant inquiry through the portal, you will receive an automated email from [email protected] confirming the successful submission of your inquiry.

Follow the instructions in the email to access the grant application. Once your application has been submitted, it will be reviewed by the grants team and, once the application is complete, presented to the Trustees at one of the four regular meetings during the year. You will receive a letter shortly after the meeting notifying you of the Trustee’s decision. If approved, funding will be awarded shortly after receipt of a fully executed grant contract and requested funding instructions.

Requirements to submit as part of your application include, but are not limited to:

• Cover Letter
• IRS Determination Letter
• Form 990
• Current Operating Budget
• Projected Operating Budget
• Audited Financial Statement *if relevant
• Board of Directors List
• Support Letters
• Project Budget

Reporting requirements are detailed in a formal grant contract, but generally, The Moody Foundation requires that all funded organizations and projects submit an annual program report approximately 12-months after funding.   The report(s) will be available through the Grantee Portal.  The Foundation reserves the right to require additional reporting as it deems appropriate.  The reports are meant to highlight the impact of Foundation funding through your work.

The Moody Foundation funds scholarships through the Moody Scholars program. You can find more information here.

The Moody Foundation considers support of operating expenses, if a group is able to demonstrate how operations will be sustained post-funding.

The Foundation occasionally supports capital campaigns but prefers to award grants for specific programs or projects.

Large-scale gifts for capital campaigns or construction projects are typically initiated directly by the Foundation trustees.

The Moody Foundation grants team does not typically meet with first-time prospective grantees before an inquiry is submitted.  After reviewing either your inquiry or your grant application, the grants team will determine if a meeting or site visit would be beneficial to the process.

Please reach out to [email protected] with additional questions or for tech support.