1. finance
2. grants, scholarships and financial aid
3. government grants

Guide to Funding
For Environmental Organizations
Winning Grants. Growing Great Organizations.
Welcome
Winning Grants. Growing Great Organizations.
Welcome to AJC’s Funder Research Guide! This edition is designed to help environmental and
conservation organizations identify, approach, and ultimately receive funding from private grantmakers. The 30 funders included in this directory have a stated interest in supporting
organizations that are working to preserve and protect our natural environment. They have been
arranged by alphabetical order to help you find them quickly. Additionally, on page seven of this
directory, you will find a the funder list by deadline, to help you plan your annual grants
calendar.
With the targeted research provided in this directory, the often tedious and difficult task of
researching new funding sources has been done for you! Each funder’s entry includes
information on their funding interests, geographic limitations, average grant size, required
application materials, primary contact, and application process. Unless stated otherwise, we
always recommend making contact with a foundation before submitting your application.
Introduce yourself and your organization so that you can begin the relationship building process
with new funders. Making contact with a program officer can save you from many hours of
unnecessary work on an application that ultimately does not fit within the funder’s guidelines.
Additionally, making contact ahead of time can give you valuable insight into how to tailor your
application to fit the funder’s priorities, and stand out among other applicants.
We hope this guide will help you increase funding for your organization’s valuable work,
allowing you to successfully protect our natural environment for generations to come.
Best of luck!
About Us
Winning Grants. Growing Great Organizations.
At Amanda Johnston Consulting, our mission is to provide excellent nonprofit management,
fund-raising consulting, and educational tools to nonprofit organizations. We help nonprofits
raise more money, work smarter, and demonstrate accountability to their clients, donors, and
communities in which they work.
Our ability to help nonprofits get the funding they need comes from a deep love for what we do
and a thorough understanding of what government agencies, foundations and other major donors
want to see from strategic plans, projected outcomes, and budgets. We understand the
importance of building relationships and establishing credibility with grant-makers. Our skills
are highly technical and can be used to develop programs, strengthen evaluation plans, and
communicate program impact to motivate donors. We understand that the nonprofit landscape is
changing; that donors want to see stronger partnerships, better outcomes, and tighter finances.
To find out more about our grants management services, please visit us online at
www.amandajohnstonconsulting.com.
Sample Funder Record
Winning Grants. Growing Great Organizations.
Funder Information
Phone
Funder’s phone number
Website
Funder’s website
Email
Funder’s general email address
Address
Funder’s physical address (and mailing address if different)
Funder Type
Private, Public, or Corporate
Description
Description of the funder’s mission and purpose
Funding Priorities
Description of the funder’s areas of funding
Geographic Area
Where the funder makes grants
Served
Grant Types Available
Which types of grants will the funder make? Technical Assistance, Capital,
Program, General Operating, Matching, or In-Kind?
Average Grant
The funder’s average grant amount
Minimum Grant
The funder’s minimum grant amount
Maximum Grant
The funder’s maximum grant amount
Proposal Information
Proposal Due
Funder’s deadlines for proposal
LOI
Does this funder require a letter of
Dates
submission.
Required?
inquiry before submitting a
proposal?
Submit
The preferred method of
LOI Due
Funder acceptance dates for the
Method
proposal submission.
Date
letter of inquiry.
Submit
Specific instructions for
LOI
Specific instructions for submitting
Instructions
submission will be found here.
Instructions
a letter of inquiry.
Accepts
Does this funder accept the
Grant
Does this funder require a grant
Colorado
Colorado Common Grant
Report
report?
CGA?
Application?
Required?
Special
Any special requirement the
Board
Dates of the funder’s board
Requirements
funder has will be listed here.
Meeting
meetings, this is helpful in
Dates
understanding the funder’s review
process.
Proposal Information Continued
In-Kind Gifts
Any available in-kind gifts will be
Decision
Information on the
Description
described here. For instance, some
Period/
funder’s decision-making
corporate funders will donate
Award Date
timeline will be found
computers or other products.
here.
Required Proposal Attachments
Required Financials
All required financial attachments will be listed here.
Required CGAs
All required non-financial attachments will be listed here.
Other Required Attachments
Any other required attachments will be listed here.
Funder Contacts
Name
Title
Phone
Email
Fax
Description
The funder contact section will list the appropriate staff members to contact before submitting a
proposal. Usually this is a program officer. Sometimes there is also a designated staff member to
contact with technical problems; they are generally included for foundations with an online
application process. The description section above will describe what each staff member should be
contacted for.