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Charles A. Cannon Charitable Trusts

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When is the best time to submit an application? For larger projects, when a significant portion (approximately 2/3) of the needed funding has been received or committed. Grant cycles do not differ. Apply when your organization is ready, the plan is firm, other needed funding is committed and organizational leadership/management is stable. As always, please feel free to speak with a program staff member. 2. Who is eligible to apply for a grant? Mature organizations which have qualified for exemption as public charities under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code, governmental units, and established churches in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. 3. We have applied for our 501(c)(3) but have not yet received it. Do not apply until the 501(c)(3) letter has been received. 4. Can a separate organization with a 501(c)(3) exemption apply on behalf of my organization? No. Grants are not made through fiscal agents. 5. What is the application procedure? The online application is accessible via a link provided by the Foundation. This link normally is emailed to the CEO (or equivalent) of the applying organization, so any request for an application should include the CEO’s email address. Requests for applications should contain a brief descriptive statement of the project including total costs, other expected revenue and the anticipated amount of the request to the Foundation. Links to the application are not sent to grant writers or consultants. All general instructions for applying are included with the link, but the Foundation staff is always happy to respond to specific questions. If completion of an online application is not possible for your organization, we will be happy to make an alternate method available. 6. What are the Foundation's deadlines? January 5, April 5, July 5, and October 5. Applications must be received in the office by the close of that business day; for holidays and weekends, the next business day will suffice. Applicants normally are notified of the Board's decision within 10 to 12 weeks after the deadline date. Please do not call or email to ask about the status of an application. 7. What are the duration and size of grant awards? A. The Foundation does not make multi-year commitments. B. Grants can range from less than $1,000 up. The amount an applicant receives is based on a number of factors, including the magnitude of the project, the funds available for distribution, the level of the Foundation's interest, competition for funding, and other considerations. C. Frequent grants are not made except to a few select, historic relationships. A minimum of one year is required between proposals from all applicants whether the request was approved or declined. Though a minimum of one year is required between applications, applicants are advised to wait for two to four years between applications. 8. How soon may applicants re-apply? Though a minimum of one year is required between applications, applicants are advised to wait for two to four years between applications. No organization is ever placed on a chronological cycle. The Foundation does not make frequent repeat grants (except for one historic relationship). 9. What kind of projects does the Foundation fund? Please see the charts on the Representative Grants page. 10. What do you expect in a Final Report? The Foundation expects a document written on letterhead and signed by the CEO of the organization stating that it is a final report. It should reference the grant date, amount, purpose, and attest that utilization of the funds was for the purpose requested. If you have not been able to fully utilize the funds within the year that the funds were received, send an interim report indicating the anticipated completion date and an update. Other information could include groundbreaking or open house announcements or newspaper articles, but these are not considered final reports. 11. How are grant decisions made? Grants are approved only by action of the full Board of Directors following a rigorous internal review process. 12. Our organization has many needs; how can we determine which will most closely fit the interests of the Foundation? Apply for what you need most--unless it is specifically excluded in the guidelines found elsewhere in this Website. 13. Is it possible to ask for too much? Absolutely. Optimism should never be a substitute for good judgment. Further, a high five or six figure grant request should be discussed with the staff of the Foundation before actual submission of the application. 14. Does the Foundation totally fund projects/programs? No. 15. Does the Foundation provide seed money or start up grants? No. 16. Does the Foundation make grants to individuals or provide scholarships? No. 17. What about indirect or overhead costs? No. 18. Does the Foundation make grants for capital purposes? Yes. 19. May we ask for a larger grant because we are in a capital campaign? Grant decisions are based on the merits of the case. Because grant amounts are not restricted for organizations not in a campaign, they are not likely to be increased for an organization that is conducting a named campaign. 20. Will a "naming opportunity" be attractive to the Foundation? Not likely. While the Directors appreciate appropriate recognition, it never drives the Foundation's decisions or participation. 21. Your Foundation is interested in education. Our organization is about to undertake an outreach effort to "educate" the public about our issue or concern? Would this be a fit? Probably not. Education for the Foundation means, primarily, the established institutions of higher learning in North Carolina. Most support is for the private colleges and universities. 22. What educational institutions does the Foundation support? By and large, educational grants are limited to the smaller independent liberal arts colleges across North Carolina. Occasional grants are made to our local public school systems only, and only through the Superintendents' office. The Foundation does not support private K-12 schools, normally, other than occasional grants in our home city to the Cannon School, and which will not be replicated for other private schools regardless of affiliation. Any other past grants to private schools were for cause, and likewise are not available to other schools. 23. What types of grants in religion does the Foundation fund? The Foundation occasionally makes small grants for capital projects to churches in our local area. 24. We need a vehicle. The Foundation does not make grants to purchase vehicles.