The Jovid Foundation's primary interest is in supporting District of Columbia nonprofit organizations that help District residents in or at risk of long-term poverty to become more self-sufficient. Because the Foundation is small and seeks to make a positive difference, it is particularly interested in funding neighborhood-based efforts that provide programs and services to low-income DC adults that help them obtain and retain employment.

The Foundation also has a modest budget for the support of the performing arts. In addition, a small number of grants may be made from a discretionary fund.

The Foundation makes grants only to organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code. The Foundation does not make grants to individuals or for projects that are sectarian in nature.

The Foundation has a two step application process:

• Letter of Inquiry (LOI)
• Full Proposal (only accepted if invited after LOI review)

Letter of Inquiry

Because the Foundation does not have the staff to review lengthy submissions, it does not accept unsolicited proposals that are already fully developed. The Foundation requests a letter of inquiry (LOI) describing the proposed project. Even if your organization has received funding from Jovid in the past, a new letter of inquiry must first be submitted.

The Foundation accepts the Washington Grantmakers’ Common Grant Letter of Intent format (www.washgrantmakers.com/grantseekerrecources). If an organization does not use the Common Grant Letter of Intent, it must provide the following information in the LOI:

• Organization name
• Executive Director and Key Contact Person (if not Executive Director)
• Organization’s federal tax-exempt number
• Mailing address / phone / fax / website address / Key Contact Person's e-mail address
• Brief organization description
• Brief description of specific program(s) for which funds are sought. Description should identify the target population to be served and the total number to be served during grant period
• Outline of expected outcomes during grant period
• Amount sought from Jovid
• Total program budget (no detail needed with LOI; program budget not needed for general operating requests), and
• Total organizational budget (no detail needed with LOI).

The letter of inquiry should not exceed three pages and should be received at the Foundation by 5:00 p.m. as shown in the timetable shown below.

The three-page LOI may be faxed or e-mailed to the Foundation. However, it is the responsibility of the organization to ensure that the fax or e-mail has been received at the Foundation by the 5 p.m. deadline. LOIs received after 5 p.m. will be held until the next LOI round for consideration.

Full Proposals

If the Foundation determines that the letter of inquiry merits in-depth consideration for funding, the applicant will be asked to develop a detailed proposal. An invitation to submit a full proposal does not constitute a grant commitment by the Foundation. If a proposal is requested, Jovid accepts the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers Common Grant Application (www.washingtongrantmakers.org). Applicants are encouraged to use the Common Grant Application format for proposal submission. However, if an organization does not use the Common Grant Application, please contact the Foundation’s executive director to discuss proposal information that must be submitted in order for the Jovid Board to fully evaluate your request.

For proposal submissions, please note the following:

• Proposals must be received at the Foundation by 5:00 p.m. as shown on the schedule shown below. Proposals may be submitted either on paper or by e-mail.
• For proposal submissions by e-mail:
  • The proposal and all attachments (including any spreadsheets) must be combined into one PDF or Word document. An e-mail with multiple attachments will not be accepted. If there are one or two attachments (i.e., IRS nonprofit determination letter, 990 form, audit, etc.) that are not available electronically, please contact the Executive Director to discuss prior to submission to determine if electronic submission is still allowed.
• For proposal submissions by paper:
  • Only one copy of the proposal and attachments need be submitted.
  • Please do not staple or bind proposal or attachments.
  • Submit all information on letter-sized paper (8 1/2 x 11 inches).
  • Proposals may not be faxed.

The date a request is received by the Foundation does not necessarily guarantee its review at the next Board meeting. To ensure a thoughtful review, the Board will sometimes defer review of a request to a subsequent Board meeting.