Traditional Grant

These grants are made in response to requests that can range from $25,000 to $100,000 and that must be matched by additional funds raised by the school at least 1:1.

Schools seeking placement on a Traditional Grant Agenda should be prepared to specify the anticipated dollar value of their proposal when they request placement. This can be months in advance of the date the final version of the proposal will be due, depending on the length of the queue.

Traditional Grants are awarded based on the quality of the proposal and other considerations in terms of the school's operation, but it does not identify certain areas of independent school work as favored. That is, you can seek guidance as to what sort of proposals have been funded in the past but schools should identify their own greatest institutional need that they think the Foundation can help address.

*For information about the Traditional Grant application process for Associations rather than schools:

→ Click here

Open Agendas:

“Agenda” is the term we use for our annual grant cycles.

April 2026 Agenda

Flexible/Traditional Grant

Proposal Due: January 30, 2026

June 2026 Agenda

Traditional Grant

Proposal Due: April 1, 2026

Step-by-Step Application Process:

1) Request Agenda Placement — Please fill out this form to tell us a bit more about your school and to help us determine if your school is eligible for EE Ford funding.

2) Agenda Placement Call — If your school is eligible for Agenda Placement, we will schedule a phone call between your Head of School and the Executive Director of the EE Ford Foundation. This phone call will serve as an informal introduction and it will determine if Agenda placement is right for your school. No proposal can be considered from schools that have not reserved a place on an upcoming Agenda. If your school is placed on an Agenda, you will receive an Agenda Placement Confirmation with further instruction.

3) Head of School Meeting —Set up a 2 hour meeting between the Head of School and our Executive Director to be held in our Brooklyn office or virtually. The Preliminary Materials will be due one week prior to this meeting (see “Preliminary Materials” below). *

4) School Visit — Our Foundation office will make arrangements for the Executive Director to visit and tour your school. *

5) Final Submission — Deadline for submission of final materials is April 1 (see “Final Submission” below). When the Board makes its decision about a proposal, the Executive Director communicates this decision within days to the school head.

Required Materials:

(click below to expand)

 

Preliminary Materials — due one week prior to the Head of School meeting.

The following 3 items are due one week prior to the Head of School meeting with John Gulla:

1) First draft of the Online Application Form – This form is simply a tool for gathering quantifiable data about the school— a good faith effort to provide reasonably accurate numbers. There will be a chance to discuss any questions you or others at the school may have during the meeting with the Executive Director. Once we've confirmed a date/time for the Head of School meeting, we will send you a link to access this form.

2) College Placement List for the last 3 years – Please format with the following columns in portrait orientation: Colleges, years 1-2-3 and a column totaling the number of students that attended each college.

3) School Operating Budget – Please limit to one page which should include the current year’s operating budget, the last school year’s operating budget and the last school year’s actual budget results.

 

Final Submission — due April 1.

The following 4 items are due after the Head of School meeting, no later than April 1:

1) Final draft of the Online Application Form

2) Project Proposal —Combine the following 5 components (and ONLY these) into a single PDF document:

  • Proposal Narrative: Must not exceed 3 double-spaced pages, 1” margins, 12pt font. Your proposal should focus on the 9th–12th grade division of the school. The means by which we transmit proposals to the EE Ford Board Members do not allow use of hyperlinks. If you include hyperlinks in the proposal, please know the Executive Director will convey that information to the Board but they will not read it directly.

Please be sure to include the following:

  • A brief history of the school— please limit to one paragraph
  • Needs of the school for which the grant is requested
  • The amount requested
  • The proposed match and how the school plans to raise the match
  • Grant Budget: Please limit to ONE page and describe how the school plans to use the grant and the match to meet the proposal needs. We would like to see a general budget that outlines, at least in broad categories, how the funds would be spent.
  • Comparative School Operating Budget: Please limit to ONE page and include the current year’s operating budget, the last school year’s operating budget and the last school year’s actual budget results. (This is the same item that we ask you to send with the preliminary application materials prior to the Head of School meeting.)
  • Statement of Activity & Statement of Financial Condition: Please DO NOT include the full audit. This section should consist of approximately 2-4 pages.
  • School Profile: This is typically the document sent to colleges with student applications.

3) Full Audit for the most recent school year

4) Internal Revenue Code Forms 501(c)(3) and 509a— For first time applicants only. If you have submitted a proposal to EE Ford in the past, you do not need to include these forms.