Thank you for considering Knight Foundation as a partner in your work
We believe it is important to walk alongside prospective grantees to accomplish goals of mutual interest and we are interested in reviewing new and innovative ideas. Here are the steps for letter of inquiry within standard grantmaking guidelines with Knight Foundation.
1. Start process here
Knight Foundation provides multiple opportunities to apply for funding. The most common process requires submitting an online letter of inquiry and proposal. These requests are reviewed throughout the year. In addition, Knight Foundation has other funding opportunities called challenges . Operated like contests, the challenges solicit applications within certain timeframes. Please review the Funding Opportunities section for details.
Knight Foundation awards the majority of its grants to tax-exempt public agencies, universities and public charities. In addition, a small percentage of grants go to individuals and for-profit organizations for work that is charitable or otherwise exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the federal internal revenue code.
Knight Foundation does not fund scholarships, give support to start a for-profit business or to pay off debt expenses. In addition, the foundation does not support political activities or attempts to influence specific legislation.
2. Online Letter of Inquiry
The first step in submitting a funding request is to use our online letter of inquiry (LOI) system. We will send you an acknowledgment that your LOI was received, and will direct it to our appropriate program staff members for review. Keep in mind that you will not be able to save your work. We recommend that you edit your inquiry offline, then paste it in the form. You will have about 5,000 characters (~2 pages) to describe your project.
3. Wait for feedback from program staff
We will notify you by email if we are interested in your request or if we are not interested in funding. If we are interested in your LOI, you will be asked to submit a full proposal.
4. Submission of a full proposal
If we are interested in a full proposal we will contact you via email with a link to the proposal form. Materials submitted in the proposal process become the property of Knight Foundation and won't be returned; they'll be used as the foundation deems appropriate. They are not subject to any right of confidentiality unless specifically agreed to in writing by Knight Foundation.
5. Proposal review and funding determination
The proposal review process includes review by program staff including program officers, directors, vice presidents, the President and Board of Trustees. The timeframe varies depending on the size and scope of the proposal. Our program staff will be in contact with you during this process and will notify you of the final decision.
Knight Foundation is under no obligation to fund or otherwise have a future relationship with the applicant. If it does choose to have a relationship, Knight Foundation may suggest various kinds of relationships, including contracts, grants, loans, program-related investments, or other kinds of investments and relationships.