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Step Two: Submit a Letter of Inquiry

First-time or nonrecurring applicants should submit a two-to three-page
letter of inquiry. All letters of inquiry should be submitted in writing.
Letters submitted by email will not be accepted.

Current grantees seeking renewal of funding should contact staff at the
Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation before submitting a new proposal
or inquiry. An applicant who knows a Board of Director or employee
should indicate the association in the inquiry letter.

Please note that all playground equipment or playground related
grant requests must go through the annual Playgrounds for Iowa
grant application process. Please see the Playgrounds for Iowa page
for more information. However, this does not apply to playground
grant requests located in Grinnell, IA. Thank you.

Letters of inquiry should include the following in this order:

Organization’s name, address and contact information.
Brief statement of the organization’s purpose and goals.
Description of the project, the need and the target population it
addresses.
Information about the capability of the leadership to implement
the proposed project.
Short-term and long-term outcomes anticipated and plans for

assessing achievements.

Statement about the operating budget and the project budget.
Statement about other funding sources for the project,

specifying both committed and potential sources of
support.

Specific grant amount requested.
Please send to: Julie Gosselink, President & CEO

                                  Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation
                                  P.O. Box 284
                                  Grinnell, IA 50112

Step Three: The Initial Review Process

Staff will review your letter of inquiry within two to three weeks of
receiving it to determine if the proposed request fits within the Claude W.
and Dolly Ahrens Foundation grant funding guidelines and priorities. If so,
you will receive a letter from a staff member requesting additional
information for a full grant proposal. If no grant proposal is requested, a
letter of declination will be sent instead.

Step Four: Grant Application Procedures

Although the Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation has no application
form and will receive proposals in any format that is comfortable to the
applicant, our preference is to receive concise requests with appropriate
supporting materials. All proposals must be submitted in writing.
Proposals submitted via email will not be accepted.

The following information should be included:

General Information:

Name of organization, address, and contact information.
Central Iowa county that project and/or program is located in.
Name of project and/or program.
Specific grant amount requested and preferred payment date

Background Information:

Description of your organization and purpose.
Organization’s programs, activities and goals.

Project Description:

Describe the community need and/or problem being addressed

by this project.

Purpose of the project, including specific activities

planned and the timeline.

Describe the expected short-term and long-term outcomes.
Describe the assessment plan for the completed project

evaluation.
Financial Information:

Completed budget for the project described.
Project fundraising plan, including both committed and

potential sources of support.

Plans for ongoing funding.

Attachments:

Copy of 501(c)(3) determination letter from the IRS or

organizations who are not classified as private foundations
under section 509(a) of the IRS code.

Copy of Articles of Incorporation.
Copy of current operating budget.
Copy of most recent audited financial statement.
Copy of organization’s brochure, newsletter, and project

photos, if available.

Current list of your Board of Directors.
Current list of staff, including brief job descriptions.
Current list of volunteers.
Please send to: Julie Gosselink, President & CEO

                                 Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation
                                 P.O. Box 284
                                 Grinnell, IA 50112

Step Five: The Final Review Process

The Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation has five grant application
deadlines per year: February 15th, April 15th, August 15th, October 15th
and December 15th. During the final review process, staff may research
your request through telephone inquiries, emails, meetings or site visits.
They may speak with your staff, board members or outside experts.

All proposals are then reviewed by the Board of Directors. In general,
applicants can expect a decision, in writing, within six weeks after the
most recent deadline date. This may vary, however, depending on the
number of proposals being considered and the date of the next Board of
Director’s meeting following each deadline date.
All grantees will be expected to submit a follow-up grant evaluation report
to the Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation at a later date. Details on
how to complete and submit this report will follow after a grant is awarded.