WHAT NEF SEEKS TO FUND

The grants given by NEF support a wide variety of projects in many fields of endeavor, including but not limited to environmental initiatives that are working to help eliminate pollution and to save the planet’s ecosystems, community efforts that create models of social sustainability, educational innovations that prepare youth to become the socially responsible leaders of the future, and strategies that offer economic improvement and opportunities.

NEF particularly appreciates projects that are replicable so that excellent ideas and work can multiply and benefit many.

GENERAL INFORMATION

• GRANT SEEKERS If you have a project in line with NEF’s vision and mission, the initial step is to send a Grant Application for your project, after reading the requirements below and fulfilling them.
  
  
• APPLICANTS Once you sent a Grant Application, the NEF Board of Directors will choose which applicants to interview by phone.
  
  
  

  NEF’S CRITERIA FOR GRANT-GIVING

  New Earth Foundation awards grants to projects that serve life's wellness and Earth's peace. NEF accepts Letters of Inquiry and invites Grant Applications according to the criteria listed below. The project

  • meets NEF’s Vision and Mission (see Home Page)
  • is innovative, new, pioneering, even ingenious
  • transforms an aspect of society and provides practical solutions
  • fulfills an important and persisting need
  • outlines one specific undertaking with clearly defined goals, implementation plan and expected results
  • indicates who will benefit and how
  • endeavors to involve those who are served in the planning process
  • includes plans for replication so that benefits can multiply
  • contains an evaluation process to measure success, progress, and future decision-making
  • seeks community involvement and/or collaboration with other organizations
  • is cost-effective with a realistic budget appropriate for the proposed program, and a suitable balance between project related administrative costs and benefits to those served
  • has a plan of acquiring future funding from other sources
  • has qualified staff/volunteers to carry out the project, with staff qualifications clearly specified
  • has images of models/examples, and will provide such regarding work on the project and it's completion
    
    

  WHAT NEF DOES NOT FUND
  

  Although organizations with their specific types of projects listed below do valuable and important work, NEF does not give grants to:

  • organizations that do not have 501(c)(3) tax status
  • individuals
  • personal education expenses
  • mainstream social services or organizations that are affiliated with a well-known national or community organization  
  • real estate, repairs, maintenance, building or renovation projects
  • general organizational purposes
  • standard after-school programs, summer camps, or gardening programs, unless they are significantly innovative and pioneering
  • projects not well-defined and focused
    
    
    

    THE GRANT APPLICATION PROCESS

    GRANT APPLICATION To apply for a grant, complete the application form at any time during the year. Your application will be reviewed at the next review date.  Click on  Grant Application and follow the directions, fill in the forms, save or send. NEF reviews two times a year (see NEF Due Dates below) and will contact you within the following month, to let you know if NEF would like to do a phone interview with your organization. For questions during the Grant Application process, beyond the information provided in the FAQ, please Contact NEF. For questions from organizations without 501(c)(3) status in the U.S., please read the section about Fiscal Sponsorship below.
    
    THE APPLICATION FORM After submitting your application, NEF will contact your organization, by email, with a decline letter or will call you to set up a phone interview for a potential grant. Please see the NEF Due Dates below. If you have questions, please  Contact NEF.
    
    FISCAL SPONSORSHIP  New Earth Foundation gives grants to projects of 501(c)(3) organizations. If your organization does not have a 501(c)(3), you must apply under a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor. You will answer “no” when asked if you have a 501(c)(3) organization, and then you will be asked if you have a fiscal sponsor.  If your answer is “yes,” a special form for information about your fiscal sponsor will pop up and request documents from the fiscal sponsor.  To find a fiscal sponsor, you may look online for “nonprofit fiscal sponsors.” 

BEFORE APPLYING

Please see Past Grant Projects for examples of what NEF has funded in the past, and read the NEF criteria for grant-giving below. If other programs or projects similar to yours exist elsewhere, please think about how yours differs.

NEF DUE DATES

NEF reviews Grant Applications twice a year.

• NEF will respond in approximately four to six weeks to Grant Applications after the nearest upcoming due date.
• NEF will respond in March to Applications received by February 1st.
• NEF will respond in August to Applications received by July 1st.