Grant Seekers Within the US

The Cheng Health Foundation, Inc. makes grants to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Foundation does not make grants to individuals. As a "public charity" under the laws of the United States, we are required to follow certain rules and procedures in making grants to charitable organizations. These rules and procedures are established by the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS"), the US government department which has oversight over the tax matters of nonprofit organizations.

THE LETTER OF INQUIRY

The first step in learning if grant support from the Cheng Health Foundation is available is to thoroughly review the program and grant-making guidelines that are on the Foundation’s Web site. At the end of the description of each program description is a brief item about the availability of grants. If support is available, the next step is to submit a Pre-Grant Letter of Inquiry about the work being proposed. Send it by mail to the Foundation’s Honolulu mailing address or by email to grants@chenghealth.org.

LETTER OF INQUIRY: PURPOSE OF GRANT

Purpose(s) of Grant: In a maximum of two pages, please include:

1) Purpose of the funding request. Please describe:

a) The issue/need you are addressing

b) The target population, number of individuals, and geographic area that will benefit from this proposal

c) What you hope to accomplish (outputs and/or outcomes)

d) How you intend to accomplish the above

2) Names and brief description of roles of partners on this project (if applicable)

3) Brief organizational history and brief description of previous year’s accomplishments

4) Total support from the Foundation, if any, for the past three years:

a) List year, amount, and purpose for all support

5) Proposed project budget.

6) Signature of executive director.

LETTER OF INQUIRY: FORMAT

Please provide as many of the following documents as possible:

• Evidence of the legal status of the organization (organizing documents, articles of incorporation, trust agreements, charter, tax classification or certification from appropriate authorities);

• An annual report or brief description of the organization’s history, goals, mission, recent activities and future plans;

• Recent financial statements (audited financials are preferred);

• A list of the grantee’s governing board and key officers;

• A copy of the latest tax return;

• A description of prior grants from or contacts with the Cheng Health Foundation (if any);

• A brief description of recent grants made by any other organizations or units of government to the grantee.

The Foundation Common Grant Letter of Inquiry format can be found here. >>

THE FOUNDATION'S RESPONSE

We will send you an acknowledgment that your letter of inquiry was received, and we will direct it to the appropriate staff members for review. If as a result of that review the Foundation concludes that there is no prospect of Foundation funding, we will notify you promptly. Please allow up to eight weeks for the Foundation to reply. If the Foundation decides that your project might qualify for a grant, we will contact you to discuss next steps and what further information is required.

As is now the case with most charities in the United States who make grants to organizations based outside the United States, the Foundation checks the names of foreign based grantees, and the principal officers and directors of such grantees, against one or more lists maintained by the U.S. government, the European Union, and the United Nations, which contain the names determined by such entities to be terrorist organizations or individual terrorists. This process is a result of legislation passed by the U.S. Congress, Executive Orders issued by the President, and suggested guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

More information about the Foundation's approach to this issue can be found here. >>

All material submitted becomes the property of the Cheng Health Foundation. Materials that are no longer needed by the Foundation will be destroyed. The Foundation sometimes submits inquiries or proposals to confidential outside review.

DEADLINES

With few exceptions, as noted elsewhere, there are no fixed deadlines.

WHAT THE FOUNDATION DOES NOT SUPPORT

Please note that the Foundation does not support political activities or attempts to influence action on specific legislation. We do not provide grants to individuals. We do not provide scholarships or tuition assistance for undergraduate, graduate, or postgraduate studies; nor do we support annual fundraising drives, institutional benefits, honorary functions, or similar projects.