Submitting Your Letter of Inquiry to the Trusts The Trusts make grants in six program areas. You should first review the information about the program whose interests most closely match those of your organization. The guidelines lay out concisely each program's goals and objectives and the kinds of activities it will and will not consider. Read the Ineligible Requests section as well. If, after reviewing the guidelines and other information, you feel there is a match, you should submit a brief letter of inquiry, preferably less than three pages long. The Trusts will respond to all specific letters of inquiry but not to general solicitations for funds

The letter of inquiry should include the following information:
Who:	A description of your organization and the nature of its work, as well as a brief summary of your organization's achievements, particularly as they relate to the problem or issue to be addressed.
What and How:	A statement of the problem or need you plan to address and an explanation of how it will be addressed. Include a brief description of anticipated achievements or outcomes.
When:	The time frame for the proposed activities.
How much:	Estimated cost for the project or activity and the amount requested from the Trusts.
When your letter of inquiry arrives at the Trusts, it will be reviewed by staff in the appropriate program. You will be notified by either telephone or letter, usually within four to six weeks, whether or not your request meets the funding criteria and guidelines of the program.

Please Note Examples of past work, articles, reports, videos or other material should not be submitted with a letter of inquiry. Because of the large number of requests the Trusts receive and the time entailed to develop a proposal, applicants should not send in full proposals unless requested to do so by a representative of the Trusts.

Submitting a Full Proposal If staff determine that the activity you propose falls within the program's stated goals and objectives, we will ask you for a full proposal. An application package will be sent to you to complete and return to the Trusts. The application asks you for a description of your organization and the constituency it serves; details of the project or activity for which you seek support, including specific goals and measurable objectives; a detailed project budget; organization finances and miscellaneous support materials such as your IRS letters of determination.

In addition to determining whether your proposal meets the Trusts' program interests, staff will examine it for evidence of quality, accountability and soundness of design. For example, is the proposal thoughtfully conceived and carefully planned? Does your organization demonstrate sound fiscal and management capacity? Is it likely to be able to meet its objectives? If your proposal is determined to meet the Trusts' guidelines and satisfy the other evaluation criteria, it will be submitted to the board for review and final approval.

If your proposal is approved for funding, you will be notified formally by letter within four to six weeks after the board meeting at which the proposal was considered.

It is simply not possible to fund all worthwhile projects. Seeking a grant from the Trusts is a rigorously competitive process, with only a small percentage of proposals ultimately approved for funding. In addition, the Trusts' grantmaking has become increasingly focused and strategic, making support unlikely for activities that are not closely aligned with program goals and objectives. When drafting your proposal, therefore, please keep in mind that your request will be considered within a number of contexts: the strict parameters of the guidelines set out on the following pages, related activities we may have funded in the past and similar proposals that we may be reviewing.

Please Note Because of the volume of materials received by the Trusts, we cannot return any items such as publications, videos or films submitted with a proposal.

The Pew Charitable Trusts 2005 Market Street, Suite 1700 Philadelphia, PA 19103-7077 Telephone: (215) 575-9050 info@ pewtrusts.com