Guidelines

Grants will be offered in the range of $10,000 to $50,000, with limited exceptions. MDF is not in a position to offer multi-year grants.

The MDF fall 2008 proposal deadline is Wednesday October 15th, 2008.

Application Instructions

Applicants must submit (via email or regular mail) two (2) copies of a proposal containing the following:

  1. A cover sheet, which may be downloaded from here.
  2. A one-page summary of the proposed project.
  3. A description of the issue(s) to be addressed and the goals of the project. Include how the project relates to existing work on the same issue(s) and your short and long-term strategy and power analysis. Please identify constituencies included, as well as allies and working partners. Coordinated plans submitted jointly by several organizations are welcome but not required.
  4. A work plan for the period for which funding is requested with measurable benchmarks established to gauge progress. We recognize that the terrain may change over the course of the project and benchmarks may need to be adjusted.
  5. A description of the history and track record of the organization, highlighting experience relevant to carrying out this project.
  6. A statement addressing the organization's policy on diversity and how it is reflected in the board, staff, and constituencies served.
  7. Brief biographical descriptions of the organization's or project's key leadership.
  8. A description of the governing body responsible for oversight of the project and a list of the organization's board of directors and their organizational affiliations.
  9. Project and organization line item budgets for the fiscal year in which the proposed work will be undertaken and for the preceding fiscal year. The budget must include information on actual and potential financial support, including a list of all grants received in the most recent fiscal year and a list of potential project funding sources and amounts requested. Please list each foundation and major donor contributing $5,000 or more individually.
  10. Applicants must include a copy of their IRS determination indicating that the organization or the sponsoring organization has §501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. If the applicant does not have its own §501(c)(3) status but is a project of a sponsoring organization, the applicant must include a letter from the sponsoring organization stating that it is assuming all fiscal, legal, and programmatic responsibility for the applicant.

The narrative section of the proposal (not including the cover page, budget, and accompanying articles, press releases, etc.) cannot exceed 10 pages and may be shorter.

Please include relevant supporting materials.

Where to Send Your Application

We encourage you to email your application; all materials can be emailed in Microsoft Word format directly to Beery Adams, Fund Grants Manager at: badams at proteusfund dot org. Please mail two (2) hard copies of documents that cannot be emailed to:

Proteus Fund
Grants Manager
101 University Drive, Suite A2
Amherst, MA 01002

We do not accept proposals transmitted by fax. If you have questions regarding your submission, please contact Helen Brunner, Director, Media Democracy Fund. Helen can be reached at: helen at artresources dot org or 202-363-6806.

Rapid Response Fund

MDF also employs a Rapid Response Fund to address opportunities or threats to media policy that may arise suddenly, outside of our regular grant cycles. Projects must be timely in nature and funds are not available for organizational emergencies. Resources are very limited, please contact Helen Brunner for instructions on how to apply.