APPLICATION

1. Personnel/contact
   1. Name, address, and web site of applicant organization
   2. Name, address, phone, and email of Executive Director and/or primary contact person
   3. Name and affiliation of your project supervisor if known at the time of your proposal
   4. Identify the specific architect, landscape architect, or other design professionals, artists, fabricators, or restoration specialists responsible for, or involved in your project. Include resumes or bios if available.
2. Name of project for which support is requested, along with a one sentence summary of the project
3. Amount requested
4. Project description, including specifics of proposed project
5. Description of entire project if requested amount is part of larger project
6. Significance of proposal project to the community and the city of Boston
7. Schedule
   1. Anticipated completion date of project overall, and/or specific project element for which funds are being requested
   2. If you are awarded a grant, indicate how soon after an award you will begin to incur costs for your project.
8. Plan for maintenance and maintenance funding (submit a copy of the maintenance plan if available)
9. Budget
   1. Include a line item breakdown showing expense details of requested amount (and full project expenses if part of a larger project) and what specifically the George B. Henderson Foundation will be funding.
   2. Indicate expenses for fabrication, installation, restoration, as well as expenses for personnel to complete the work (architects, restorers, artists, contractors, etc.)
   3. Include a funding plan and amount raised to date.
10. Indicate all other funders who are reviewing your proposal at the time of submission to the Henderson Foundation and the amount they are considering.
11. Indicate how the contribution of the Henderson Foundation will be credited for the project, in media and other acknowledgements, both during the work phase and following project completion. Please include information about permanent recognition if applicable.
12. Indicate any public approvals your project has received or is pending. For public art projects on land owned by the City of Boston, you must demonstrate that you have secured final approval for the project from the Boston Art Commission. If you have secured preliminary approval from the Boston Art Commission, please contact the Henderson Foundation staff before submitting your application.
13. Please detail whether you own the property or building where the project is to take place. If you do not own the building, please indicate whether you have site control for the project, and if not, when control is expected. Please submit a copy of the lease or other agreement, as appropriate.
14. Indicate any previous grants your organization or project has received from the Henderson Foundation.

2. Proposal Exhibits: Exhibits must include visual representation of the proposed project and/or site, including but not limited to plans or other visual materials directly relevant to your project, sufficient to give reviewers an understanding of the current conditions at the site and what will be accomplished and changed through the proposed project.

1. Provide images of existing conditions at the project site, including its surroundings to show the site and explain the neighborhood context, including how the neighborhood will be affected by the project.
2. Provide plans, elevations, and renderings, or if these are not yet available, concept sketches showing what the project will look like. Include information on materials to be used.
3. Provide at least one, but not more than three letters of support from community leaders, organizations, or affected individuals. Letters should address the specific benefits of the proposed project, not a general statement about the applicant organization.

In the online application, you may upload three proposal exhibits, and one document containing up to three letters of support.

3. Proposal Attachments

1. The most recent audited financial statement for the applicant organization, including that of any parent organization if the applicant is a subsidiary or support group of a larger nonprofit. If the organization does not conduct an audit or financial review, please submit a copy of the organization’s IRS Form 990 or a Profit & Loss statement from your most recently completed fiscal year
2. The most recent organizational budget with year-to-date financials
3. List of Board of Directors including affiliations and city of residence
4. Philanthropy Massachusetts Diversity Data Form (click here for a copy of the form)

You may upload these attachments in the noted attachment section of the online application portal.

Application Tips

• If any of these materials are challenging to develop in the current remote work environment, please contact the Henderson Foundation’s administrator to discuss. If completing the grant application via the online portal presents a barrier, please contact the Foundation’s administrator for alternative arrangements.
• Applications need not be elaborately presented or formatted.
• Do not assume that your organization, the project, or project location are known to reviewers. All requested information and attachments should be provided, even for repeat applicants.
• If your organization or project has been previously supported by the Foundation, please discuss your efforts to expand your fundraising from other sources.
• The need for the project should be clearly stated, and the case for how the proposed project will meet community needs or aspirations should be succinctly presented.
• In order to better understand the project and its neighborhood context, illustrations or renderings that show the project from the pedestrian point of view are welcome.
• If there is a specific or noteworthy history to your building or facility, please share that history in your application.
• The Foundation requires projects to be “visible to the public, preferably from a public way.” Applicants should provide detail as to the level of public access to both the building in question as well as to the specific project component. If the building is open limited hours, please specify the times it is open to the public.
• The Foundation expects that professional planning for the project will have taken place prior to the application. The professional expertise of those responsible for the project is an important consideration that will be evaluated. For example, a preservation project is expected to involve a qualified preservation architect; a conservation project is expected to involve a well-qualified conservator; a landscape project is expected to be designed by a qualified landscape architect; contractors performing the work should have prior experience with similar professional projects of recognized high quality.
• Project funding sources must be identified, whether received or proposed. Reviewers will consider whether the funding plan is thorough and realistic given the Foundation’s knowledge of funding sources, the applicant’s budget and resources, and the history of fundraising by the applicant.
• Project expenses should be clearly delineated in the project budget. A contractor’s estimate does not substitute for a line-item budget.
• The project budget should indicate both hard costs for construction, fabrication, and materials, as well as soft costs for architects, planners, artists, contractors, etc. The Designators prefer that their funds support hard costs, but will consider a portion of soft costs as needed and on a case-by-case basis.
• Maintenance of the project after completion is a key component of proposal evaluation. State who will maintain the project, how annual and long term maintenance and repairs will be funded, and whether any endowment will exist for the care of the project.
• The Foundation welcomes applications from nonprofits of all sizes. The Designators will hold an Applicant Forum before each grant cycle so that applicants may meet with the Foundation and learn more about its giving priorities. Should you need assistance with proposal writing, there are many resources available in Boston, including but not limited to Philanthropy Massachusetts (www.philanthropyma.org) and the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network (www.massnonprofitnet.org).
• Recognition of the Foundation’s contribution may be made in newsletters, press releases, media announcements, annual reports, on the organization’s web site, or through social media channels; by invitation of the Board of Designators to attend project events; and on plaques or other long term recognition if those are planned for the project. The level of recognition is expected to be proportionate to the scale of the Foundation’s contribution to the full project budget. Grant expectations and guidelines will be sent with the award letter.

How to Submit

Applications must be received electronically by 5 pm on the day of the proposal deadline.

Please direct any questions to Ms. Gioia Perugini, Foundation Administrator, at GPerugini@hembar.com or at 617.557.9777.