HOW TO APPLY

Fordham Street Foundation expects to use its entire grants budget for FY 2026-27 to support our current grantees. We do not plan to accept any other applications. Please check our website in the fall of 2026 for information about FY 2027-28 grants. If you have any questions, please email admin@fordhamstreet.org.

All applicants not currently being funded by the Foundation must submit a grant proposal outlining their request for funding. Supplemental materials (videos, photographs, etc.) are welcome, but they will not be returned. We encourage a simple, readable format that contains all the requested information at the time of submission.

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Grant Proposal Content

Your proposal must address each of the four categories of information listed below to be considered for review:

I. Your Organization (please limit to one page)

  • Full legal name and mailing address of your organization

  • Contact person, title, telephone number and email address

  • Executive director name, telephone number and email address (if not the contact person)

  • Brief background on your organization, including mission and objectives, when it was founded, target group(s) and type(s) of program(s) offered

  • Number of staff

II. Project Description (please limit to no more than 5 pages)

  • Title of the proposed project

  • Need for the project and how the need was determined. This section should address specifically the need for your program’s intervention, not simply relate statistics about the failure of public schools nationwide or in your jurisdiction.

  • How the project addresses our interest in academic achievement for children of color

  • Expected outcomes and the metrics of success / key performance indicators you will use to evaluate the project’s results

  • Project duration

  • Timetables for implementation, including start date and staffing requirements

  • Funding amount requested

  • Project budget

III. Financial Information

  • Your organization’s actual or projected expenditures and revenues for the past, current and upcoming fiscal years

  • Fiscal year for your organization

  • The most recent financial statements

  • If available, the independent auditor’s report or opinion

  • Plans for sustaining the project’s funding upon the expiration of the grant from the Fordham Street Foundation

  • A list of other funding sources applied to for support of the project

IV. Legal Information

  • A copy of your IRS determination letter concerning Section 501(c)(3)

  • Organization’s employer identification number (EIN)

  • Names and professional affiliations of the applicant organization’s board of directors

  • If your organization’s most recent IRS form 990 is NOT available on Guidestar, please contact us to discuss. There is no need to send form 990 if it is available on Guidestar.

Submission of Proposal

Applications for the upcoming fiscal year are due to FSF on or before January 12. Please have your grant proposal dated and signed by your organization’s executive director and board chair. If possible, please submit your proposal electronically by emailing to admin@fordhamstreet.org.  If you decide to submit your proposal by US Mail or by a delivery service, please use the address below, exactly as shown:

Fordham Street Foundation
295 Madison Avenue, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10017

Please send email to admin@fordhamstreet.org if you have any questions about our application process or evaluation criteria.