Application Process
We offer two funding opportunities: an Annual Giving program and the Joy W. Pope Memorial Grant. Each program has a unique application process with different information requested. If you have questions about the process, please email grants at jwpf.org.
Timeline & Review
Annual Grants (Spring and Fall)
Public policy and higher education Annual Grant proposals should be submitted by the last Monday of February. Decisions are typically made by late May.
Human services, K-12 education, and arts Annual Grant proposals should be submitted by the last Monday of August. Decisions are typically made by late November.
Joy W. Pope Memorial Grant (Fall)
Joy W. Pope Memorial Grants in the Arts and Human Services are accepted annually between July 1 – September 15.
Application Links
We encourage applicants to use our online portal. A save and resume feature is available at the bottom of the application. Documents do not attach until the form is submitted, so they will not be saved as a part of the save and resume feature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Through our Annual Grants, we occasionally grant funds to organizations that are physically located elsewhere but are doing work for North Carolina and Wake and Vance County residents.
Through our Joy W. Pope Memorial Grant Program we will consider organizations located anywhere in North Carolina.
The Pope Foundation does not respond to letters of inquiry. Interested organizations may apply for the Annual Grants and Joy W. Pope Memorial Grants without any advance work.
We do not require meetings or phone conversations before or after you apply. We will reach out to you if we have additional questions or need to discuss your application further.
Through Annual Grants, the Foundation considers both general operating and program/project-specific requests. Through the Joy W. Pope Memorial Grants, the Foundation considers only project-specific requests. The Foundation does not make direct aid grants to individuals or loans of any kind. All recipients must be fully compliant with nonprofit IRS rules and regulations.
If you are interested in our Annual Grants you should apply by the last Monday in February (public policy/higher education) or the last Monday in August (human services, K-12 education, the arts).
If you are interested in our Joy W. Pope Memorial Grant program you should apply between July 1 – September 15, annually.
We consider all request amounts for the Annual Grant program. The Foundation meets grant proposals in part and in full. In the Joy W. Pope Memorial Grant program, we cap requests and grants at $100,000 per fund. You can see our previous year’s grants on our ‘Grant Priorities’ page.
We do not limit the number of times your organization can apply. You are welcome to submit again, and we will most likely consider your proposal during the next applicable grant cycle.
You are welcome to request funding for more than one need. However, we ask that you condense your requests into one proposal package and detail the multiple asks in the narrative section.
The Foundation will consider your proposal regardless of whether or not your organization performs an annual audit. However, you should plan on submitting your most recent year-end financial statements that include a balance sheet, income and expenses, and a basic cash flow signed by your board chair.
The Foundation makes all attempts to keep reporting simple. We ask project-specific grant recipients to share the progress of their projects in narrative form. We ask all recipients to share financial information, including both audits/financial statements and 990s, and a copy of the annual report for the year in which the grant is received.