Funding Process

The Howard Gilman Foundation’s response to COVID-19:
In acknowledgement of the fact that the crisis surrounding COVID-19 is adding additional work and stress to the already full plates of our grantees, we are working to provide additional Resources to grantees and to streamline the application process for all current applicants.

*Cycle 2 applications can be submitted any time before the end of April. If submitting your application by that extended deadline is not possible, contact the Foundation’s Grants Manager, Kimberleigh Costanzo, at kcostanzo@howardgilmanfoundation.org for a further extension.

*The Cycle 2 application has been revised and now contains only the following questions:

  • Title of Request
  • Application Amount Requested
  • Overview of Grant Request (this answer will copy from your Intent to Apply form and can be edited by you)
  • Budget Comparison Attachment
  • Audit Attachment
  • COVID-19 Impact: How has your organization been affected by COVID-19? What kinds of support do you need at this time to help navigate the ongoing impact?

If you have any questions about this process, contact Kimberleigh Costanzo at kcostanzo@howardgilmanfoundation.org or on her cell phone at 516-728-5449. We appreciate your patience with us as we shift processes and navigate this crisis together. Please be in touch if there are ways in which we can support you during this challenging time.

When to Apply

The Foundation conducts three funding cycles per calendar year. To begin the application process, you should first determine which cycle is the best fit for both your organization and your proposal.

Cycle 1

Apply if: your organization is applying for general operating support and has a fiscal year end date of 12/31

Award Notification: March

Cycle 2

Apply if: your organization is applying for general operating support and has a fiscal year end date of 6/30

Award Notification:
July

Cycle 3

Apply if: your organization is applying for general operating support and has a fiscal year end date that falls between 6/30 and 11/30

Award Notification: December

Project Support Requests

Choose a cycle that would deliver funding prior to the start date of the proposed project. Projects are not funded retroactively.

Visit the Dates & Deadlines page to find out when the next cycle begins.

New or Current?

Has your organization received Howard Gilman Foundation funding in the last calendar year?
If not, you must apply as a
NEW APPLICANT.
If it has, you must apply as a
CURRENT GRANTEE.
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New Applicants

Letter of Inquiry

Submit a Letter of Inquiry form via our Online Application Platform. You can preview the Letter of Inquiry form here.

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Current Grantees

Intent to Apply

Submit an Intent to Apply form via our Online Application Platform. You can preview the Intent to Apply form here.

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Staff Review and Application Invitations

The Foundation staff will read and discuss all submitted Letters of Inquiry and Intent to Apply forms.

Approved organizations will be sent an invitation to complete a full application via email. Declinations will also be sent via email.

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Application

If invited, your next step is to submit an Application via our Online Application Platform. You can preview the Application form for New Applicants here and for Current Grantees here.

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Staff Review

This is our time to get to know you, your team, and your important work. In addition to reading your submitted Application, a staff member will conduct a site visit to meet with organizational leadership and will attend a performance or rehearsal to see your organization’s work in action.

Staff Review

This is our time to catch up with current grantees. In addition to reading your submitted Application, a staff member will conduct a site visit to meet with your organization’s leadership. The staff strives to send a minimum of one staff person to a performance-related activity per calendar year. This visit may happen outside of the review process.

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Staff Recommendations, Board Approval, and Funding Decisions

Working together, staff comes to a consensus on all grant recommendations, which are then reviewed by and voted on by the Board of Trustees. Grant decision notifications are sent via email. Upon completion of the Foundation’s online grant contract, funded organizations receive their awards via standard mail.

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Reporting

If awarded funding, grantees will be required to report on that funding as part of their next Application, via the Online Application Platform. See the “Reporting” section of the Current Grantees Application here.

Grantees awarded multi-year funding will be required to submit an Interim Report and will be notified about deadlines for interim reporting via email. You can preview the Interim Report form here.

Featured Grantee:

The Sol Project

The Sol Project Oedipus El Rey at The Public
Photo by Joan Marcus


"The ongoing support from the Howard Gilman Foundation has provided The Sol Project with the resources to amplify the voices of Latinx playwrights and artists of color through world premiere co-productions, a summer play reading festival, independent readings and workshops, Undoing Racism trainings, and the expansion of our artistic collective. We continue to aim to transform the American Theater by uplifting diverse Latinx experiences for audiences to witness."

Jacob Padrón
Artistic Director

Oedipus El Rey at The Public
Photo by Joan Marcus