How to apply for an ann Bancroft foundation grant

 

The Ann Bancroft Foundation Grant Application is open to any K - 12th grade Minnesota resident who identifies as a girl, including those who identify as cisgender, transgender, gender non-conforming, and gender non-binary people. Grants are available to fund art, cultural, leadership, educational, outdoors/wilderness experiences, sport, athletic, dance equipment, or participation fees. Given the increased requirements for technology due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are also funding technology equipment and technology access for the aforementioned activities. The experiences the Ann Bancroft Foundation Grant supports help applicants begin to explore the outside world around them through the lens of recognizing their own abilities, values, and strengths and provide them with the opportunity to be part of a team, build strength and confidence and push themselves farther.

Spring applications open on February 1 and Fall applications open on August 1. You can also preview the application here. When you finish drafting your answers via Microsoft Word or another Word Processor, you can copy and paste/upload your responses into Survey Monkey Apply. 

APPLICATION GUIDELINES AND ELIGIBILITY

  • All applications will need to be completed online by the applicant, mentor, and parent/guardian.
  • Grant application deadlines: April 1 for the spring granting cycle and October 1 for the fall granting cycle.
  • Grant requests may not exceed $1,000 total. The activity may cost more than $1,000, but $1,000 is the maximum grant request amount.
  • Each applicant must have an adult mentor who will guide the applicant through the application process and if funded, the registration process for the activity. The mentor cannot be a family member (not the girl’s parent, guardian, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, grandmother, or grandfather), the activity provider, or an employee of the activity provider. Click here for more information on ABF grant mentorship.
  • Applications must be completed by both applicant and mentor, and the application must be signed by a parent/guardian of the applicant.
  • An applicant may only apply for one ABF grant - grants are awarded only once in a lifetime. Former grant recipients cannot apply for another ABF grant, but any grant applicant who was previously declined may (and is encouraged to) re-apply for a grant.
  • Group applications will not be considered. Each grant applicant must apply as an individual.  
  • The activity being funded must be completed by high school graduation. Please note that ABF will not fund activities that take place the summer after graduation.
  • The grant check will be written and sent directly to the activity provider as listed in the application in early June (spring grant cycle) or early December (fall grant cycle).
  • Each grantee and mentor will be required to complete a grant follow-up survey after completion of the activity.
     

How to Apply Online

  • To begin the grant application process, the grant applicant will create a SurveyMonkey Apply account (click the blue 'Register' or 'Apply' button in the upper right hand corner of the SurveyMonkey Apply page) with a valid e-mail address. The email address used as the account email address will be the primary email address the Ann Bancroft Foundation uses to communicate with the applicant (e.g. for grant notification, follow-up questions, etc.). NOTE: After every grant cycle, we delete all applicant and user information from our online application system. If you are an applicant or mentor that has applied in the past, you will need to create a new account. 
  • After creating the account within SurveyMonkey Apply, the applicant will be sent an email to confirm the account email address before being able to begin the grant application. Please be sure to have a correct email address as the account email and one that you will be checking regularly. 
  • Once you have verified your account email address, you will be sent another email with a link to log in and begin the grant application.
  • The grant application contains 8 required tasks within the application portal. Once all tasks are completed (by either the applicant or mentor), the applicant will need to 'review and submit' the application. Please use this document to guide you through how to work within the application portal.
  • You can also use this video tutorial for information on how to apply
  • The applicant will add their mentor as a 'collaborator' using the mentor's preferred (valid) email address. Once the applicant has added their mentor as a collaborator, the mentor will receive an email invitation to access the applicant's grant application by creating their own log-in information. Please only add one collaborator (mentor) within your application.
  • The applicant will complete parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 within the application.
  • The mentor will complete parts 6 and 8 within the application. 
  • If a person is serving as a mentor to multiple applicants in the same cycle, a different email address may be needed for each applicant, in order to complete the mentor section of the application. 
  • Please answer all questions as thoroughly as possible. It is important that the applicant answer the questions in part 5 (not the mentor/parent/guardian on the applicant's behalf) to the best of the applicant's ability. As much detail as the applicant can provide will help the review committee have a better understanding of how this grant will help the applicant pursue her dreams. When the mentor is completing the questions in part 6, it is recommended that they provide as much information as possible, too, in order for the review committee to understand how they plan to support and encourage their mentee.
  • Once all 8 parts within the application are 'marked as complete', applicants must press the "review & submit" button to review all application answers. If everything looks good, please press "submit your application' for the application to be considered complete and move forward into review. If the applicant needs to edit any of the 8 parts that have been marked as complete, please click the ellipse (...) button in the top right corner of the specific part you would like to edit. Once the application is submitted, the applicant will receive a confirmation email to the address listed on the account. 
  • Applications that are not fully submitted will not move forward into the review process and are ineligible for funding during the current grant cycle. We do not accept any applications after the stated deadline.

Selection and Notification Process

  • Once the application is submitted, it will be screened by a representative from the Ann Bancroft Foundation before going to the granting committee to ensure that it is complete and valid. If there are any changes that need to be made, a representative from the Ann Bancroft Foundation will contact the applicant by emailing the primary email address. 
  • The Granting Committee will not review applications until after the grant cycle deadline. The review and selection process will take 4-7 weeks after the deadline for the application submissions.
  • Applicants will be notified of their grant status on or before the grant notification date via an email to the primary email address on the application account —all decisions are final.
  • Mentors will also be notified via email of their mentee's grant status - please make sure the mentor's email address listed in the application is valid and correct.
  • Submitting an application does not guarantee funding. 
  • If awarded a grant - applicants must attend a mandatory orientation. This orientation will be virtual but may have an in-person component if it is safe to do so. 
  • Grant checks will be mailed approximately eight weeks after the grant deadline. In order for a grant check to be mailed we must: 
    • Receive an invoice from the Activity Provider
    • Applicant must attend an orientation 
    • Applicant and Parent/Guardian must sign and complete the Grant Acceptance Form 

QUESTIONS?

*The Ann Bancroft Foundation wants our grant applications to be accessible to everyone. If you are unable to complete an online application, please contact us so we may work with you to complete the application offline. You may send an email to grants@annbancroftfoundation.org or call us at 612-338-5752 x 191.

For updates from the Ann Bancroft Foundation and additional resources, please be sure that you are on our email list and that you follow and check our social media. If you have questions about grants, please contact us at grants@annbancroftfoundation.org.   

 

For your reference, the Ann Bancroft Foundation (ABF) does not investigate or inquire into the qualifications, competency, safety, or appropriateness of the activity, program, providers, or mentor for which the grant application was made. ABF is a granting organization only. It is the applicant's, the applicant's caregivers', and the mentor's responsibility to assess the appropriateness of and safety of any given activity or program for a grantee. Therefore, by making this grant, ABF is not endorsing or making other representations regarding the chosen activities, programs, activity providers, or mentors. The grantee's participation in any given activity or program will be governed by the activity provider's terms of use or activity requirements.