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Eligibility Requirements

In order to be eligible to receive funding from the Legacy Foundation, an organization must:

  • Be a nonprofit organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) or 170(c); or an organization described in sections 509(a)(1) or 509(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code,
  • Serve residents of Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr or Willacy counties,
  • Request funding for projects or programs that demonstrate a positive effect on the health of residents within our funding area, and
  • Have no funded requests on file within the previous 12 month period within the Responsive or Collaborative categories.

The Legacy Foundation WILL consider funding for:

  • New projects or programs,
  • Operating expenses,
  • Multi-year requests,
  • Capital purchases and projects,
  • Indirect costs up to 10%,
  • Matching funds, and
  • Staff positions (IF an adequate sustainability plan is in place for the position if it is permanent).

The Legacy Foundation WILL NOT consider funding for:

  • Insurance premiums,
  • Endowments,
  • Individuals,
  • Fundraising event sponsorships,
  • Debt retirement, or
  • Operational deficits.

NOTE: IF YOUR ORGANIZATION ALREADY HAS AN ACCOUNT, BUT YOU DON'T, DO NOT CHANGE ANOTHER PERSON'S PROFILE TO MATCH YOUR NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION. THIS CAUSES SEVERE ISSUES WITH THE ORGANIZATION'S PROFILE AND PREVIOUS APPLICATIONS. PLEASE CONTACT US INSTEAD AND WE WILL ADD YOU ON TO THE ACCOUNT.

Priority will be given to proposals that impact many, are collaborative in nature, reflect effective stewardship of organizational resources, demonstrate replicable programs, and are supported by many in our community – volunteers and/or donors.

Organizations may submit one proposal per cycle, if not currently funded.  Please call our office at (956) 335-3040 if you have questions.

Deadlines

The Legacy Foundation accepts grant applications twice a year, with deadlines May 1 and November 1 at 5:00pm every year.

All applications must be completed online, including the submission of all required attachments, in order to be processed.  PLEASE NOTE THAT DEADLINES WILL BE STRICTLY ENFORCED, so please start early and call our staff if you have any questions or need assistance in any way! Our number is (956) 335-3040 and we will be happy to help you in any way we can. However, allow extra time for responses during deadline weeks.

 

Letter of Intent (LOI):

A Letter of Intent is required for requests greater than $50,000. The LOI process opens February 15th and August 15th every year. It has a deadline of March 20th for the May 1st deadline and September 20th for the November 1st Application Deadline. Please go to the "Apply Here" button and sign in to find the online form for the LOI. Program staff will review the LOI and respond with a declination or invitation for a full proposal within one month. If a full proposal is requested, you will be provided a code to proceed to the application stage, which is also an online process.  If you have any questions, please contact our staff. 

Responsive Grant Requests:

The Responsive Grant process opens mid-February and mid-August. This process, which funds up to $50,000 does not require a Letter of Support. Please go to the “Apply Here” button and sign in to find the online form.  

Collaborative Grant Requests:

The Legacy Foundation will accept a Letter of Intent (LOI) for Collaborative requests, which range between $50,000 to $500,000. During the review period, you may be contacted for a pre-application site visit. If a full proposal is requested, you will be provided a code to proceed to the Collaborative application stage, which is also an online process.  If you have any questions, please contact our staff.

Matching Funds:

A letter of Intent (LOI) may be required to apply for a Matching Grant. Contact the Foundation for more information. You may be prompted to go straight into an application. The same LOI deadlines apply for these funds. If the LOI is approved, you will be provided a code for a Matching Grant application. The requirements for the local match as well as the timeline for the funds requiring a match need to be included in the application.

Foundation Initiatives:

The Legacy Foundation will seek proposals from organizations who are working on projects that are a strategic priority to the Foundation.  You may also contact our staff with a proposal idea, if the idea is aligned, you may be asked to proceed with the LOI.  Please see the LOI information above for more details and deadlines. Program staff will review the LOI and respond with a declination or invitation for a full proposal within one month.