Funding FAQs

All applications and Letters of Intent must be submitted by the stated deadline, no later than 5:00 PM.

‍

Your budget should include expenses and revenues directly related to the funding request, as outlined in the grant application.

If requesting funds for general operations, please include your entire operating budget with itemized expenses in each category.

For more detailed information, please refer to the Guidelines for Financial Information.

‍

Budgets should exclude costs not directly related to your project, such as grant writer fees or unrelated administrative expenses.

‍

If you are unable to provide 3 bids for your project, you can submit alternative documentation, such as:

• Quotes

• A scope of work detailing the timeline, deliverables, and a budget.

• Estimates

For all grant applications, a Letter of Support is required from the leader of your organization. This should be the Chairperson of the Board of Directors or Executive Director/CEO for nonprofit organizations; the Mayor for cities; the County Judge for counties; or, in the case of universities, the Dean of the relevant college or the University President if the request spans multiple departments. For other public entities, the letter should come from the equivalent highest-ranking official. All letters must be on official letterhead, signed, and include specific reasons for supporting the proposed project, program, or operating request, as well as how it aligns with the organization’s goals or priorities. For Collaborative, Matching, and Foundation Initiative grants, additional Letters of Support are required from partner organizations. These letters must confirm the partner’s understanding of the project, including timeline, goals, and their specific role. If third-party Letters of Support are required, they must be submitted directly through our grant application software via a link sent to each partner organization.

‍

We accept grant applications twice a year for our Responsive Grants (this program funds up to $50,000). The Spring Cycle opens on February 1st and has an application deadline of April 1st. The Fall Cycle opens on August 1st and has a deadline of October 1st. Our grants programs that fund requests over $50,000 are offered on an annual basis. The cycle opens on October 1st with a Letter of Intent (LOI) due by December 1st. If approved, the application is due on March 1st. If you have already been awarded a grant or secured funding that requires a matching contribution and the timing does not align with our standard cycles, please reach out to Alondra Vazquez at avazquez@vblf.org for guidance.

‍