W.M Keck Foundation grants Application Process

How To Grants from W.M Keck Foundation Grants – In keeping with our founding principles and our mission to create long-term, positive effects on society, the Keck Foundation Grants fund groundbreaking research in the fields of science, engineering, and medicine as well as arts, culture, education, health, and community service in Southern California, with the hope of solving some of the world’s most intractable problems.

Through board-initiated revolutionary special initiatives, The Keck Foundation Grants additionally bolster undergraduate education. For more information you can check the official website of the W.M Keck Foundation

Key Takeaways

• Funds groundbreaking research in science, engineering, and medicine.
• Supports arts, culture, education, health, and community service in Southern California.
• Awards range from $500,000 to $5 million.
• Two grant programs: Research Program and Southern California Program.

Focus Area of W.M Keck Foundation Grants 

The W.M Keck Foundation primarily focuses on two areas.

Research Program Awards

Projects with the potential to have far-reaching, substantial positive effects on society are the ones that The W. M. Keck Foundation grants focus on. In keeping with its mission to provide financial support for exceptional scientific, technical, and medical research, the foundation looks to sponsor unique, innovative initiatives that might have a profound and lasting effect. Projects that do this push the limits of their areas, offer new ways of looking at old issues, or question established ways of thinking.

Eligibility for W.M Keck Foundation’s Research Program Awards

• Foundation’s Research Grants
• The Research Program Awards are open to research institutions, medical schools, and large private independent research institutes in the fields of science and medicine.
• If its headquarters are in California, the organization must also prove that it is exempt from federal income taxes under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3) and that it is in full conformity with all California state tax laws.
• Presenting applicants are required to furnish three years’ worth of audited financial statements that are current, certified, and produced in compliance with GAAP.
• For exempt running foundations, you must provide the most current full Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990) in addition to any supplementary paperwork.
• Collaborative initiatives may need extra paperwork from participants who are not eligible to lead the project, but all eligible institutions must choose a lead institution.
• The foundation does not provide financing to institutions based outside of the US, private foundations that are not exempt operating foundations, or groups that do not have tax-exempt status.

Grant Cycle for W.M Keck Foundation’s Research Program Awards

• June and December are the two months of the year when the W. M. Keck Foundation gives out grants.
• Phase I applications are usually due between November 1 and November 30, and idea counseling is optional for the June grant cycle.
• The deadline for Phase II ideas is February 15, and applicants will receive invitations to submit full proposals by January 15.
• The deadline for Phase I applications is typically between May 1 and May 31 in the December grant cycle, and the schedule is quite comparable.
• By July 15, you will receive an invitation to submit a full proposal, and by August 15, you will have to have your Phase II plan in.
• You have till 4:30pm (PT) on Mondays to complete your work if a deadline occurs on a weekend.

For more information visit https://www.wmkeck.org/research-overview/#eligibility

Southern California Program Awards

As the Southern California Program Awards show, the foundation gives money to initiatives that try to fix the region’s complicated challenges via the arts, education, health, and community service. Undergraduate education also receives funding from the Keck Foundation grants arts and humanities, supports innovative and excellent higher education via transformational special initiatives.

Eligibility for W.M Keck Foundation’s Southern California Program Awards 

• Organizations that meet the requirements must provide audited financial statements, the most current Form 990, and letters of decision from the Internal Revenue Service and the California Fair Tax Board attesting to their tax-exempt status.
• Collaboration initiatives need the designation of a lead institution, with all participants fulfilling the necessary qualifications.
• Units of the government are required to file a Declaration of Status if they do not have IRS decision letters.
• Determination letters and group status attestations are required of organizations that are members of a group.
• The managerial and budgetary health of the eligible institutions are the main criteria for evaluation.
• Los Angeles County is considered the place of entry for grant agreements, and California law governs their terms.
• Any person, private foundation, foreign organization, or entity not able to provide proper proof of tax-exempt status or financial standing is ineligible.

Grant Cycle W.M Keck Foundation’s Southern California Program Awards 

• June and December are the two times of the year when the W. M. Keck Foundation holds its grant rounds.
• Following the January application deadline and before invitation notice on February 22, the June cycle has optional idea evaluations.
• From March to the middle of April, invited candidates are subject to a site visit phase.
• There is an application deadline in July for the December cycle, and invitation notifications are due by August 16. Optional idea evaluations take place before the deadline.
• Inviting candidates go through the site visit process in September through the middle of October.
• The foundation will extend the deadline to 4:30 pm (PT) the following Monday if it falls on a weekend.

For more details about the Southern Califorina Program Awards, visit https://www.wmkeck.org/our-focus-southern-california-focus/

Special Projects Awards

Since its inception in 1954, the W. M. Keck Foundation has distributed gifts totaling more than $2.2 billion. The foundation’s emphasis on risky but potentially game-changing undertakings means it can keep playing an important role in tackling society’s most pressing problems, expanding human understanding, and encouraging innovation.

If you need money and are looking for grants, you can check some other foundations such as Centene Charitable Foundation grant, and Cummings foundation grant.

Grantees of The W.M Keck Foundation 

Some past grantees of W.M Keck Foundation as follows

Keck Institute for Space Studies at the California Institute of Technology

In 2007, $24 million was donated to the Keck Institute for Space Studies at the California Institute of Technology. The Keck Foundation Grants for Technology are the official name of the foundation’s funding program. This financing allowed for the investigation of novel concepts in space science and technology, which in turn encouraged collaboration across disciplines and propelled advancements in space exploration research and development.

Chapman University

When it came to keck foundation grants for Scentific research in 2017, $20 million went to Chapman University to strengthen the Keck Center of Science and Engineering and increase its capacity for discovering new things. By putting Chapman University at the front of scientific research and innovation, this gift hoped to facilitate ground-breaking discoveries across a range of scientific fields.

Claremont McKenna College

The 2018 fiscal year saw Claremont McKenna College acquire a $40 million endowment to bolster its multidisciplinary scientific programs. The college was able to improve its scientific programs with the help of this grant, which increased research collaboration across departments and pushed the field of science forward.

The UCLA Biomedical Initiative

In 2018, $20 million was allocated to the UCLA Biomedical Initiative with the goal of expediting medical research, enabling game-changing discoveries, and improving the patient experience. The goal of this funding was to support cutting-edge biomedical research at UCLA, which would lead to better healthcare for patients.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)

Across the area, Angelenos will have better access to art and art education because to a $50 million grant that the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) received in 2020. With this grant, the museum was able to expand its outreach programs, bringing art to underserved areas and enhancing Los Angeles’s cultural scene.

Oregon State University

The Center for Oldest Ice Exploration (COLDEX), spearheaded by Oregon State University, seeks to understand past climatic patterns by extending the ice core record back millions of years. The initiative creates new methods to interpret the historical record of the folded ice layers by recovering pure ice samples from Antarctica’s Allan Hills that are up to 4 million years old. The primary goal of COLDEX is to provide basic answers regarding the climate history of our planet by analyzing the timing of individual ice segments, learning about the connection between the global Ice Age cycles, the temperature of Antarctica, and variations in solar energy, and studying the effects of greenhouse gases.

AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles

In an effort to promote cooperation, creativity, and the development of blue economy jobs, AltaSea in the Port of Los Angeles is redeveloping a 35-acre plot of land. Building and furnishing a common space at Berth 59, AltaSea will increase educational activities for underprivileged youngsters with a $250,000 funding from the W. M. Keck Foundation for early career researchers. Here, children may participate in hands-on activities that will teach them about marine energy and aquaculture, two industries that are vital to preserving our oceans.

The Blind Children’s Center in Los Angeles

For children who are blind or have other disabilities, the Los Angeles-based Blind Children’s Center has been providing early childhood education and intervention programs since its 1938 founding. In order to establish a center-based early learning program and increase early intervention services, the center is restoring its historic building with a $300,000 grant. By creating more welcoming classrooms and better preparing students for the upcoming school year, these improvements will greatly benefit children and their families.

Emanate Health Queen of the Valley Hospital 

In response to the increasing need for emergency treatment in the area, the Covina-based Emanate Health Queen of the Valley Hospital has opened a brand-new, cutting-edge ED and ICU. More efficient and effective patient care will be possible thanks to a $500,000 donation from the Keck Foundation for technology that will go toward the acquisition and installation of medical equipment for the new facility. When finished, the enlarged department will alleviate congestion and wait times for up to 120,000 patients each year.

The Los Angeles County Office of Education

In an effort to increase the number of cases of child abuse and neglect reported by teachers, the Los Angeles County Office of Education is testing out a new training program. Educators will be better able to identify true instances of abuse and those where families require community-based assistance thanks to a $475,000 grant from the Keck Foundation for education that funds the initiative. In the end, this program will help at-risk families and children by providing them with decision-making tools and other resources.

Maryvale

The organization Maryvale, assisting homeless single moms in Rosemead, is expanding its Seton House program with a $500,000 donation. The money will renovate a dorm-style residential facility into family living apartments for 50 more families every year. Seton House helps single moms and their children develop secure, independent lives with temporary housing and comprehensive assistance.

The Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla

The Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, CA, got $1,300,000 to study ribosubstitution in age-susceptible tissues including the brain and heart. Project leaders Fred H. Gage and Pallav Kosuri want to trace these occurrences, which entail ribonucleotide errors in chromosomal DNA, during the lifespan. The scientists will use modern sequencing technology to resolve ribosubstitutions in neurons in culture and donors’ prefrontal cortex to single base pairs. They will also build a single-nucleus, multiomic technology to improve their sequencing process and find ribosubstitution hotspots in intact brain and heart tissue. This experiment might reveal how ribosubstitutions affect genomic instability and aging.

There is a CIGNA Foundation Grant. Do not miss the opportunities to get grants from the foundation

How to apply for Keck Foundation grants ?

There are different application processes for different grants.

1. For research Program

• Counseling concept

The optional pre-application concept counseling phase gives input on four Research program concepts. Highly recommended, but not required.

• Scheduling

Counseling is July 15–August 15 for June and January 15–February 15 for December. Each organization submits once every cycle. Requests accepted two weeks before counseling.

• Concept Guidelines

Single-page concept papers must include organization name, project title, primary investigator’s complete name, project summary, methodology, Keck Foundation rationale, anticipated budget breakdown, and brief bios for all call participants.

• Submission

Send idea papers and participant profiles to [email protected]. New institutions must produce tax and audit records.

• Review

Final concept papers are due three business days before call.

• Research Project Review

Review funded projects and award amounts in grant summaries for help.

2. For Southern California Program

• Optional concept review

Eligible organizations receive feedback on three project proposals semi-annually. Participation is optional but promoted.

• Scheduling

June concept review is October 15–November 30 and December concept review is April 15–May 31. Organizations submit once every cycle. Four-week response.

• Concept Guidelines

Two-page concept paper including project names, overviews, deadlines, anticipated costs, money raised, and allocation explanation. Include a one-page info sheet if available.

• Application

One application per award cycle due January 5 for June and July 1 for December. Thank you for submitting early. Foundation emails confirmation.

• Checklist for Applications

Include cover page, organizational priority, project abstract, narrative, resumes, expert reviewers, project budget, fundraising history, audited financial statements, IRS and state decision letters.

• Visit Site

Invitation-only phase with due materials by March 1 for June board meeting and September 1 for December board meeting. Two months beyond deadline, site visits.

• Grantee Duty

Applicants agreeing to complete grant duties.

Visit Angel foundation Grants as it can open many possibilities for you to get monetary help for your organization.

Conclusion 

The impact of W. M. Keck Foundation Grants is felt in cutting-edge science and community transformation. Grants stimulate innovation, research, and institutional action on critical issues. Foundation supports great scientific, engineering, medical research, and community projects to enhance knowledge and improve mankind. By sponsoring high-risk projects with revolutionary potential, the W. M. Keck Foundation Grants advance society, enhance lives, and create a brighter future for future generations.

If you are interested to know more about Other foundation grants, then please visit our page grants buddy

Frequently Asked Questions