Bernard & Audre Rapoport Foundation - Frequently Asked Questions
Thank you for your interest in the Bernard & Audre Rapoport Foundation. In no particular order, please feel free to peruse some of the most frequently asked questions received by the Foundation’s staff.
What will you not consider funding? Are there fields/areas in which you don’t make grants?
The Foundation does not consider the following types of requests for support:
Direct social services outside of Waco/McLennan County
Programs with a narrow audience/geographic benefit (outside of Waco/McLennan County)
Capital campaigns (In limited instances, capital requests may be considered in Waco/McLennan County only)
Repeat of recently denied request
Projects that exclusively serve religious purposes and/or involve proselytizing
Direct donations or grants to individuals
Unsolicited international funding requests
Political campaigns and legislative lobbying efforts
Please also refer to the our website for “What & Where We Fund.”
Do you award grants outside of Waco, Texas?
Yes. By policy, one-third of our annual grantmaking budget is designated to qualified non-profit organizations in the Waco, Texas area. Additionally, one-third of the Foundation’s annual grantmaking budget is allocated to qualified organizations operating elsewhere in the state of Texas and/or within the United States. For more information on what we call our discretionary or national/unrestricted category, please continue reading below.
What comprises the Foundation’s “Discretionary” grants category?
This is the term the Foundation uses to describe our grantmaking outside of the Waco, Texas area. For more information on what we call our discretionary or national/unrestricted category, please visit our website for “What & Where We Fund.” You may also reference our “Recent Grants” page as well prior to submitting an LOI for consideration.
Please note that the Foundation does not consider funding direct service programs outside of the Waco/McLennan County area. Additionally, within the discretionary/national category, projects or programs that are designed to benefit specific geographic areas with a limited target population are also unlikely to garner consideration from our trustees.
Do you fund general operating expenses?
The Bernard & Audre Rapoport Foundation does not have a standing policy regarding general operating versus program/project support. Ultimately, decisions to approve or decline a grant are based on the quality of the grant request, availability of funds, prioritization of other requests received in any given cycle, current interest areas, etc.
Do you fund capital projects?
The Foundation seldomly considers capital requests and has only done so in a few instances for health organizations in Waco. Furthermore, the Foundation does not consider capital funding requests outside of the Waco/McLennan County area.
Can grant requests include indirect program costs?
The Foundation does not have a stated policy regarding indirect costs but may consider reasonable amounts on a case-by-case basis.
Do you give grants to individuals?
The Foundation is unable to award grant funds directly to individuals.
Do you fund scholarships?
The Foundation does not issue scholarship awards directly to students/individuals. However, we are proud of the fact that our founders, Audre & Bernard Rapoport, initiated multiple scholarship programs at the University of Texas at Austin (see Rapoport Scholars Program) and McLennan Community College (see Rapoport First Gen Scholarship) in Waco, Texas. The Foundation does not operate the scholarship programs, nor are we involved in the selection process, but we highly encourage students to explore these opportunities and apply directly to the appropriate entities.
What is the maximum/minimum amount we can request?
While we cannot suggest a funding amount or even a range which your organization might consider, we do suggest taking a look at our past grants which may help illustrate our grant capacity.
Additionally, the Foundation reserves the right to fully fund, partially fund, or decline a funding request.
What are the deadlines for grant proposals?
See “How to Apply” for our current grant schedule including due dates for LOI submission, application due date, and when funding decisions will be made in any given cycle. Please note that we reserve the right to alter these dates if needed and it is the applicant’s responsibility to monitor the respective due dates for any grant cycle in which they may apply.
How often do you consider proposals?
Currently, the Foundation operates two open grant cycles per year in the spring and fall. Please refer to our website for the most updated grant cycle timeline.
The Foundation may choose to add a separate grant cycle each year focused on a special interest area. These ad-hoc grant cycles may utilize an open RFP process or via invitation only.
How do we apply?
All LOIs and grant applications must be submitted through the Bernard & Audre Rapoport Foundation’s grant portal. If you are unfamiliar with our grant portal, please see this portal FAQ page.
Before we submit a proposal, can you tell us if you are interested in or would consider the type of grant we are looking for?
Foundation staff will not be able to suggest the likelihood of trustee interest in a specific project, the “magic” amount to request, or whether you look better in purple or blue. If after reviewing this FAQ, our website, and past grants, you still have an unresolved question you’d like to pose, please contact us at grants@rapoportfdn.org.
Can we meet with someone at the Foundation to discuss a possible proposal?
In most instances, Foundation staff will reach out to you following the LOI stage if they desire additional information to evaluate your request. Due to the sheer volume of requests received from the Waco, Texas area and nationally, we regret that we are unable to schedule individual meetings with all interested parties.
Can you help us with writing the grant proposal?
Unfortunately, Foundation staff are unable to provide direct assistance in the creation of your LOI or grant proposal.
Can an organization submit more than one LOI in a single grant cycle?
We do not recommend submitting more than one LOI in any given grant cycle, but rather suggest that you consider your organization’s greater need and submit your best case for a single LOI. (And no, Foundation staff will not review your top 2-3 proposals and suggest which one may garner more interest from our trustees.)
How will we know if you received our proposal?
Upon successful submission of an LOI or application through the Foundation’s grant portal, you will receive an automated email confirmation to serve as proof of receipt. You may also check the status of your request at any time by logging into your organization’s account on the portal.
Will you do a site visit?
By virtue of being both a place-based funder and a national funder, the Foundation does not initiate a site visit with all grant partners. Generally, staff will initiate the request for a site visit if desired.
Our grant request was declined. Can you tell us why?
Due to the sheer volume of requests received, Foundation staff may be limited as to the specific details they are able to share related to an individual grant request.
We recently submitted a proposal and were declined. Can we resubmit?
The Foundation generally discourages resubmission of a declined request in a subsequent cycle unless there is significant material change to the project/request.
On limited occasions, an organization may receive specific instruction from Foundation staff to submit in a different cycle for purposes of timing and/or possible alignment with an ad-hoc special interest grant cycle. In such instances, staff will reach out directly to the applicant with this information.
I still have a question. Who should I contact?
Please email grants@rapoportfdn.org.