FAQ

You can access the application you already started by visiting our applicant/grantee portal.

No, we ask that one application be submitted per organization.

Yes, but your project will be reviewed with consideration to your current open grant(s). We encourage you to engage with us so we can consult with you regarding your specific circumstances.

One of our Community Investment team members will follow up with you directly regarding next steps.

Due to the high volume of applications expected each cycle, applicants will receive an automated electronic confirmation after the application is submitted. If you don’t receive an automatic confirmation after you submit, please reach out to [email protected] to check on your application. Application decision notifications will be sent electronically at the end of the application review period.

• In general, we will only make grants to 501(c)(3) public charities or government entities. All grant funds must be used to serve our 18-county plus the Qualla Boundary region. 
  
• We seek to support organizations that elevate uncommon leadership and voices that may have been overlooked or discounted in the past. 
• We encourage organizations to explore opportunities for partnership with other nonprofits or government agencies to help elevate their work for broader or deeper impact.
• We support organizations whose work aligns with our Purpose, Values and Guiding Principles or Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Holding ourselves accountable to these standards is key to How We Work, and we look for partners who do the same.

As a private foundation, we are limited in some aspects of funding. Generally, we do not fund:

• Direct payments to individuals
• For-profit companies
• Work outside of our 18-county plus the Qualla Boundary service area
• Organizations that do not align with our Purpose, Values and Guiding Principles or Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Holding ourselves accountable to these standards is key to How We Work, and we look for partners who do the same.
• Clinical services for which there is another payor (with the exception of clinical services delivered by a Federally Qualified Health Center or a free clinic)
• Activities that supplant government sources of funding (e.g., capital to build or rehab government-owned buildings, infrastructure/maintenance, public services typically paid for through tax revenue)
• 100% of a capital request
• Amounts that exceed 25% of an organization’s total revenues for the last four tax years (less any other grants from Dogwood during this period). This is referred to as “tipping.” For more information on tipping, please click HERE.
•  Any programs that proselytize (attempt to convert people from one religious belief to another)
• Other private foundations