Guidelines & Applications

General Guidelines

  • We accept unsolicited proposals only from 501(c)(3) public charities involved in Land Conservation and Artistic Vitality in the Chicago Region and Lowcountry of South Carolina.
  • We occasionally support projects from government entities, but those agencies should call before applying.
  • Organizations must have completed at least one full fiscal year of operations before applying.
  • We do not have a Letter of Intent (LOI) process, so if you have a question, please call.
  • We do not accept unsolicited proposals for endowments, capital campaigns, or debt reduction.
  • We do not support:
    • individuals, religious activities, political campaigns, or political lobbying.
    • stand-alone conferences, publications, films, events, websites, or videos.
  • For project grants, we prefer to support direct costs only. However, we will consider indirect costs that are both critical to achieve stated outcomes and appropriately scaled to the project.

To Begin a New Application

Our application forms and guidelines vary by program and geographic area. Click on the program area of interest at left, review guidelines carefully, and then select the appropriate link to start a new application. You'll be connected to our online system, grantrequest.com. Once started, you can save and return to your application at any time.


To Work on an In-Progress Application

If you've already started a new application, log in to your online account. This login link is emailed to you each time you save or submit an application, and is also in the header and footer of every page on our website. You can save and return to your application at any time.


After Submission

You will receive an instant confirmation email and a copy of your submitted proposal. If you do not receive this email, please check your junk mail. If it's not there, please call or email the Grants Manager to ensure your application was submitted.

Within a month or so of the proposal deadline, one of our reviewers will be in contact with you to discuss your proposal. After the board has made its grant decisions, we will contact you within a month.


Questions? Please Contact Us!

Application process, grant procedures, deadlines, or reporting requirements:
Susan Clark, Grants Manager 312-977-2700 or  sclark@gddf.org

Program questions:
John Sands - Director, Lowcountry Program 843-651-3793
Arthur Pearson - Director, Chicago Region Program 312-977-2709

From the Blog

Sewee to Santee eyes smart growth through regional branding

For rural communities suffering from poverty, development can seem like a no-brainer: if you build it, they will come, bringing jobs and opportunities with them. But as sprawl across the country has shown, development can come at the expense of a rural community’s own character and sense of place, and can leave areas ravaged when companies that built there leave for cheaper pastures. In the Sewee to Santee region of South Carolina, a vision is forming: a better quality of life for its residents built on the belief that a rich rural landscape is an opportunity, rather than an obstacle to be overcome. Read More »

A new way forward for South Carolina’s rural communities

South Carolina’s beautiful rural landscape belies an unfortunate reality of poverty. How can the state's rural communities take advantage of existing assets to achieve long-term prosperity? Read More »

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