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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.
  • existing staff salaries and indirect costs in project proposals.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Questions? Please Contact Us!

Application process, grant procedures, deadlines, or reporting requirements:
Susan Clark, Grants Manager 312-977-2705 or  sclark@gddf.org

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