Support Guidelines

Grants are awarded for a wide array of activities that serve children and families, teens, seniors, and veterans including: hunger, health, affordable housing, and education. We also support organizations dedicated to conservation and preserving the environment and animal protection. Our giving is guided by the interests of our employees.

Our grants generally range from $1,000 to $10,000 and may be used to fund many kinds of projects, including core operating support, strengthening organizations, specific program development, and building and renovating facilities.

Applications are reviewed by the Giving Committee of the Deacon office closest to the services provided by the applicant. If the proposal passes the initial review, a member of the committee may contact you directly to schedule a site visit or presentation to the Giving Committee. Final decisions on all grant requests are made by the Giving Committee in each Deacon office. The review process usually takes 60 days or less. 

At this time, grant applications are accepted by invitation only. Invited organizations submit their application below. Please contact your local Giving Committee Leaders with any questions.

Even if your organization is not invited to submit an application for funding by our foundation this year, we encourage you to check commongrantapplication.com for other funding opportunities that may fit with your organization.

Is Your Organization Eligible?

To be eligible to apply for a Deacon Charitable Foundation grant, organizations must:

  1. Have 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status and a valid Tax Exempt ID number.

  2. Request support for work in Washington, Oregon, or California. Note: programs that serve communities close to the Deacon offices, located in Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, and Pleasanton, will have the greatest chance of being funded.

  3. Have programs serving at least one of the focus areas established by our employees:
    – Community
    i. Children/Families
    ii. Domestic Violence
    iii. Hunger
    iv. Housing/Homelessness
    – Arts/Education
    i. School Programs
    ii. Art Enrichment Programs
    – Animal Welfare/Environment
    i. Animals
    ii. Environment
    – Health
    i. Medical
    ii. Seniors
    iii. Veterans

  4. Provide equal opportunity to all qualified individuals in leadership, staffing and service, regardless of race, color, citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, gender identity, marital status, veteran status, or any other status protected by law.

  5. Not require attendance at or participation in religious/faith activities as a condition of service delivery nor require adherence to religious/faith beliefs as a condition of service or employment.

  6. Have no other pending proposals under consideration by the Deacon Charitable Foundation (only one application from an organization will be considered at one time).

The Deacon Charitable Foundation generally does not fund the following:

  • Direct grants, scholarships, or loans to individuals

  • Endowments

  • General fund drives, annual appeals, special events, or sponsorships

  • Elimination of operating deficits

  • Projects of sectarian or religious organizations that principally benefit their own members or adherents

  • Direct replacement funding for activities previously supported by federal, state, or local public sources

  • Grantee cannot expend any part of the grant in a way that violates its tax-exempt status

  • Political parties and trade associations

  • Organizations that discriminate by race, creed, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion or national origin, disability, or veteran status

  • Advertising and promotion

  • Team sponsorships or individual teams

  • Private or family foundations

Evaluation Guidelines

The Deacon Charitable Foundation does not require a formal evaluation report. However, we are always grateful for a qualitative description or the impact we have had on your program, and if you would like to receive funding from us in future years, we will be checking to see whether we received information from you about the impact we had in previous years.

Our charitable mission is to improve the quality of life in the communities where we live or work by supporting organizations that address vital community needs and issues in the areas of human services, animal welfare, and the environment.