arcus faq's

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions regarding the Arcus Foundation's:
Foundation Mission Statement
EEO Policy Requirement
Funding Guidelines
Funding Restrictions and Eligibility Requirements
Letter of Inquiry
Full Proposal Requirements
Procedure for In-Person Appointments

MISSION

Question: Does the Arcus Foundation have a new mission?
Answer: Yes. The mission of the Arcus Foundation is to achieve social justice that is inclusive of sexual orientation, gender identity and race, and to ensure conservation and respect of the great apes.

EEO Policy Requirement

Question: Why does the Arcus Foundation require organizations that seek funding to have a certain type of EEO policy?
Answer: To advance its mission of achieving social justice that is inclusive of sexual orientation, gender identity and race, the Arcus Foundation requires all organizations seeking funding to have Equal Employment Opportunity policies that include protection based on:

Gender identification (an individual's internal sense of one's own gender);
Sexual orientation (determined by whom an individual is sexually attracted to and also has the potential for loving); and
All other categories protected by applicable federal and local laws.

We view this requirement as another tool we can use, in addition to grant making, that can help bring about social change. We are pleased to report that the Foundation's requirement of an inclusive EEO policy has led to the adoption of these policies at many organizations and institutions, including the Kalamazoo Public Schools, Kalamazoo County, Western Michigan University and the University of California system.

Question: What is meant by "Gender" and "Gender Identity"?
Answer: The following Glossary of Terms from the Gender Public Advocacy Coalition (www.gpac.org) should help with these definitions:

Gender refers to the way we perceive things to be masculine or feminine. Such things need not be human. For example, in many cultures, cups are gendered feminine, and pencils masculine. In people, we tend to associate gender - that is, masculine and feminine meanings - with features that can include: physical sex or genitals; other physical characteristics (for instance height, weight, and body hair); sexual orientation (gay men are often considered more feminine than their heterosexual counterparts, and lesbian women more masculine); and behavior or dress (a man who cries may be considered unmanly; a woman who wears short hair and a suit coat may be considered unfeminine).

Gender Identity refers to an individual's fundamental sense of himself or herself as masculine or feminine, and male or female. The phrase "gender identity" originated in psychiatry and commonly refers to transsexual or transgender individuals: those who want to or have changed sexes or genders. It is often used in EEO policies to refer to employees who have or may transition from one sex to another on the job.

Gender Characteristics refer to primary and secondary physical sexual characteristics, such as height, weight and body hair. As physical attributes, they are not included in "gender expression" or "gender identity." Examples might include a man with a high voice, a woman with prominent facial hair, or a person with anomalous genitalia (correctly referred to as intersex).

Gender Expression refers to things like clothing and behavior that manifest a person's fundamental sense of themselves as masculine or feminine, and male or female. This can include dress, posture, hairstyle, jewelry, vocal inflection, and so on.

Gender Stereotyping refers to the act of trying to enforce individuals to conform to gender stereotypes, as well as negative expectations based on those stereotypes. For instance, firing an "aggressive" female manager or assuming female employees will be too submissive for management are both examples of gender stereotyping.

Sex refers to your legal gender assignment.

Question: Our organization does not have any employees. Must all organizations receiving funds from the Arcus Foundation comply with the Equal Employment Opportunity Policy requirement?
Answer: Yes. Even in an organization without employees, the policy should apply not solely to staff, but to board members and to relationships with volunteers, outside vendors and customers, use of contractors and consultants, and in dealing with the general public.

Question: My organization does not currently have a compliant EEO policy but plans to change its policy in the near future to comply with the Arcus Foundation's requirements. We want to submit a Letter of Inquiry now. May we still apply?
Answer: No. We will not consider a Letter of Inquiry until your organization's EEO policy is compliant with the Foundation's eligibility requirements. Since the Arcus Foundation now engages in rolling grantmaking, we will accept Letters of Inquiry throughout the year, so we encourage you to have your board adopt an inclusive EEO policy and then submit your Letter of Inquiry. In the meantime, you are welcome to call a program officer to discuss your funding idea.

Question: I want to submit a request on behalf of an academic institute within a university system. The university's EEO policy does not include "sexual orientation" or "gender identity," but the academic institute's EEO policy is inclusive of these two categories. May I still apply on behalf of the institute?
Answer: No. The EEO policy requirement covers the sponsoring tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization that is the official applicant to the Foundation. We encourage you to do what some of our existing grantees have done: advocate with your university to change its EEO policy to include "sexual orientation" and "gender identity". If you have further questions, we recommend that you contact the appropriate program officer.

FUNDING GUIDELINES

Question: The Arcus Foundation has released new funding guidelines for grantmaking. What are the major changes?
Answer: The following is a list of the most significant changes, many of which are described more fully in the Q and A's that follow:

The Arcus Foundation now accepts letters of inquiry and proposals on a rolling basis throughout the year.
The Foundation will award grants four times in 2008.
The Foundation continues to require groups to have an EEO policy that includes sexual orientation and gender identity as well as all categories required by applicable law. Grantseekers should make sure their policies comply with what their state and federal laws mandate.
Arcus has two funding programs: the Arcus Gay & Lesbian Fund and the Arcus Great Apes Fund.
Priorities within the Arcus Gay & Lesbian Fund are framed within our two major program areas: Religion & Values; Work at the Intersection of Racial Justice, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.
We have a funding program to achieve GLBT rights in Michigan
The Foundation funds international GLBT human rights.
The Arcus Great Apes fund now has three clear priority areas of focus.

Question: How do I apply for funds from the Arcus Foundation?
Answer: Click here to be directed to our How to Apply page to view the detailed instructions of our four-step grant application process.
Step 1: Make sure that your organization complies with our eligibility requirements and your funding request is aligned with our grantmaking priorities.
Step 2: Contact the appropriate Foundation staff person.
Step 3: Submit a Letter of Inquiry at any time (there are no deadlines).
Step 4: If you are invited, submit a full proposal for consideration by the Foundation's Board.

Question: What is "rolling" grant making?
Answer: It means that the Foundation now has a flexible admission process for Letters of Inquiry (LOIs) and full proposals. We make decisions on grants throughout the year.

Applying to Arcus for a grant involves a four-step process (see above). The Foundation's Board of Directors reviews staff recommendations on all invited proposals and makes final decisions four times each year. We recommend that potential grant applicants contact the appropriate Program Officer about four months in advance of the requested project start date in order to allow sufficient time for your request to move through our process.

Question: My organization works on issues of racial discrimination, but not GLBT issues. Do we qualify for funding under the new guidelines?
Answer: We encourage you to call us if you have any questions about how your funding idea might fit with the Foundation's priorities.

Please also note that Arcus is funding a group of organizations in Kalamazoo through our Michigan Racial & Economic Justice Initiative, which is focused on creating a racial and economic justice network that will address systemic barriers through organizing, advocacy and leadership development. While the Initiative is a program of the Arcus Gay & Lesbian Fund, it does not focus on GLBT rights.

Question: In your Religion & Values Program, what does Arcus mean by "values"?
Answer: In our Theory of Change strategic planning process for the Arcus Gay & Lesbian Fund, we identified several barriers that must be addressed in order to advance the cause of GLBT human rights and equality. Moral values based on religious or secular teachings are often raised as reasons why gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people should not have equal rights. The Arcus Foundation is therefore interested in supporting efforts that examine the beliefs and principles that these moral values are based on, and that explore ways to promote GLBT acceptance. In the area of "values," we envision that applicants may be focused on issues related to procreation, pleasure, sexual behavior, sexual identities, and family structure as well as other issues that involve cultural and religious norms and "morality." We welcome requests to support efforts that pose new paradigms and visions of morality and values that affirm and promote GLBT acceptance and GLBT realities.

Question: My organization works on achieving GLBT rights through political advocacy. Can we apply?
Answer: The Arcus Foundation does not make any grants for direct or indirect legislative lobbying activities or political campaigns. However, nonprofit tax-exempt organizations can engage in public education and advocacy, and Arcus will support these types of efforts as long as the project aligns with our grant making priorities. Activities we will consider funding include public education and media campaigns about policy issues, mobilization of grassroots constituencies on policy issues, community-based organizing, legal advocacy, and the education of legislators and other public officials on policy issues.

Question: Are service delivery programs for GLBT youth and adults, like shelter, food and employment assistance considered?
Answer: The Foundation's priorities, as expressed in the Funding Guidelines for the Arcus Gay & Lesbian Fund, focus on advocacy, organizing for inclusion and equal rights for GLBT people, supporting alliances, policy research, leadership development and GLBT supportive projects. We encourage social service organizations to approach the Foundation for their advocacy, training, leadership development and other non-service delivery activities where those activities advance the priorities of the Gay & Lesbian Fund.

Question: Regarding requests for support of international projects, what are funding intermediaries?
Answer: A funding intermediary is an organization (including another foundation) that raises funds and re-grants them. Usually, these intermediaries have specific expertise in the subject area in which they re-grant and have the capacity to work closely with individual grantees. In the case of the Arcus Foundation's international GLBT human rights program, we identify funding intermediaries with expertise in GLBT rights in Africa, Southeast Asia and/or the Middle East, experience in making grants to grassroots organizations in those regions and the capacity to work cooperatively with grantees in a manner that facilitates their ongoing organizational development and effectiveness.

Question: What happened to the old Arcus Funds that were titled the Arcus Gay & Lesbian Fund, the Arcus Fund and the Arcus National Fund?
Answer: The Arcus Gay & Lesbian Fund, the Arcus Fund and the Arcus National Fund have all been combined into one fund called the Arcus Gay & Lesbian Fund. This means that all of Arcus' GLBT grantmaking now has common goals, and that the Arcus Gay & Lesbian Fund makes grants in all of our priority geographic areas. It is important for organizations previously funded by any of the three former named funds to review the new funding guidelines found in the How to Apply section of our web site before submitting a Letter of Inquiry.

Question: Will there still be a funding focus in Kalamazoo?
Answer: Yes. The Arcus Foundation is proud of its origins in Southwest Michigan and will continue to fund projects in our home region that meet the priorities of the Arcus Gay & Lesbian Fund. In 2007, we expanded our geographic focus to reach throughout the state of Michigan, inclusive of the Southwest region, of course, but also inclusive of local and regional organizations in other areas of the state, and statewide projects. In addition, we have launched the Michigan Racial & Economic Justice Initiative in Kalamazoo.

FUNDING RESTRICTIONS AND ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Question: Do you give grants or scholarships to individuals?
Answer: No, the Arcus Foundation does not make grants to individuals. In addition, no grants are made for scholarships, lobbying purposes, sponsorships, political campaigns or medical research projects.

Question: My organization operates a Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center for a community located outside of Michigan. Can my organization apply to the Arcus Gay & Lesbian Fund for a grant?
Answer: Probably not. Limited funds allow us to support community center projects only in Michigan. If you believe your project is national in scope, we encourage you to call us to discuss your idea.

Question: My organization has applied for, but not received, our 501(c)(3) status from the IRS. Can we apply now, since we'll have our 501(c)(3) by the time the grants are awarded?
Answer: The Arcus Foundation only makes grant awards to organizations with an IRS 501(c)(3) tax determination letter. If you applied with a pending 501(c)(3) application and our board approves a grant, the grant award letter could not be issued until we receive a copy of the IRS ruling letter. To avoid that type of delay, we recommend that you work with an organization with a 501(c)(3) status that would be willing to take your organization on as one of its "projects," acting as fiscal sponsor, with full oversight and authority on the grant activities. International organizations must be able to demonstrate 501(c)(3) equivalency and be able to provide detailed financial and other data in order to determine their eligibility.

Question: We are a grassroots, all volunteer organization, without our own 501(c)(3). Another organization has offered to serve as our fiduciary. Is this allowed?
Answer: Possibly. The Arcus Foundation does not make "pass-through" grants or grants to secondary grantees. The legal grantee has to have full oversight and authority over the grant activities and its Board must authorize the relationship between the legal grantee and the organization carrying out the grant activities. If you have further questions about your project or organization regarding a fiduciary relationship, fiscal agency, fiscal sponsorship, or expenditure responsibility, we ask that you contact Celeste Dado, the Director of Grants Administration, to discuss the situation on a case-by-case basis. For additional resources regarding questions about fiscal agency and sponsorship, please visit the following link to an article from the Council on Foundations.

Question: Does Arcus fund film or video projects?
Answer: Arcus only considers funding for the distribution, education or organizing phases of film and video projects. Your project must align with the goals of either the Gay & Lesbian Fund or the Great Apes Fund and you must have a detailed distribution and public education plan for the project.

Question: My organization works on GLBT advocacy and services primarily at the local level, but we have a newsletter and a great website that offers replicable models and that are read by people working in the movement nationwide. Do we qualify as "national"?
Answer: In most cases, no. You would need to demonstrate a clear potential for national impact beyond simply posting your information on the internet or including it in your newsletter.

LETTER OF INQUIRY

Question: How do I know how much money to ask for?
Answer: The Arcus Foundation funds in a very broad grant range, so it is important for organizations to look at their budgets (either project budgets or organizational budgets, depending on the request) and assess what role the Arcus Foundation can play in helping you meet your goals. In most cases, the Foundation is not willing to fund 100% of a project's costs or such a large percent of the organization's budget that the loss of Arcus funds would jeopardize the existence of the organization or program. We can be approached for lead funding of a project, especially where the applicant is able to demonstrate that our support would attract other funders or leverage other resources. We also encourage organizations to diversify their funding sources, with a mix of public support, grants, individual donors, community fundraising and fee-for-service, where appropriate.

Question: Should I ask for more than I need? In other words, does Arcus always grant a percentage of the amount requested?
Answer: There is no set formula that we employ to arrive at an appropriate grant level. We would rather applicants apply for what they need, consistent with the information provided in the FAQ response above. When we review your request, we will assess whether the level requested is appropriate to the project or organizational budget. There are many instances in which grantees have received the exact amount they requested. We seek to create open and honest relationships with our grantees where issues of financial need and financial status can be shared in a supportive and non-adversarial context.

Question: Can I add attachments and samples to my Letter of Inquiry? It would help Arcus get a better idea of what we do.
Answer: We would prefer to receive only the information we require at this stage of the process (i.e., the Letter of Inquiry, your organization's IRS Letter of 501(c)(3) status and your EEO policy). Our review period for Letters of Inquiry is short and we receive many of these letters, so we must limit the submission of additional attachments to the full proposal stage. We suggest instead that you provide helpful background information about your organization in your discussion with the appropriate program officer prior to submitting your Letter of Inquiry.

FULL PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

Question: Is there a deadline for submitting the full proposal?
Answer: Once the Foundation accepts a Letter of Inquiry and invites a full proposal, a specific deadline for submission of the full proposal will be provided in the letter of invitation sent by the Foundation. The Foundation will postpone consideration of any proposals received after the deadline specified in the letter of invitation. If you have any questions regarding your specified deadline, please contact the program officer who is working with you.

Question: What happens after we submit a full proposal?
Answer: Your proposal is reviewed by the responsible program officer who will contact you to set up an in-person site or office visit. In some cases, where the program officer is already familiar with your organization or where travel is not feasible, the program officer will arrange to speak with you by phone in order to discuss the proposal and ask specific questions. If you are asked to provide additional information, please do so in a timely manner, since our staff is on tight deadline to submit their recommendations in preparation for the board meeting. After a final decision is made by the Foundation, we will inform you immediately by telephone and officially through a letter. If a grant is awarded, you will receive a Grant Award Letter that must be signed and returned to us as soon as possible so that the grant can be paid. Grant payments of $100,000 or higher will be paid in the form of stock. Grant payments of under $100,000 will be paid by check. If you have questions about this process, please call or email , Senior Grants Administrator.

Question: What is meant by Grant Start Date and Grant End Date?
Answer: The Grant Start Date is the first day on which expenses could be charged to the grant, which generally occurs on the first day of the month. The Grant End Date is the last day expenses are incurred and paid out of the grant funds, which generally is the last day of the month. Please make sure that the dates included in your project budget (or the organization's annual operating budget for general operations support) are the same as the grant start and end date included in your proposal. Please also note that the Arcus Foundation does not fund retroactively, i.e., Arcus funds may not be applied to expenses already incurred before we awarded the grant.

Question: In the Purpose of Grant section of the Proposal Narrative, you ask us to list "outputs" and "outcomes." What is the difference between the two?
Answer: Outputs are the products of your effort, such as a publication of a report and its distribution, the implementation of training, the number of participants you draw, the staff hired, the amount of funds raised, etc. Outcomes describe the difference that your efforts will make, or in other words, the results and changes that correspond to your stated goals. Some examples of outcomes are: improved organizational infrastructure and stability, increased public support, policy change, attitude change, or behavior change.

Question: My organization will not have a board-approved organizational budget finalized by the time the grant proposal is due. What should we do?
Answer: Submit your most recent organizational budget and the draft budget you are currently working on. We will, however, need a final board-approved organizational budget during the review process.

Question: I am applying for general operating support. Do I have to provide a Project Name?
Answer: No, you should simply state that the request is for general operating support.

Question: Can we submit letters of support from other organization or from individuals?
Answer: While we no longer require you to submit letters of support with a full proposal, we are open to receiving them if you think they would strengthen your request. We advise you to only include letters of support that provide substantive information that would help us understand your request or the context in which you plan to work. In some cases, a program officer will ask you to provide a letter of support from another organization so that there is clear evidence of collaboration or other agreement with your assumptions.

Question: What are the Foundation's grant reporting requirements?
Answer: The Foundation requires that grantees submit final reports within 30 days after the end of their grant periods. In the case of multi-year grants, an interim report is required within 30 days of the end of each grant year and a final report is required at the end of the full grant period. The Foundation has a narrative and financial reporting form for both interim and final reports which can be downloaded from our website and emailed to us.

PROCEDURE FOR IN-PERSON APPOINTMENTS

Question: I will be in Kalamazoo or New York or Cambridge, UK on other business soon. May I schedule an appointment to talk with someone at Arcus about my project/organization?
Answer: The Arcus Foundation encourages grantees and prospective applicants to meet with or speak with us by phone before a Letter of Inquiry is submitted. If you are visiting the area near one of our offices, we ask that you please call us first so that the appropriate staff person can check his or her calendar for availability on the days when you will be in our area.

Question: Who is the appropriate Foundation staff person that I should contact regarding my request?
Answer: Please click here to see the list of Arcus Foundation Funding Priorities and the corresponding list of Program Officers.

402 East Michigan Avenue Kalamazoo, MI 49007 269/373-4373
119 West 24th Street, 9th Floor New York, NY 10011 212/488-3000
Wellington House, East Road Cambridge CB1 1BH, United Kingdom +44(0)1223-451050