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I’m having technical difficulties downloading the Letter of Inquiry form.  What do I do?
Contact Donna Stoeling at the Women’s Impact Fund office at womensimpactfund@fftc.org or 704.973.4589 and she can e-mail you an attachment with the Letter of Inquiry form in a MS Word format.

I’d like to use additional space for the Letter of Inquiry narrative.  Is this okay?
Due to the volume of Letters of Inquiry that are received, we ask that all Letters of Inquiry conform to the space allotted.  Although no attachments are necessary, organizations wishing to submit additional information may enclose a single annual report or organization brochure.  (A reminder – the Letter of Inquiry is not a grant application.)

Do I need to have a member of the Women’s Impact Fund endorse my Letter of Inquiry project?
No.  Each fall, all members of the Women’s Impact Fund have the opportunity to recommend organizations to the Grants Committee.  This is not required, however, and many projects move forward without formal member endorsement or referral.

Does the Women’s Impact Fund support only projects relating to women?
No.  The Women’s Impact Fund funds broadly and considers proposals serving a wide array of causes that are of interest to our membership.

Does the Women’s Impact Fund consider requests for operating support?
Yes, though generally speaking, a specific explanation of how the funds would support the mission of the organization and what the impact of the funds would be, is helpful.

Does the Women’s Impact Fund consider requests for projects outside of Mecklenburg County?
No.

Does the Women’s Impact Fund consider requests for capital projects?
No.

Does the Women’s Impact Fund consider requests for endowment funds?
No.

My organization was funded by the Women’s Impact Fund in the past.  Can I submit a Letter of Inquiry again?
If it has been three years since the completion of the term of the previous grant award, organizations are welcome to submit a Letter of Inquiry again for possible consideration by the Grants Committee. 

I submitted a Letter of Inquiry last year but wasn’t selected as a grant recipient, can I resubmit the same project for consideration?
Yes.

I’ve submitted a Letter of Inquiry form for the 2008-09 grant cycle.  What’s next?
The Women’s Impact Fund will confirm receipt of all letters of inquiry via postcard no later than November 14, 2008.  If you do not receive a postcard, please contact Donna Stoeling at the Women’s Impact Fund office at womensimpactfund@fftc.org or 704.973.4589.

Please remember that submission of a Letter of Inquiry is not a formal application for funding; the Letter of Inquiry process is intended to be an avenue for research and information-gathering for the Grants Committee.  After the Letters of Inquiry are reviewed, formal requests for proposals will be extended to a maximum of 20 organizations in December 2008.  Only these organizations will be actively considered for funding in the 2008-09 grant cycle.

If it’s January 2009 and I haven’t heard back from the Women’s Impact Fund, what does this mean?
If your organization does not hear from the Women’s Impact Fund by January 2009, this is an indication that your Letter of Inquiry will not be formally considered this year for funding by the Grants Committee.  Due to the volume of Letters of Inquiry received, we are not able to contact organizations to inform them of this individually.  Please consider re-submitting a Letter of Inquiry for the 2009-10 grant cycle.  The Women’s Impact Fund will post the organizations selected to receive requests for proposals on our website by December 12, 2008.