POLICIES

If you have any questions about our grants or grantmaking process or comments about our web site, please feel free to contact us.

EDYTH BUSH CHARITABLE FOUNDATION'S GRANT POLICIES

A. Geographic Limitations:

The Foundation welcomes grant requests from otherwise eligible tax-exempt organizations under Internal Revenue Code Sections 501(c)(3) and Section 509(a) located and/or operating within the Orlando MSA of Orange, Seminole, Osceola and Lake Counties, Florida. Other grant requests should have special interest or support from one or more of our Directors.

B. General Purposes:

1. Based on policy resolutions adopted by Edyth Bush (Mrs. Archibald G. Bush), our Founder, while she was still alive, this Foundation is operated exclusively for charitable, religious, literary, and other exempt purposes.
   "Special consideration will be given to distributions and grants to charitable, religious and educational organizations which are organized and operated to help underprivileged or needy people to improve themselves, or to relieve human suffering..."

2. As a practical matter, we have made grants for challenge and development purposes, construction and renovation, equipment and expansion of functions, pilot projects and seed start-up of new programs, and study or planning grants to determine feasibility and market. We also have made emergency grants, emergency and other Program-Related Investment Loans. Over 50% of our grants are on a challenge or match basis, either "pay-as-matched" or "all-or-nothing."

3. Typically, grants range from $5,000 to $50,000. Many of our larger grants are on a challenge match basis.

4. The Foundation has broad interests in human service, education, health care and a limited interest in the arts. The Foundation has elected to focus these interests by concentrating on certain priorities within the particular field. This focus is more clearly defined by the Foundation's Grant Policy Limitations.

C. Grant Policy Limitations:

In addition to the Orlando MSA geographic limitation, the Foundation will ordinarily deny grant requests (as adopted by our Board of Directors):

1. "From chiefly tax-supported institutions, or their 'support' foundations (more than 50% government funding of the operations or project indicates 'chiefly tax-supported') or to continue dropped or discontinued government funded programs or projects until at least one (1) year or more of 51% private funding has been completed successfully;

2. "For individual scholarships or for individual research grants even if through an exempt or otherwise qualified educational organization;

3. "For alcoholism or drug abuse programs or facilities;

4. "For routine operating expenses;

5. "To pay off deficits or pre-existing debt;

6. "For foreign organizations or for foreign expenditure. For this purpose 'foreign' means outside the United States, or its territories and possessions, whether the organization itself is U.S. based or foreign based;

7. "For travel projects or fellowships;

8. "For chiefly church, sacramental, denominational or inter-denominational purposes, except outreach projects for elderly, indigents, needy, youth, or homeless regardless of belief, race, color, creed, or sex;

9. "For endowment funds or other purely revenue generating funds;

10. "Advocacy organizations or advocacy component funding;

11. "For cultural or arts organizations unless their collections, exhibits, projects or performances are of demonstrated nationally recognized quality; or for the demonstrated educational value of children, K-12th grade.

12. "From organizations having receipts or revenues from memberships and/or contributions of less than $25,000 in the previous year, or from any organization whose Internal Revenue Code Section 509(a) 'publicly supported' status will need renewal in the next six (6) months."

Most of the policies are those favored by Edyth Bush, our founder, in her personal giving or in her Foundation policies prior to her death.

D. Grant Request Procedures:

In addition to the Orlando MSA geographic limitation, the Foundation will ordinarily deny grant requests (as adopted by our Board of Directors):

1. We suggest that initial contact be the Eligibility Quiz.You may also contact us by telephone (407-647-4322), by email, or through a letter of inquiry stating the amount sought and purpose of the grant, and nature of the organization.

2. Grant requests are submitted through our online grant application or by mail. The Program Officer will provide you the necessary information for access to our online application.

3. We may conduct a field review (site visit) by one or more Officers or Directors of the Foundation. The field review includes a conference with the organization's professional staff involved in the request, one or more of its Board of Directors or Trustees, appropriate accounting personnel of the organization, as well as a review of actual operations.

4. After our review, you will be notified of the Foundation’s determination. If approved, you are asked to accept the grant terms, including our General Terms and Conditions – “Exhibit A". You may be asked to attend a Grantee Conference held at our office prior to payout of the grant. If the grant is a match or challenge grant, you should be prepared to meet the deadlines specified in the grant letter within which to certify the match to us, including enough information for the Foundation to verify the certification. Copies of all grant-related documents, including the Acceptance Letter, Exhibit A, and Grantee Conference are available in the Grantee Toolbox.

5. Program-Related Investment Loans:
   Requests for emergency, construction, renovation, or "bridge" loans require a complete grant request and must comply with all of the Foundation's grant policies. Loans are ordinarily for up to a maximum of three years at simple interest. After a file is complete, the request will typically be reviewed and a decision made within sixty days. We suggest talking to the Program Officer before filing a loan request.

E. Grantee Reporting Requirements:

We do ask grantees to provide us with a progress report at least every six months. When the grant funds have been fully spent, we require a final report containing a list of the disbursements of the grant balanced against the grant budget, together with an evaluation of the results of the grant. New grant requests will not be processed by the Foundation from the same organization until the final report has been filed on any prior grant. The Foundation from time-to-time conducts post-review audits of previously completed grants. This is primarily for the purpose of assisting the Foundation in establishing its own grant policies as well as to review the stewardship of the grant funds by your organization.

F. Reapplications:

In case a grant request is denied, reapplication on the same grant request ordinarily will not be considered. However, unless the organization is not eligible for tax or policy reasons, denial of a grant request is without prejudice to your submitting other requests on different projects or on other subjects.

G. Submission of Requests:

The Foundation has no submission deadline dates and grant requests are received at any time. All request materials received become property of the Foundation and will not be returned to sender.

H. Office Conferences and Technical Assistance:

Please phone in advance for appointments. Much can be done by telephone rather than travel. Our telephone lines are open during office hours (9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.), and we encourage phone or email contact.

I. Grant Request Outline:

Grant requests should carefully follow our Online Grant Application or Outline of Grant Request Requirements.