Lamb Foundation is a small, family foundation that makes grants primarily to non profit organizations that have an IRC 501(c)(3) tax exempt status and are classified as a public charity. See the Home Page for our Areas of Interest.
- Grant proposals are accepted ONLY at the invitation of Lamb Foundation. Unsolicited proposals and general letters of inquiry are not accepted.
- Lamb Foundation does not fund individuals or scholarships for individuals.
- Lamb Foundation does not generally make grants for capital campaigns.
- Typical board grants range from $5,000 to $15,000, with the majority falling in the middle of that range.
- Grants are typically made for a period of one year or less with no promise of additional support.
- We focus our support primarily on organizations and projects in the Pacific Northwest. Typically, the largest percentage of grants are made in Oregon.
Since 2004, Lamb Foundation has only accepted proposals from organizations that have been invited to apply at the request of the individual directors. This system has several advantages:
- Directors have a more active role in determining what proposals will be considered.
- The process allows for higher involvement and relationship-building with grantees.
- Nonprofits save valuable resources by only preparing one proposal (per grant). Each proposal receives full consideration and most likely some, if not all, of the funding requested.
- The number of grants is reduced so that each can receive proper attention.
Each director is allowed to invite at least one, and generally no more than two, organization/s to submit a proposal each year. Because there are so many organizations that closely fit Lamb Foundation mission, guidelines and interests, relatively few receive an invitation to submit a proposal, and many Lamb Foundation grants are one-time-only grants.
Directors often have several organizations of interest that they would like to invite and that they are considering during each grant cycle. Once the director chooses an organization to invite, that organization is vetted by the entire board before an invitation is sent.
There are two grant cycles per year. The application process and submission deadline are made available when an organization is invited to apply for a grant.
Lamb Foundation maintains a database of organizations of interest. The Foundation also recognizes that the nonprofit community evolves and changes with time and need, and strives to keep abreast of that. If you are not sure whether Lamb Foundation is aware of your organization, see the contact page.