What We Fund

NEC Foundation of America makes cash grants to nonprofit organizations in support of the development, application and use of technology by and for people with disabilities. Eligible proposals must demonstrate national reach and impact.

Prior to January 1, 2003, NEC Foundation of America also supported national programs in science and technology education, principally at the secondary level. We no longer accept science and technology education proposals unless they address our focus on innovative technology for people with disabilities.

Ineligible Organizations and Purposes

• Local chapters of national organizations
• Grants to individuals (scholarships, stipends, fellowships, health care, etc.)
• Individual elementary and secondary schools or school districts or regional consortia
• Capital campaigns/building funds
• Endowment campaigns
• Commercial benefit of a private sector manufacturer, service provider or individual
• Sports teams or athletic competitions
• Fund-raising events or advertising
• Sectarian or religious activities
• Political campaigns or causes
• Organizations outside of the United States

What to Send

• Letters of Inquiry These preliminary proposals of 100 words or less can be sent in advance of a formal full proposal. Letters of inquiry must include the amount requested, what the funds will be used for, and how the proposed project matches the funding interests of NEC Foundation of America, including essential national reach and impact. Submit to foundation@necfoundation.org.
• Formal Proposals Formal proposals must be submitted on the requesting organization's letterhead, complete with sender's phone number and Email address and organization's web site URL. We do not accept formal proposals via Email. Please limit your proposal to eight pages and address the points listed below.

See Tips for Improving Your Proposal and FAQ's.

Include in your proposal:
About the organization (suggested limit: 2 pages)

• Mission
• Track records and distinctions
• Peer organizations, e.g., tell us what organizations you regard as comparable to yours
• Why yours is the appropriate group to undertake the proposed project
• Leadership and/or involvement in national networks
• Key partnership relationships and benefits of these
• Highlights of recent efforts to improve organizational capacity/performance
• Key metrics by which you assess organizational effectiveness
• Frequency of Board meetings
• Summary of Board diversity
• Discussion of multicultural aspects of organization's service and activities

About the project (suggested limit: 5-6 pages)

• Amount requested
• Purpose of grant
• How proposal matches funding interests of the Foundation, including essential national reach and impact 
• Statement of need and population served
• Program milestones with target dates
• Unique and innovative aspects of the project, particularly technology innovation and how the project differs from or complements what peer organizations are doing
• Key challenges
• Strategy for outreach and dissemination, including specific collaborations that will permit you to share platforms in order to increase impact
• A discussion of the commercial, proprietary and intellectual property interests of all partners to the project, and a description of the binding agreements regarding same
• Evaluation plan and criteria (including quantitative factors)
• Strategy to secure full funding for the project
• Mention of how you became aware of NEC Foundation of America

You must include contact name, phone number and Email address in cover letter on organization letterhead.

Please enclose:

• Itemized expenses related to budget for full project, including income and expenses
• Itemized expenses related to proposed grant from NEC Foundation of America
• Annual report and organizational brochure
• Audited financial statement for two most recent fiscal years
• Members of board of directors, including their professional affiliations
• Members of project advisory boards, including their professional affiliations
• List of other foundation and corporate donors to your organization and to the proposed project (include amount of each grant)
• Copy of IRS 501c(3) letter
• Résumé(s) of project principals
• Additional enclosures if useful

What not to Send

Please do not include:

• More than one copy of anything
• Three ring binders
• Unsolicited videos
• 990-PF forms
• Pages and pages of emails
• Professional journals
• Proceedings of conferences
• Pages and pages of names of individual donors

Deadlines, Decisions and Disbursements

NEC Foundation of America makes grants twice a year:

Proposal Deadline March 1 September 1

Board Action September March

Grant Disbursement October April

The above deadlines apply to formal proposals. If you intend to first send a letter of inquiry/preliminary proposal, make sure to do so well in advance of these deadlines.

With few exceptions, you will receive an indication of Foundation interest within 4-6 weeks of receipt of your proposal.

Grantseeking organizations are asked to allow twenty-four months to pass between proposal submissions, regardless of the program for which fnding is sought. This applies whether a proposal is funded or turned down.

Tips for Improving Your Proposal

Establish Context
Remember: we know little or nothing about your organization. You need to place yourself in context. For example:

• Tell us how your organization/project compares to similar ones: ranking, size, age, 'firsts,' etc.
• Tell us why your organization is the appropriate one to undertake the project.
• Brag a little! Prepare a summary of 'distinctions' such as competitive funding received, citations and awards, media coverage ... points which speak to the credibility and effectiveness of your organization.

Highlight Innovation
Tell us what is unique or innovative about the project. Describe how it complements or differs from comparable nation-wide efforts.

Describe Dissemination
Provide your detailed thinking about national outreach and dissemination. A project that merely 'sits on the shelf' or assumes that others will discover it will not compete well.

Geography Matters
Be sure to demonstrate national reach and impact. This is a critical requirement for every grant we make. We know that important work goes on at local and regional levels, but that is not where our interest lies.

Be Specific
Ask for a specific amount of funding for a specific purpose. Test the reasonability of that amount against our pattern of giving.

Summarize
Include a one page executive summary of your proposal.

Identify Contact
Include the full name, title, phone number, fax number and Email address of the contact person in your cover letter.

Avoid Common Pitfalls
Be sure to review the top ten reasons we reject proposals; they provide clues to strengthening your proposal.

How to Gauge the Likelihood of Funding

• Eligibility Quiz Please take the brief Eligibility Quiz that appears throughout this site. It can help you to spend your grant-seeking time effectively.
• Preliminary Proposal If any doubt exists as to whether your proposal is a good fit for NEC Foundation, we encourage you to submit a Letter of Inquiry of 100 words or less to foundation@necfoundation.org or click Contact Us at the bottom of any page. Include the project summary, amount requested, and relationship to our funding interests, including essential national reach and impact. Make sure that your preliminary proposal is presented in time to allow for our response (within 4-6 weeks in most cases) and for your subsequent submission of a full formal proposal in time for our March 1 or September 1 deadline.
• Most Common Pitfalls Be sure to review the top ten reasons we reject proposals, tips for improving your proposal and frequently asked questions (FAQ).