The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation FAQs
Thanks for visiting The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation website! Please refer to the FAQs below for more information regarding our grant awarding process. If you cannot find the answer to your question below, please use our contact form to submit your inquiry.
General FAQs
The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation makes grants to eligible nonprofits in Richmond and the Commonwealth of Virginia.
A: The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation’s purpose is to provide financial support principally for capital projects for organizations in the Commonwealth of Virginia exempt from taxation under the Internal Revenue Code. Normally, grants are made on a challenge or matching basis.
Grants are primarily made in the following areas:
- Arts and Culture
- Civic and Community Needs
- Education
- Environment and Conservation
- Historic Preservation
- Social Services and Welfare
Priority is given to qualifying organizations in the Richmond area.
A: The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation does not make grants to individuals, nor will grants be made for debt reduction, endowments, research, or general operating expenses. Additionally, the Foundation will not award grants to organizations that have received a grant from the Foundation within the last five years. For this reason, these organizations should not apply before five years after the receipt of their previous grant payment.
A: Generally, the grants awarded are in the range of $50,000 - $500,000, depending on the scope of the project.
A: The Foundation does not consider multi-year funding.
Application FAQs
A: No. You must be a tax-exempt public charity or be fiscally sponsored by one.
A: A fiscal sponsor is a nonprofit organization that provides fiduciary oversight, financial management, and other administrative services to help build the capacity of charitable projects. If you are using a fiscal sponsor, the Foundation does require a written agreement from you and your fiscal sponsor as part of the submission process.
A: No letter of intent is required before submitting a proposal. However, you must have a conversation about your proposal with the Executive Director of The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation at least two weeks ahead of the submission deadline. Please submit a contact form to begin this process.
A: Please contact the Foundation Executive Director to discuss an extension.
A: Yes, you will receive a Login Code from the Executive Director, which you will need to complete the application process.
In these cases, you will need to contact the Foundation Assistant at mokeefe@mmparsonsfoundation.org. The Foundation Assistant will work with you to include the additional information.
A: An automated email notification is generated when you submit your application via our online application system to confirm that your application was received.
A: An organization can receive funds every five years from the date the previous grant payment was received. For failed applications, an organization must wait 12 months before submitting another grant application.
A: More information about The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation is available on our Guidestar by Candid profile. Additionally, the Foundation is required to submit an IRS 990, which contains pertinent information.