Before You Apply
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE INITIAL PROPOSAL:
1. Write your narrative. In the narrative address the following in two pages or less:
- In two or three sentences describe the project and indicate which funding area(s) you are addressing.
- Clearly identify your goals. If your project aims to achieve social change, identify what change you are striving for. If you hope to achieve long-term impacts, delineate them. If you are providing service, describe the benefit. We want to understand the anticipated outcomes of your actions, not the level of your activity.
- Tell us how you will measure your goals and objectives and give us your major milestones.
- Briefly describe your methodology.
- Indicate why this is the right time for this project given the need it addresses.
2. Provide your overall budget figure for the project and for this request. If you are approaching other major sources of funding, let us know what those sources are.
3. Create a footer that includes your organization name, project name and page number. This will help us keep track of your letter if it is printed.
4. Name your file using the name of your organization, the name of the project, and the cycle you are applying to (i.e.: Spring 2023). Do not name your file “Bower Foundation Proposal.”
5. Once your initial proposal is complete, click the link below. It will take you to the website of our application web host, Blackbaud. Fill in the online form with the appropriate information. Make sure to include the email of your contact person as this is how we will reach you. After you have clicked the Review & Submit button you must review your initial proposal and then click the Submit button again, which is located at the bottom of the review page. Please note that some people receive the following message when they attempt to access the initial proposal link – “The following error has occurred: Your browser is not configured to support cookies. In order to access this online application form, you must adjust your browser settings to allow cookies.” If you receive this message you may need to lower your privacy or security settings to access the site.
Please note that our Online Application Portal has been updated and applicants will no longer have access to previous submissions to the James. S. Bower Foundation. All Grantees and Applicants will also be required to securely sign in with a NEW Blackbaud ID!
If you are in need of accessing a previous submitted application or have any questions please email Jolette Corbett(jolette@jsbowerfoundation.org) for these requests.
6. Alternatively – if you have previously filled out the Santa Barbara Foundation Roundtable Common Application narrative for this project and you feel it addresses the issues above, you may submit it in place of this letter. Make sure to name the file as outlined in number four above. You may either include an overall budget number in your narrative, or send the Common Application budget – whichever is easier for you. We understand that using the Common Application or some other full proposal may put you over the two page limit and that is ok.
7. Starting in 2025, all funding related to immigration issues is going through the Fund for Santa Barbara. If you have applied to the Fund, there is no need to send the Foundation a separate application.
8. We will accept initial proposals, through our website, for the Fall Cycle of 2025 from June 1 through June 30, 2025.
