Call for Grant Proposals

The Plutus Foundation will award up to two grants directly to members of the financial media for activities and programs designed to provide community-based financial education. Applicants may request funds for new or ongoing projects.

Collaborative projects, as well as those that target marginalized populations (ex., youth aging out of foster care, homeless individuals or families, domestic violence and/or financial abuse survivors), are encouraged.

The amount of funds available for each grant is $2,000.

The term for each grant is one year (April 1, 2020, through March 31, 2021).

Submission Guidelines

Members of the financial media, including but not limited to bloggers, podcasters, vloggers, journalists, speakers, and authors, are invited to apply.

All proposals must include:

  • Statement of relevance to the mission of The Plutus Foundation
  • Target audience
  • Program outline and structure
  • Any achievements, awards, national or local press (for existing programs)
  • Deliverables and outcomes
  • Program budget
  • Contact information and biography for the project manager

Allowable Expenses

The grant will fund program-related activities such as materials (eg., workbooks, flyers, slides), overhead (eg., vendor table fee, licensing for images, domain name purchase), and other expenses directly related to the program creation and service delivery. Awarded monies shall not be used for:

  • Staff salaries including but not limited to virtual assistants, website designers, and consultants;
  • Entertainment expenses including meals, alcohol, and membership in professional organizations;
  • More than 50% of travel and transportation costs

A guide to allowable expenses will be provided after you submit your proposal. If you are unsure if the expenditure you want to propose is allowable, please email Sherrian Crumbley, Grant Manager, at sherrian@plutusfoundation.org

Apply for the grant and submit your proposal using the form below.

Selection Criteria

All submitted proposals will be evaluated by a committee comprised of Plutus Foundation board members and will be reviewed for mandatory criteria as well as cohesiveness with The Plutus Foundation mission. Proposals that are incomplete or do not align with the mission will be eliminated from consideration.

Based on the results of the evaluation, the programs most aligned with the mission of the Plutus Foundation will be selected as the recipients. However, if the committee decides that no proposal sufficiently meets the criteria, no grants will be awarded and the call for proposals will be reissued. If a proposal is selected and is unable to fulfill the contract with The Plutus Foundation, the grant may be terminated and awarded to the next qualified respondent.

Grant recipients will be announced on March 30, 2020, and recipients will be notified by email and on Plutus Foundation social media accounts.

Additional Information

  • Recipients will submit, quarterly, outcomes and deliverables;
  • Recipients will submit, quarterly, an expense report and upon request, receipts for expenses.

Failure to submit this information may result in discontinuation of grant disbursements.

Submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. EST on March 23, 2020.


About the Plutus Foundation

The Plutus Foundation provides opportunities for the financial media to create, develop, and administer community based programs that enhance financial literacy, education, and empowerment.

The Plutus Foundation is a 501c(3) registered nonprofit foundation.

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2 Comments

Tisha Mears · October 12, 2020 at 10:42 am

My name is Tisha Mears. It’s wonderful to see a foundation giving grants to those in need while working online. I am very interested in applying. Please let me know the upcoming entry deadlines. Thank you.

    Harlan Landes · October 12, 2020 at 11:21 pm

    Hi Tisha – if you subscribe to the mailing list, you’ll be the first to know. Generally we open the Spring RFP towards the beginning of the year.

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