2021 Plutus Foundation Grants: What You Need to Know

The Plutus Foundation is excited to see the creative ways members of the independent financial media are finding to continue their mission of educating and improving their communities, even as we all contend with the COVID-19 pandemic. Likewise, the Plutus Foundation continues in our mission to support the vision and programs from members of financial media.

Who is the Plutus Foundation?

The Plutus Foundation was formed to support programs and events that enhance the financial capability and well-being of citizens of the world with financial and support resources.

As the ways we communicate continue to expand, the Plutus Foundation wants to help bring attention to the innovative and creative projects that personal finance creators are developing to support their communities. Not only do we provide funds for such projects, but we also offer programming and support to our recipients.

The Plutus Foundation is a 501(c)3 registered nonprofit foundation. The organization supports the financial media community through grants.

The 2021 grant seasons schedule

The Plutus Foundation awards up to three grants every six months directly to members of the financial media for activities and programs designed to provide community-based financial education. You can see previous grant recipients here.

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

Grant submissions for the Spring grant season will begin on February 15, 2021.

Grant submissions for the Fall grant season will begin on July 12, 2021.

Each submission period will last approximately one month, and once the Plutus Foundation chooses recipients in each round, each grant term is for one year.

What should you include in your grant proposal?

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

All proposals must include:

• Statement of relevance to the mission of The Plutus Foundation
• Description of your target audience for the project or program under proposal
• Program outline and structure
• Any achievements, awards, and national or local press (for existing programs or the program management team)
• Deliverables and outcomes that you will use to measure success
• A full program budget noting how grant funds will be used as well as funds from other sources
• Contact information and biography for the project management team

Here’s how we select grant recipients

At the end of the submission period, all proposals will be evaluated by a committee comprised of Plutus Foundation team members and will be reviewed for mandatory criteria as well as cohesiveness with The Plutus Foundation mission. Incomplete or incompatible proposals will be removed from consideration.

The programs most aligned with the mission of the Plutus Foundation will be selected as the recipients. The Foundation will notify the recipients individually and will announce the full cohort of recipients for the particular round.

The RFP window is now open. Visit the grant proposal page to submit your proposal or learn more.

To apply for a grant, watch our Grant Hub, our blog, and our social media for more detailed information and instructions once the proposal window is open. If you have any further questions, email our grant manager, Sherrian Crumbley, at sherrian@plutusfoundation.org.