An Important Note for Prospective Applicants:  The Shield-Ayres Foundation has paused its open application process. Only organizations that have previously received funding from the Shield-Ayres Foundation are eligible to submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI). While the board continues to revisit this restriction, we do not have plans to reopen the process at this time. 

Please carefully review the Foundation’s funding priorities and grant guidelines. If your project fits within these specifications, you are welcome to complete our online Letter of Inquiry (LOI) form.

Important Dates and Deadlines

LOIs must be received by February 15 and August 15 to be considered at the first and third quarterly board of directors’ meetings, respectively (held in mid-March and mid-September). The LOI form is posted online 4 weeks before the submission deadline.

The Foundation will review all inquiries, and you will be notified if a grant proposal is warranted. Only applicants who have received a favorable response to their LOI can access the application to submit a full grant proposal.

Please know that the Foundation is unable to fund all worthwhile requests. A decision not to fund a request is typically not a reflection of the value of the applicant or program, but a result of limited resources.

Apply Online

To create an account in our grant portal, you will need to provide basic information about the organization you represent and a brief description of your funding request.

If you’ve forgotten your password, select “forgot your password” from the login screen and follow the prompts; please do not create a second account. You can start an application and save your progress for submittal at a later time.

Create New Account or Access Existing Account / SAF Grant Portal