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An Important Note for Prospective Applicants:

The Shield-Ayres Foundation has paused its open application process for the foreseeable future. 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. Should this change, we will update the website.

Please reach out to staff with questions by emailing [email protected] or calling 512-467-4021.


Before accessing the online application, please carefully review the Foundation’s funding priorities and grant guidelines. If your project fits within these specifications you are welcome to complete an electronic Letter of Inquiry (LOI). Due to the volume of requests received each year, we cannot accept requests in the form of letters, proposals or presentations.

LOIs must be received by February 15 and August 15 to be considered at the first and third quarterly Board of Directors meetings, respectively (generally held in mid-March and mid-September). The LOI form is posted online 4-6 weeks in advance of the submission deadline.

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

Please know that the Foundation is unable to fund all worthwhile requests. Since we receive funding requests far in excess of our funds available for grants, only a portion of received requests can be approved. A decision not to fund a request is typically not a reflection on the value of the applicant or program, but a result of limited resources.

 

Apply Online

Please click on the hyperlink below to create a new account or to access your existing one. In order to create an account, 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, click on the link and follow the prompts; please do not create a second account. You have the ability to start an application and save your progress for submittal at a later time.

Create New Account or Access Existing One