Frequently Asked Questions

The process for seeking a grant involves the following steps:

1. 1. Review our website to understand whether your work fits into the work we support in one of our four strategy areas (Schools, Human Capital, Public Engagement, Advocacy). You can find more information on our strategy areas here.
   2. If you think your work is aligned with what we fund in our strategy areas, reach out to info@edforwarddc.org and explain the work for which you’re seeking a grant.
   3. We will put you in touch with the appropriate strategy team to learn more about your work.
   4. You can expect to hear back from our team within 10 business days. If there is potential alignment between your work and what we support, the Ed Forward DC strategy team will set up a meeting or phone call to discuss it in more depth.
   5. After the initial screening, the Ed Forward DC team will decide to continue discussions about a grant for your work, or will decide that the work is not the right fit for a grant at this time. You will be informed either way. If Ed Forward DC decides to move forward with discussions about a grant for your work, you will enter the “diligence” phase. Please understand that the majority of screening conversations do not move into the diligence phase. There is more excellent work in the DC education landscape than we have the resources to fund, so we have to make decisions based on work we are prioritizing in our strategy.
   6. If we move a potential grantee into the diligence phase, it will involve requests for additional information. Diligence typically lasts 6-8 weeks and generally includes: interviews with board, staff, and other stakeholders; a collection and analysis of organizational documents; and an analysis of market trends and demand data.
   7. Following the due diligence process, we make a decision about whether to award a grant. If you are awarded a grant, we will then work with you to finalize a grant agreement that sets milestones and a disbursement schedule for funding.

We recognize the importance of after school enrichment programs, but we currently don’t directly fund these organizations.

Yes, as needed. We work together with our grantees to figure out the most critical priorities to focus on during the term of the grant and supplement our management assistance on occasion, and as needed, with partners and consultants to provide specific technical assistance.

No. We welcome anyone to reach out to us to have a conversation about a possible partnership. Our team is happy to be part of the initial conversations as you think about the best location for your work.

No. We have worked with individuals and groups prior to receiving 501(c)(3) designation.

Yes. We understand the challenges that our city faces are not unique to a specific sector and we are working to improve quality and equity for all students in public schools in DC – both district and public charter schools.

We do not have a minimum budget requirement. We fund everything from start-ups to more mature organizations.

The shortest timeline is between 6 and 8 weeks, but it can vary based on where the organization is and our team capacity.

No. We recognize that starting a school is a significant endeavor and that early stage funding is critical. We have supported individuals as Entrepreneurs in Residence with 12- to 18-month planning grants, to fully develop their idea, well before a launch team is hired.

Yes. We have supported entrepreneurs at very early stages of an idea, providing grants to fund time to plan for high-quality execution of ideas.

There is no residency requirement. We partner with organizations that are based in other locations but are building and supporting a team to do work in DC. We only fund organizations that are working on behalf of DC students, however – wherever they are located.

We do give multi-year grants. Our grant sizes vary and generally range from $50,000 to more than $1,000,000.

Yes. We only fund organizations working on behalf of students in DC.