
Donald & Ruby Branson Foundation
Grant Information
2025 Grant Guidelines
Tax-exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service may submit grant requests to the Foundation. There are no official forms to use in applying for a grant from the Foundation. Organizations interested in funding should submit a cover sheet, a letter of inquiry, and all accompanying documents via email to grants@bransonfoundation.org. The initial submission must follow the guidelines listed below. Any submission that does not strictly follow these instructions will be discarded without being read.
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The cover sheet will include the following information in the order listed:
Name of the organization (and acronym if commonly used).
Name of parent organization (if any).
Name and title of chief executive officer or person holding similar position.
Organization’s address (and courier address if different).
Organization’s phone number, fax number, e-mail address, and website address.
Name and title of the principal contact person.
Contact person’s phone number, fax number, and e-mail address.
Brief summary of the organization’s focus and need for funding (not to exceed three sentences).
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The letter of inquiry should not exceed five pages, should be drafted in paragraph format, and should include two sections: a description of the organization and a description of the project needing funding.
The description of the organization should include the following information in the order listed:
History and mission statement.
Core activities
Number of staff (paid and volunteers).
Primary sources of funding
The description of the project should include the following information in the order listed:
Brief description of the proposed project, including aims and goals of this project and specific methods that will be implemented to meet these goals.
Need that the project will meet and how current programs are not meeting this need.
Why the organization is qualified to undertake the project.
Geographic area or country where the work will take place.
Sustainability of the project.
Timeline for this project.
Total cost of the project with an estimated budget.
Amount of funding requested from the Foundation.
Other funding sources for this project.
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The accompanying documents that must be included are:
The organization’s 990 tax form for the past three years.
Letter of tax-exempt status from the IRS.
List of current board members and their affiliations.
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With few exceptions, there are no fixed deadlines. The foundation will usually determine whether to award funding at its annual meeting in October of each year. On some instances, the Foundation may request a site visit to the requesting organization.
Once the Foundation receives an application package that meets the above criteria, the Grant Committee shall send the organization an acknowledgement that the application was received in full. If, after reviewing this initial submission, the Grant Committee Chairperson concludes that there is no prospect of the Foundation funding the project, the Grand Committee Chairperson will notify the organization of this within eight weeks of receiving the initial submission.
What the Foundation does not support
Please note that the Foundation does not support political activities or attempts to influence action on specific legislation. We do not provide scholarships or tuition assistance for undergraduate, graduate, or postgraduate studies; nor do we support annual fundraising drives, institutional benefits, honorary functions, or similar projects.
Past Grant Recipients
Inyo/Mono Counties
California Poets in the Classroom
Death Valley Natural History Association
Eastern Sierra Institute for Collaborative Education: Science Festivals Eastern Sierra Interpretive
Association Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Migration Murals
Eastern Sierra Watershed Project
Eastern Sierra Wildlife Center
Friends of Bodie
Friends of the Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery
Inyo County Library, Lone Pine Branch
Lone Pine 8th grade Trip to Catalina Island Marine Institute at Cherry Cove
Lone Pine USD Swimming Pool
Lone Pine High School Fine Arts Club
Lone Pine High School Opera Club
Lone Pine High FFA
PAWS
Owens Valley Growers Cooperative (farmers Market)
Scotty's Castle, Death Valley
Wild Iris Family Counseling & Crisis Center
Alabama
Hampton Cove Elementary School
Ridgecrest Elementary School
Whitesburg Middle School
Therapy Partners
Land Trust of Alabama
Arizona
Arizona Brain Food
Colorado
American Red Cross Denver, CO
Indiana
American Red Cross Elkhart
Indiana Chapter Goshen's Farmers Market
Stay Indiana
Montana
New Arrival
Haven
National
Fractured Atlas
K-2 Adventure Travel
Surfrider Foundation
Contact Us
Email
grants@bransonfoundation.org
Mail
P.O. Box 262
Lone Pine, CA 93545