Funding Opportunities

Current Awards

The Phyllis G. Margolius Impossible Dream Award

Throughout their lives, Phyllis and her husband of 45 years, Philip, received numerous awards for service to their community. Now, in honor of Phyllis’ legacy, The Phyllis Margolius Family Foundation, Inc. is paying it forward and honoring one local D.C.-area Jewish communal professional with the prestigious Phyllis G. Margolius Impossible Dream Award. This award carries a cash prize of $18,000.

The winner will be someone who has achieved a result against difficult odds – just like Phyllis did. They could have accomplished their goals through innovation, disruption, mediation, relationship-building, a partnership, a merger, a turn-around, and/or transformation.

Click here for more information on The Impossible Dream Award.

General Grant Request

(Grants are considered on an annual basis.) All grant requests must be submitted to the Foundation office on or before March 1 each year.  If you are awarded a grant, you will be contacted by the Foundation.  You will be notified by electronic mail if your grant has been denied.  To apply for a general grant please click here.

General Grant Application and Proposal Requirements

The Phyllis Margolius Family Foundation meets annually to discuss new initiatives for the coming year and may consider individual grant requests.  However, since the Foundation makes grants through various methods, including directed grants, RFPs, lecture series and other means, nothing shall require the Foundation to require to fund any grants through the grant application and request process.  The Foundation does not award scholarships to individuals or consider grants at any other time except at its annual meeting.

All grant proposals shall be complete in order to be considered for a grant and must be submitted to the Foundation office on or before March 1 each year.  If you are awarded a grant, you will be contacted by the Foundation.  You will be notified by electronic mail if your grant has been denied.  In order to be eligible for consideration for the next grant cycle for the following year, a new grant proposal must be submitted on or before March 1 of that year.

Grants proposals shall include the following information for your organization:  (The Grant Proposal shall not be more than 25 pages including all financial information required).

Grant Proposal Checklist

  • The name, address, phone, email, and contact information for your organization
  • The authorized individual, title and contact information making the grant request (usually the CEO, Executive Director, President etc.).
  • Brief History: please describe the history, background and organizational structure of your organization.  Include programs you provide, geographical area and populations that you serve.
  • Please describe the program(s) that you are requesting funding including the total number of participants that you plan to serve, the cost to serve them, or the capacity for each activity, service or event. For example, if you propose to offer inclusive overnight camp, describe your cabins, the capacity per cabin, the number of counselors per cabin needed to make it inclusive, the total cabins offered at the camp etc.
  • Please describe how our grant will help reduce or eliminate barriers to participation in your program(s).
  • Please describe your program(s) goals and objectives including the measures of success that you will establish to assure that you are reaching your goals.
  • Please provide your overall organizational budget.
  • Please provide a detailed budget for your program with sources of income (including participant fees, other grant funds, public funding, private funding, in-kind support, volunteers, etc.).
  • Do you partner or collaborate with any other organizations regularly for this or any of your organization’s programs, if yes, please provide information about these organizations and partners.
  • Please provide a copy of your IRS tax exempt determination letter.
  • Please provide a copy of your most recent filed 990.
  • Please provide any other pertinent information you feel the Foundation should have regarding your request.