Frequently Asked Questions
What Rockwell Fund Does and Does Not Support
My organization is not in the Houston area. Is it eligible for a grant?
Generally no. While Rockwell Fund has no legal restrictions against making grants outside of the Houston area, as a matter of policy our Trustees have elected not to do so, except in cases where the purpose of the grant is to benefit a Houston cause.
What kinds of organizations do you support?
We do not give grants directly to individuals. Grants are made only to nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations. To be eligible, an organization must:
- have received a determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service indicating that it is an organization described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (and is not a private foundation within the meaning of Section 509(a) of the Code); or
- be a church or political subdivision that is not required to obtain a Section 501(c)(3) designation in order to be a permitted donee of a private foundation.
What fields of interest are funded?
Please see Our Program page for updated information on our interest areas.
What type of support is funded?
Rockwell Fund makes grants for general operations, programs or projects, capacity building, planning and evaluation. Grants are no longer made for capital projects or to fund endowments.
Does Rockwell Fund favor funding projects over general operating support?
All requests are considered on a case by case basis. Between 2006-2010, 48% of grants were for project/program support while 52% of grants were for general operating support.
Do you fund specific target population groups such as the elderly, children, persons who are homeless, persons with AIDS, victims of domestic abuse, etc.?
Provided the proposed activities fall within our states areas of interest, we do not target or limit our funding to any particular group.
My arts organization wishes to apply for a program that will benefit school-aged children. Would our application then be considered in the education category?
We categorize requests according to the status of the applicant. If the applicant is primarily an arts organization, we consider the request as such, and the request would not fall within our stated interest areas. If the applicant is an organization that furthers our stated goals under our Education portfolio, we consider it in the education category.
Are there projects and program areas for which Rockwell Fund will not make grants?
As a rule we do not fund the following:
- Annual fund drives
- Direct mail or other mass solicitations
- Grants that impose the exercise of “expenditure responsibility” upon Rockwell Fund, for example, private operating foundations or certain support organizations
- Houses of worship
- Individuals
- Medical or scientific research projects or organizations that target a specific disease
- Parochial or private primary and secondary schools
- Underwriting for benefits, dinners, galas, golf tournaments or other fundraising or special events
Can I get a college scholarship from Rockwell Fund?
We do not award scholarships directly to individuals. We have, in the past, endowed scholarship funds at universities. Some of those funds bear the names of our foundation or one of the members of its founding family. Those institutions select the individual scholarship recipients.
Inquiries
Does every applicant have to submit an Inquiry before submitting a grant application?
Yes. Our new grants process requires all organizations, whether or not they have ever received a grant from Rockwell Fund, to first submit an Inquiry, which is much shorter than a full grant application. The Inquiry will be reviewed, and if it seems feasible and aligns with one of our areas of interest, we will invite a full grant application.
What are your deadlines for Inquiries?
We receive Inquiries throughout the year.
Our organization has never received funding from Rockwell Fund. Before submitting an Inquiry, may we discuss our needs with your staff to see which one has the best chance of being funded?
The number of requests we receive, together with the relatively small size of our staff, leaves limited staff time available for face-to-face meetings with prospective applicants. We invite you to review our website to become acquainted with the kinds of organizations and projects that Rockwell Fund supports. Our mantra is "ask for what you need the most".
A committee composed of staff and Trustees reviews each Inquiry and will contact an applicant if further information is needed.
Where do I send my Inquiry?
Inquiries will be accepted through our online system.
Do you accept Inquiries sent by mail?
If you cannot utilize or submit through the online inquiry form, then you may print, complete and mail the Inquiry to:
Judy Ahlgrim, Grants Administrator
Rockwell Fund, Inc.
770 S. Post Oak Ln., Ste. 525
Houston, TX 77056
Do you accept Inquiries sent by fax?
No, we encourage you to send Inquiries using our online system.
How will I know if you received my Inquiry?
Our online Inquiry system will automatically generate a notification message upon successful submission of your completed form.
What information, documents and forms do I need to send?
Please do not submit any additional documents or forms with your completed Inquiry. Staff will contact an applicant if further information is needed.
Will you make a site visit?
Site visits are not made for applicants in the Inquiry phase. Should your organization be invited to submit a Grant Application, staff will determine if a site visit is needed.
How long does your Inquiry review process take?
An Inquiry is not regarded as complete until our Grants Administrator has determined that all of the required information requested in the form has been received. Inquiries will ordinarily be considered within one month of their receipt, although it may take longer if the staff or Trustees believe it warrants further study.
If our Inquiry was declined, will we be told the reason?
No record is kept of the reasons for an applicant's declination, and none is provided to applicants. If the Trustees or staff have views or information that they believe would be useful to an unsuccessful applicant, these are conveyed personally, usually through a Program Officer.
Grant Applications
What are your deadlines for Grant Applications?
We receive Grant Applications throughout the year.
Where do I send my Grant Application?
Completed Grant Applications may be submitted by:
(1) Emailing an electronic copy of a completed application plus the items on checklist to:
grantsinfo@rockfund.org
Note: We can accept the following kinds of documents:
.jpg/.jpeg/.gif/,tif/.tiff/.bmp/.rtf/.doc/.xls/.xlsx/.ppt/.pptx
OR
(2) Mailing one (1) unbound copy of a completed application plus the items on checklist to:
Judy Ahlgrim, Grants Administrator
Rockwell Fund, Inc.
770 S. Post Oak Ln., Ste. 525
Houston, TX 77056
Do you accept Grant Applications by e-mail?
Yes. Upon notification that your organization is invited to submit a full proposal, you may submit your proposal package via e-mail, regular mail, or by delivery service.
Do you accept Grant Applications sent by fax?
No. We encourage you to send grant requests by e-mail, regular mail or by delivery service
How will I know if you received my application?
We acknowledge receipt of every proposal by e-mail or postcard within a week.
What information, documents and forms do I need to send?
A Grant Application Form, along with a Grant Application Checklist (a listing of all required accompanying documents and items), will be emailed to applicants once they are invited to submit a full proposal.
How long does your Grant Application review process take?
The grant review process typically takes between one to three months to complete, although it may take longer if the staff or Trustees believe it warrants further study.
Will you make a site visit?
During the Grant Application review process, staff will determine if a site visit is needed.
When will Grant Applications be acted upon?
Although Grant Applications are accepted throughout the year, please note that for 2011, Grant Applications will be considered within the quarter designated to the Interest Area the proposal is targeting. Visit the How to Apply page for the 2011 Grant Application Review Schedule.
If our Application was declined, will we be told the reason?
No record is kept of the reasons for an applicant's declination, and none is provided to applicants. If the Trustees or staff have views or information that they believe would be useful to an unsuccessful applicant, these are conveyed personally, usually through a Program Officer.
How often may Grant Applications be submitted?
If an application is declined, a subsequent application will not be considered until one year after the first proposal was submitted. If an application is awarded, a subsequent application will not be considered until one year after the first proposal was funded.
Miscellaneous
What size grants does Rockwell Fund make?
Grant size is dependent on the project. Please review our grant history for examples of our grant size for various projects
Rockwell Fund seems like the best fit for our request. Should we apply to other funding sources?
Yes, we prefer to award grants to organizations that have multiple sources of support.
To what organizations have grants been made in the past?
Please see our 2009 and 2010 Grants Pages.
Does Rockwell Fund publish an annual report?
We do not publish an annual report; however, much of the information usually found in an annual report is located on or linked to our website. Grant information for the previous two years is available on our website.
Who are your trustees? What are their addresses?
A list of our trustees is located in Our Leadership page. Mail for all trustees should be sent to them in care of Rockwell Fund, Inc., 770 S. Post Oak Lane, Suite 525, Houston, Texas 77056.
Is your foundation related to Rockwell International, Rockwell Space or the Norman Rockwell Estate?
No. Despite the similarity of our names, there has never been a family or business connection between our foundation and these three entities. Visit Our History page for more information.