Guidelines and Criteria 

Proposal Guidelines

geographic area we serve

Applicants must serve people within the Foundation’s 11-county region and must have either 501(c)(3) status or be a government entity. The Foundation will not fund individuals, religious organizations for religious or evangelical purposes, fundraising events, endowment funds, medical research, debt retirement, annual appeals, or scholarships.

Moses Taylor Foundation’s Open Cycle Grant Application includes the following components:

  • Organizational Profile: demographic and contact information
  • Executive Summary: project title, request amount and term, and a brief project summary
  • Proposal Narrative: details about your organization and project
  • Activities, Goals, and Outcomes: details on project activities, anticipated outcomes, and plans for measuring success
  • Required Attachments: audited financials, organization and project budget, organizational chart, list of board members, and letters of support

Please click here to review a PDF of the Open Cycle Grant Application. This is intended only as a reference. All applications must be submitted through the online grant portal.

The Foundation’s Rolling Grant Application only requires the Organizational Profile, Executive Summary, and Required Attachments (limited to project budget and letters of support).

Please click here to review a PDF of the Rolling Grant Application. This is intended only as a reference. All applications must be submitted through the online grant portal.

Evaluation Criteria

1: Fit with the Foundation’s Mission, Vision, Values, and Focus Areas

  • Mission: To improve the health of people in Northeastern Pennsylvania
  • Vision: To provide opportunities for people in Northeastern Pennsylvania, especially the most vulnerable, to lead healthy lives
  • Values: Compassion, respect, and dignity; Ethics, integrity, and trust; Stewardship, transparency, and accountability; Courage, open-mindedness, and diversity; Informed decision-making and fairness
  • Focus Areas: Health Care Access and Quality, School-Based Health, Older Adult Health, and Nonprofit Effectiveness

2: Organizational Capacity

  • Clear approach: The organization has a clear mission, vision, and strategy.
  • Strong track record of service to the community: The organization has a history of running successful programs and projects.
  • Strong leadership and management: Staff, partners, and leadership possess the knowledge, skills, training, and experience necessary to implement this project.
  • Engaged board of directors: The board is well-structured, with sufficient membership and engagement.
  • Commitment to collaboration and learning: All participants have a common understanding of the problem and a shared vision for change.
  • Sound financial management: The organization is financially sound, with credible and committed funders, solid financial history, and adequate budget size.

3: Soundness of Project

  • Evidence of sound methodology: The proposal identifies a clear plan for what the organization intends to achieve.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of the field, target populations, and local community: The target population and community need are clearly defined. The target population needs the proposed services.
  • Clear plan for implementation: There is a clear plan for how the organization will deliver the proposed activities.
  • Sufficient staffing and partnerships to ensure success: The organization has appropriate executive and staff leadership as well as partner relationships needed to successfully implement the proposed project.
  • Appropriate budget: The budget is clear and realistic with appropriate and reasonable budgeted line items. The budget includes a long-range plan that reasonably reflects the organization’s ability to sustain the project beyond the grant period (if applicable).

4: Potential for Impact

  • Clear, realistic, and measurable goals and outcomes: The proposal describes clear, measurable, and achievable goals and outcomes.
  • Clear plan for how goals and outcomes will be achieved: The project plan outlines how the project can be successfully implemented to address the stated needs and achieve the desired outcomes.