OVERVIEW: This funder accepts pre-proposals throughout the year from groups in Clark County, Arkansas, in the following areas: education, arts and cultural enrichment, community beautification and improvement, historical preservation, mental health and the developmentally disabled, forestry and research and conservation management.
IP TAKE: This foundation has a very narrow geographic focus, which excludes a lot of potential applicants. But it also means that it is a great funder to know for grant seekers who live in the Arkadelphia area. This is a transparent and approachable grantmaker, and it is very consistent in what it funds. Nearly any type of nonprofit in these small towns has a chance here, as long as the program is local.
PROFILE: The Ross Foundation is based in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, and was founded in 1966 by Jane and Esther Ross. The initial endowment came from the estate of Esther’s father/Jane’s grandfather, J.G. Clark. It seeks to benefit “the people of Clark County through the revenue produced by [its] timberlands.” It prioritizes grantmaking in Clark County. The board of directors administers a grants program and also manages timberlands for conservation purposes. The philanthropy program benefits from revenue produced by these timberlands. Accordingly, grant seekers will often find notices about controlled burns, land permits, and logging operations on the foundation’s website.
Grantmaking supports conservation, education, and community. Its specific areas of grantmaking include education, arts and cultural enrichment, community beautification and improvement, historical preservation, mental health and the developmentally disabled, forestry and research and conservation management. Overall, the foundation restricts grantmaking to Clark County, Arkansas.
Grants for K-12 and Higher Education
Education is the Ross Foundation’s largest funding area, and it gives the Arkadelphia Promise Foundation roughly $350,000 each year for this purpose. Other education grantees include Arkadelphia Public Schools, Henderson State University, Dawson Education Cooperative, Arkansas Society of CPAs Student Education Fund, Ouachita Baptist University, and Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund Program.
Grants for Arts and Culture
The foundation’s arts and culture giving is focused on historical preservation and arts and cultural enrichment. Past grantees include Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute, Mid America Science Museum, Clark County Historical Association, Caddo River Art Guild, Wildwood Park for the Performing Arts, and Clark County Arts and Humanities Council.
Grants for Environment
Among its giving areas, Ross names Forestry Research & Conservation Management as a key interest. The foundation has about 63,000 acres of land in Clark and Hot Spring Counties that is used for conservation and charitable purposes. The foundation maintains that its management techniques improve the value of forest resources and allow public access for recreational use.
Grantees include The Arkansas Environmental Education Association, Audubon Arkansas, Arkansas Forestry Association Education Foundation, Arkansas Forestry Association, Central Arkansas Land Trust, Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation, and The Nature Conservancy.
Grants for Community Development and Human Services
The foundation lists Community Beautification & Improvement as one of its funding priorities and these types of grants support human services organizations and groups that provides basic needs within the community, as well as development and improvement organizations. Grantees include Arkadelphia Community Foundation, Arkadelphia First United Methodist Church, Arkansas Community Foundation, Central Arkansas Development Council, Arkansas Foodbank, and Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry.
Grants for Health and Mental Health
The foundation states that its health grantmaking prioritizes support for mental health and the developmentally disabled, but in reality, Ross’ interest in community health organizations is broader than its website would lead you to believe. Grantees include American Cancer Society, Baptist Health Foundation, Arkansas Children’s Foundation, Arkansas Childrens Hospital, Arkansas Hospice, and Pregnancy Resource Center for Southwest Arkansas.
Important Grant Details
Grants typically range between $500 and $300,000, although grants to the Arkadelphia Promise Foundation routinely exceed that. The most common amount is $500. The foundation awarded over $712,000 in grants in a recent year and held more than $114 million in assets.
- To apply for a grant, new grant seekers must first complete a pre-proposal form to pitch the idea.
- The foundation accepts these any time of the year.
- The board meets once per month and reviews all the pre-proposals on hand at those times. If it is interested, Ross will request a full proposal.
- Full proposals are due October 1, February 1, and June 1.
- Grant seekers can find forms for the pre-proposal, the full proposal, and a full proposal checklist on the Ross website.
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