Ben B. Cheney Foundation

Where the rules come from

• Application Process, Ben B. Cheney Foundation read 2026-10-11
• Grant FAQ's, Ben B. Cheney Foundation read 2026-10-11
• Our Giving, Ben B. Cheney Foundation read 2026-10-11

Rules 15

1. Checked by Grant OfficeHow it is sentchannel-portal-pdf

   Save the letter as a PDF and upload it to the organisation's account in Cheney's grant system.

   Letters must be saved as a PDF and uploaded to your organization's account in our grant management system.

2. Checked by Grant OfficePage limitthree-pages

   Cut the letter to three pages, measured in the PDF that will be uploaded.

   In no more than three pages, the letter should concisely relate:

3. Checked by Grant OfficeWhat the documents sayletter-contact-details

   Add to the letter: {missing}.

   Letters must include; the organization's name, mailing address, website address, contact email and phone number, and the name and title of the organization's director.

4. Checked by Grant OfficeLegal nameletter-legal-name

   Name the organisation by its legal name, {legal_name}, in the letter.

   Letters must include; the organization's name

5. Checked by Grant OfficeWhat the documents sayaddressed-to-director

   Address the letter to Erika Tucci, Executive Director.

   Letters should be addressed to:

6. Checked by Grant OfficeWhat the documents sayspecific-amount

   Ask for a specific amount of money.

   A request for a specific amount of money.

7. Checked by a personFunder preferenceletter-points

   The letter covers the organisation's history, mission and scope; a summary with the total budget; the amount asked; how other support will be raised; and how the grant will be used

   A plan for how other support will be raised.

8. Checked by Grant OfficeWhat the documents saygiving-area

   Say which community in Cheney's giving areas the project serves.

   Pierce County is the Foundation's primary giving location.

9. Checked by a personBefore submittinglocal-data

   Every figure and statistic in the letter is about the local community served, not state or national averages alone

   The information, data, and statistics in your letter of inquiry must be specific to the local community.

10. Checked by Grant OfficeEligibilitypublic-charity

    Hold the IRS letter showing 501(c)(3) public charity status under 509(a)(1) or (2).

    The Foundation generally limits it grants to public charities.

11. Checked by Grant OfficeWhat the documents saynot-excluded

    Remove or rework: {missing}; Cheney does not fund operating budgets, annual campaigns, sectarian purposes, conferences or tax-funded costs.

    The Foundation generally does not make grants to:

12. Checked by Grant OfficeHow oftentwo-years-after-grant

    Wait two years after a Cheney grant before another letter of inquiry.

    If you received a grant from the Foundation, we like to wait two years before considering another letter of inquiry.

13. Checked by a personBefore submittingexisting-account

    The letter goes in from the organisation's existing account in Cheney's grant system, not a new duplicate

    It's likely your organization already has an account. Duplicate accounts can cause confusion.

14. Checked by a personFunder preferenceproject-not-operating

    The request is a project with a beginning and an end, specific accomplishments and its own budget, not ongoing operating support

    We prefer to focus on project grants rather than ongoing operating support.

15. Checked by a personFunder preferencemoney-raised-first

    A significant share of the project cost is already raised or committed, and the letter says how much

    Generally, the Foundation wants to see a significant amount of a project cost raised before proceeding with a formal application.