We strive to offer flexibility in our grantmaking process. In that spirit, we offer three open grant deadlines per year. Deadlines are in mid-January and the first business day of May and September. Any applicant that can show close alignment with our mission and focus areas is able to apply at one of these deadlines. Please know that applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. on the deadline date.Â
2025 Deadlines:
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Thursday, May 1, 2025
Tuesday, September 2, 2025
There are a couple of special types of funding that have dedicated grant cycles. If you are applying for a capital project, an early childhood council, or mental health consultation, please pay close attention to the application requirements.
Mid-January
In addition to our grant application for all general funding areas (e.g., home visiting, child care, etc.), mental health consultation grant applications can be submitted for the January deadline each year. Â
May
In addition to our grant application for all general funding areas (e.g., home visiting, child care, etc.), Early Childhood Council grant applications can be submitted for the May deadline each year. Applications for Early Childhood Councils are by invitation only and are notidentical to the general applicationopen for the May deadline. If yourepresent an Early Childhood Council and have not received an invitation to apply, please contact your Program Officer or the Grants Manager for information on how to apply on behalf of an Early Childhood Council.
Note that our Program Officers visit our partners as a part of their review process. If your program does not run during the summer, we may ask you to apply at one of our other deadlines. Please contact one of our Program Officers before applying to determine whether you should consider a different deadline.
September
In addition to our grant application for all general funding areas (e.g., home visiting, child care, etc.), capital grant applications can be submitted for the September deadline each year.Â
Grant decisions estimated timeline
While there are always exceptions to the rule, we will do our best to inform you of a funding decision within four months of your submission deadline.  Â
Getting Started
Please review the list of what we do not fund to ensure your application will be considered for Buell Foundation funding. Â
We also encourage you to speak with the Program Officer for your region before you apply. You can determine whether your project is a good fit for the Foundation, learn at what level the Buell Foundation funds similar projects, and have your questions answered.Â
 The Buell Foundation uses an online portal for grant applications. You can create an account in the portal at any time; however, application links are posted approximately two months before each deadline. Â
Creating an account
You can create an account in our grant portal at any time. This will ensure you have an account when applications are available. Â
Accounts are created by the individual and then linked to an organization. Each person at your organization who needs access to the portal should have their own account.Â
Filling Out the Application
Online applications open approximately two months before each deadline. You will need to start the application from the published link. Once started, the application will then be available in your portal account. Click here for the the May 1, 2025 application in our online portal.Â
You can navigate the application using the menu on the right side of the screen where each page of the application is listed. Each page must be complete before you can submit the application. You will know a page is complete when a check mark appears next to the page title. Â
Saving your application
Once you have started an application, information entered will automatically be saved as you work. You can manually save by clicking the button at the bottom of each application page. You can return to the application in the portalto continue working at any time before the application deadline. Use the button at the bottom of each page to “View/Print Application” if you want to print and/or save it as a PDF.Â
Application preview and guidance documents
Please visit the links below to preview the application, including a complete list of information needed to complete your application.
If there is a question on the application you want to answer later, you can flag the page to remind yourself. At the bottom of the page, check the “Flag this step” box. In the right menu, you will see a flag to remind you to look at that page again. Â
 All flags must be cleared before you are able to submit the application.Â
Troubleshooting
If you have an error message preventing access to the grant portal, try to clear the cache in your web browser. If the error persists,contact the Grants Manager at grants@buellfoundation.org for additional assistance.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Buell Foundation supports a variety of early childhood programs, projects, and initiatives. Our partners include nonprofits, government, and institutes of higher education. We have three funding cycles each year (January, May, September), and we are also an annual grant maker.
There are two reasons to reach out to a Program Officer with questions: First, if you are unsure whether your proposed request is a good fit with the Foundation’s priorities, reach out to any of our Program Officers. Second, prior to applying, if you have questions about required attachments, application sections, content, and/or technical support, someone on our team will be able to assist you.
Deadlines are in mid-January and the first business day of May and September. Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. on the deadline date. For 2025, the deadlines are as follows:
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Thursday, May 1, 2025
Tuesday, September 2, 2025
The Buell Foundation accepts applications online. Register your organization in our online system here.
Once an application is initiated, it can only be modified from the account that the application was created from. More than one person from an organization can collaborate on the application by sharing a PDF version or sharing an account.
Choose the option for “Entering an Organization Name”. This is necessary for School Districts, County Offices, or other governmental agencies applying for a grant.
Click the blue comment bubble icon in GivingData (shown under the title of most of the sections) to send a message to our technical help team. They will respond to you by email within one business day.
We understand that it can be difficult to work within the word limits; however, we ask that you do your best to submit a succinct application. There are suggested word limits for some of the questions. The application will not cut off your entry if you exceed the suggested word limit.
Yes. Please tell us more about what your organization does and include program name or description, population served, numbers served, and expected results.
On the Review and Submit page, all steps must be completed to submit. If you do not have a green check mark in the right menu for each page of the application, you will not be able to submit. You also need to uncheck the flag at the bottom of each flagged page before you can submit.
Please submit a summary of the school district’s budget (not more than two or three pages) and the financial information pertinent to your specific program.
Please include a letter from the department stating that your program is a program of the department and that the department holds accountability for your program.
We fund all types of tax-exempt organizations, including nonprofits, school districts, government entities, and faith-based organizations.
Appropriate amounts will vary depending on the program or project. Please call one of our Program Officers to discuss your request.
Yes. You are eligible to apply once every 12 months, which is generally four months before a grant contract ends. Please note that questions on activities to date (replacing interim report) are included in your application.
We no longer require a separate interim report. Questions regarding current grants are included in the online application.
Yes. A final report is required for every grant awarded and is due one month after the end of the grant period.
Please upload a document that notes that the attachment(s) is not included. Without this document, we will think that the application is incomplete.
Not generally. Under special circumstances we may allow more than one grant to an organization, but it is not our normal practice. Please call one of our Program Officers to discuss your unique situation.
