OUR GUIDELINES

The Paul Ogle Foundation has structured the following grant guidelines to assist grant seekers with the who/what/when/why criteria in the process of applying for a grant. If your eligibility questions are still not answered by the following information, please contact the Foundation office before beginning the grant process.


Four Common Decision Criteria for

Successful Grant Requests.


Over the years, we have observed some common decision criteria within many of the grants made by the Ogle Foundation. The following items are probably Ogle’s top characteristics that we have found in a successful grant request and of the organizations that apply for them:


Fit & Focus – The very first thing that the Ogle Foundation looks at is the type of an organization applying, the purpose of the grant request and how its mission fits within our own mission, vision and core strategic values as set by our donor. Organizations must fit within Ogle’s Grantmaking Guidelines as an organization foremost as well as show how our funds are to be specifically used if given a grant. It must have a focus or impact upon Southern Indiana in some way or at least upon a minimum percentage of its overall clients from there. The Foundation’s Board does alter its priorities and direction from time to time as needs in the community change or if an opportunity to promote a specific issue takes precedent over others in their opinion. That’s why we always require an organization to call or email us first before going through a lot of effort in putting a proposal together, particularly if they are having a hard time decerning this crucial criteria and where you fit within it. 


Sound Financials – Organizations that clearly demonstrate they are good stewards of the funds they raise and spend are always the next key decision factor to the Foundation. We expect that a nonprofit’s request are not creating undue burdens or putting them at risk financially overall, to the point that a grant is the difference between keeping the doors open or not. The Ogle Foundation utilizes Guidestar.com to review an organization’s annual IRS 990 tax filings for overall health as well as request budgets and/or expense-revenue breakdowns for the specific programs or projects that are seeking grants. If your organization is currently in a state of severe financial distress, it is probably best to not apply for a grant as this is a key indicator to us on your ability to successfully implement your grant’s vision and still keep the lights on for years to come, serving your clients and end-users.


Executive Leadership – We view an organization’s top personnel as very important to the success of its mission and their ability to do what they say they are doing. Executive Directors, Presidents or CEO’s along with their leadership teams should be professional in their works, show expertise in the areas in which their nonprofit operates and a clear vision on how to improve themselves and the community they serve. While longevity in a position(s) is not always indicative of success, it is always good to see a track record from these individuals or their teams, as this gives us a level of confidence in their ability to execute the plans for which they seek our funds.


Board Oversight – Lastly, Ogle’s Board takes a close look at an organization’s board of directors because we believe that nonprofits need to must have the proper organizational structure and oversight in which survive long-term. A board needs to have the right mix of people with key professional backgrounds and/or expertise in which to help guide the strategic direction of the nonprofit. Professional backgrounds can consist of expertise in professional fields like legal, health, accounting or marketing to name a few along with possessing a strong common interest in the areas in which the nonprofit operates. Also, if you are a Kentucky 501c3, how many of your board reside in Southern Indiana, an area that makes up at least 20% of the Louisville MSA? Ogle believes that the best nonprofits are those that reflect the community in which is serves, with active and engaged boards, ones that have a strong working relationship in its supervisory role with the organizational leadership versus none whatsoever.


While we are sure your organization or cause is worthy of funding, the question for you is “How does it compare in light of what you’ve just read above?”   

ORGANIZATION ELIGIBILITY


 The Ogle Foundation only considers grant requests from non-profit organizations that are considered tax-exempt under the 501(c)(3) section of the IRS code or are other public government agencies that fall under that same tax-exempt category for private foundation giving. 


In order to be eligible for requesting a grant from the Ogle Foundation, your nonprofit organization must be compliant with ALL of the following four “basic” criteria, before beginning the grant-seeking process:


I. 501(c)(3) Type I or II nonprofit organizations only: Nonprofits must be classified by the IRS as a 501(c)(3), Type I or Type II organization. Any nonprofits classified as a Type III organization or classified as a private foundation per Section 509(a) of the Internal Revenue Code, are ineligible for a grant from the Ogle Foundation.


II. Established nonprofits only: Nonprofits must have five or more years of active history as demonstrated by your filing of the 990 tax forms annually, before being allowed to apply for a grant. This criterion assures our Foundation that the proper management and board structures are in place for programmatic success and that the organization has a reasonable history of demonstrating results upon which the Board can make a decision.


III. Active nonprofits only: Nonprofits need to be currently active as an organization within the community, showing sufficient programmatic activity and an ability to be financially sustainable through those activities, with or without Ogle’s grant funding. Organizations must have a minimum of the following financial benchmarks before they can request funds:


  • Minimum of $300,000 in annual revenue from contributions, grants, or programs and/or 
  • Minimum of $600,000 in total organizational assets, including property and investments


These easily verifiable financials numbers from your most recent 990 tax return, will demonstrate to the Foundation that you have a minimal financial capacity to scale your operations, service your targeted clientele base at current levels, and be self-sustaining long past the impact of Ogle’s grant funds. 


IV. A strong Southern Indiana focus: As directed by our Foundation’s mission, all nonprofits must directly impact and serve the majority of their clientele within the six Southern Indiana counties as defined in our GEOGRAPHIC “ZONES OF GIVING” section found later on this page. If the nonprofit seeking funding has its headquarters and/or most of its operational activities outside of these specific counties, they must be serving at least 15% of their total client base from those specific Indiana counties or they will be considered ineligible for a grant.


This is just the beginning of your grant request process! See the “Four Common Decision Criteria for Successful Grant Requests” for more decision inputs as to what a successful grant request must have for the Foundation and what our Board looks for in their deliberations.

ELIGIBLE/OFFICIAL GRANT SUBMISSIONS

 

If your nonprofit has met the four minimum initial criteria as listed in the prior section, it is important for you to contact the Foundation by phone or email as early in the process as possible. This will ensure that your request for funding is applicable to the Foundation's mission as well as appropriate given the Foundation’s current grantmaking capacity and strategies of its Board, both of which can change without public notice or posting on this website.


This is a very important step. ALL grant requests must have the direct permission from a member of the Ogle Foundation staff prior to sending any written grant request submission to the office. Any request submitted without that written or verbal approval by the Foundation staff will be rejected automatically and will not be acknowledged in writing as to its submission status for grant eligibility.


Our goal is to save you time and effort before you go through the work of preparing any required documentation or set any false expectations as to your grant’s likelihood of success or not!


In addition to seeking permission to submit a grant, you must have the direct approval from your Board Chair/President/CEO/Director of your organization and/or have been appointed by those same officers for such tasks. No intermediaries or third-party consultant’s requests are accepted without prior approval from the submitting organization and concurrence from the Ogle Foundation or its staff.


This restriction above is due to the limited opportunities that an organization has to apply for a grant from the Paul Ogle Foundation (see the TIME LIMITS AND THE “THREE-YEAR RULE” section) and the need to ensure that the organization’s management concurs that a specific grant request is the highest priority and best fit over other potential projects seeking grant funding. 


Again, our goal is to save you time and help you make the best case to the Ogle Board for funding!

TYPICAL FOUNDATION GRANTS


The Paul Ogle Foundation historically gives higher grant funding priority towards the following types of projects and programs that fall under our foundation’s mission, vision and strategic focus:


  • Capital improvement and renovation projects
  • Equipment and technology
  • Programmatic or event-related expenditures
  • Planning, management or technical assistance 
  • Some limited, one-time program sponsorships
  • Projects deemed as “Special Projects of Interest” as determined by the current grantmaking priorities of the Foundation Board and its staff.

GEOGRAPHIC "ZONES OF GIVING"

 

All grant requests must show evidence that they directly impact the residents of Southern Indiana and whose activities fall within the following counties: Clark County IN, Floyd County IN, Harrison County IN, Scott County IN, Switzerland County IN, Washington County IN, and Jefferson County, KY*.


* Grants to nonprofits headquartered and/or located in Jefferson County, KY or outside of this “Zone of Giving” is strictly limited only to those organizations that can clearly demonstrate significant outreach and activities to the citizens of those Indiana counties listed above. This means that the organization must be serving a minimum benchmark of 15% of its total client or customer base from the listed Indiana counties now or in the very near future. There are no exceptions to this rule!

GRANT PAYMENT GUIDELINES


It is the policy of the Paul Ogle Foundation to contribute a minimum of five percent (5%) of the value of its total assets each year towards grants with qualified entities in the community. Grant payouts are only made twice a year, towards the middle of June and December with few exceptions.


Grant payments and/or amounts can also be spread out at the Board’s discretion over multiple years, with up to four years at its maximum. There are no expedites of payment nor the granting of emergency funding, so please consider that carefully when making your grant request as well as its timing.

TIME LIMITS AND THE "THREE-YEAR RULE"

 

Organizations are limited to when they can apply for a grant based upon the last time they applied to the Foundation and the results of that grant request. This process was established to provide ample opportunities for other organizations to have access to the limited grant funding made available each year. 


36-Month Rule — Organizations with successful grant requests are limited to a 36-month waiting period before being allowed to submit a new grant request. The clock starts from the date that the first grant check is issued.


12-Month Rule — Organizations with unsuccessful grant requests are limited to a 12-month period until they can reapply for this specific grant or submitting a totally new grant request. The start date begins from either the Board’s decision date or declination by the Foundation’s staff, whichever comes first. 


Only the Foundation’s Board of Directors can override these rules. In the rare case these time limits are overridden, it will only occur due to unique circumstances of a project’s stated goals/outcomes or that the timing factors make it necessary. Please note that this decision could also lead to a longer wait period on any future grant requests by the organization asking for this exception to the rule.


Our goal with these time limits is to not have any one organization consider Ogle’s funding as a part of their normal annual fundraising efforts nor we do not wish to have any organization continually at our doorstep every three years for funds regardless of the worthwhile cause that your organization seeks to address. This rule is in place to provide for a fair distribution of our limited grant dollars each year to any organizations that meet Ogle’s current grantmaking criteria and funding priorities as a Foundation.

NON-ELIGIBLE GRANT REQUESTS


Generally speaking, the Ogle Foundation does NOT provide grants to any of the following areas or organizations usually associated with your typical foundational grantmaking or grant requests:


  • Ongoing general operating expenses or existing operational deficits.
  • Payment of outstanding debts or delinquent taxes of any kind.
  • Direct grants to or support of individuals.
  • Direct loans to individuals or entities.
  • Corporate, educational or scientific research and development programs.
  • Public or private elementary and/or secondary school programs (Pre-K to Grade 12).
  • Private two or four-year colleges and universities.
  • Scholarships for education or other purposes deemed as scholarship-based.
  • Endowments of any sort, including those associated with education or operations.
  • Churches, special advocacy-related programs or political/lobbying activities.
  • Hospitals and other similar health-related organizations or foundations.
  • Government-owned assets and related items like vehicles, equipment or property.

SPECIAL PROJECTS

 

The Ogle Foundation reserves the right from time-to-time to proactively aid the startup of organizations and/or specifically fund special projects and programs that may fall within the Foundation’s broader mission and values as established by our Donor and its Founding Board Members. 


A “special” project typically occurs when Ogle’s Board determines that there is a need not being met in the community and it could be catalyst to make change happen. This could include one-time funded effort that we typically do not fund like operating support or other specific areas previously mentioned. It is important to understand that such “special” grants will still need to adhere to the plans, budgeting and sustainability requirements as per our grant guidelines.

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