FAQ

To expand opportunity by investing in organizations that help prevent and alleviate poverty, with a focus on education, economic mobility, and thriving families and children.

As a Foundation, we invest in people; the most committed, passionate and talented leaders, as well as the many people they support. We firmly believe that an organization’s ability to achieve its goals is directly related to the quality of the organization’s leadership. So we partner with organizations whose leadership has proven capacity to effectively steward funds and achieve results – particularly those that are innovative, replicable and supported by research.

We invest in organizations whose work aligns with our mission and priorities. To that end, we provide funding for nonprofit organizations that help prevent and alleviate poverty, with a focus on education, economic mobility, and thriving families and children.

To be eligible for a grant from the Wilson Sheehan Foundation, your organization must be classified as tax-exempt under the IRS Code Section 501(c)(3). And because we are a mission-driven family foundation, we also expect our grantees and their projects to align with our priorities and values. 

While we do accept unsolicited proposals, the vast majority of our investments are sourced through trusted advisors and personal contacts. 

The Wilson Sheehan Foundation does not generally consider these areas to be within our investment focus:

• Individual Scholarships
• Mass funding appeals
• Sponsorships
• Advertising for fundraising events
• Emergency relief
• Non-domestic projects and programs 

In accordance with Federal Law, we do not fund individuals or political campaigns and activities. 

No. We can only provide funds to organizations classified as tax exempt by the IRS.

No. We currently accept grant applications year round and do not have a defined grant cycle with specific submission deadlines. Please keep in mind that this is our current policy and that it may change in the future.

No. The Foundation kindly requests that first time applicants complete either our “Streamlined” or “First Time” application process, depending on the requested level of support. Details about the process can be found in the “Apply” section of our website.

For first time applicants we require a financial statement (preferably audited), project and annual budgets, and most recent 990 filing. Returning applicants are asked to submit a financial statement (preferably audited), as well as project and annual budgets. Streamlined applicants are asked to share annual and project budget information.

No. We only accept grant applications online through our grant management software. 

Please email any questions to info@wilsonsheehan.org.

For changes in address, email, or contact information, please email your updated information to info@wilsonsheehan.org. To avoid confusion, please include the name of your organization as well as the old information in the email.

Once submitted to us, your application can be retrieved, but cannot be easily modified. Please carefully proofread and check your application for accuracy before you submit it. If you would like to edit or delete your application, please contact us at info@wilsonsheehan.org.

No. The majority of our investments are domestic and sourced through trusted advisors and personal contacts. We also target a portion of our investment to the Foundation’s home community of Clark County, OH and surrounding areas.