New Grantee and Applicant Experience
The new portal is intended to make the application process much easier. Grantees will now have a single account in one consolidated portal to manage all funders using Blackbaud Grantmaking. You will be required to securely sign in with a new Blackbaud ID or use an existing Blackbaud ID if you use other Blackbaud products. If you already use a Blackbaud product, such as Raiser Edge, you won’t need to create a secondary login. Access to the new portal and the legacy portal can be found at the bottom of this page.
Nonprofit organizations that benefit individuals living in southern Maine are eligible to request support by applying for a responsive grant. The Sam L. Cohen Foundation uses a two-step online application. Before applying, please review the Foundation's grant-making guidelines, as well as the application process, deadlines, and full instructions below.
We welcome the opportunity to discuss your project or answer questions prior to submitting an initial inquiry, especially if you are a first-time applicant. Email us to schedule a phone call with program staff.
| Cycle | Initial Inquiry | Full Application | Decision |
| Spring | Dec. 1 - Jan. 15 | March 1 | June |
| Fall | Jun. 1 - Jul. 15 | September 1 | November |
Deadlines that fall on a weekend or holiday are extended to the next work day.
STEP 1: INITIAL INQUIRY
The Foundation will accept initial inquiries online. The initial inquiry allows the Foundation to determine whether or not your time would be well spent pursuing a grant from us. All applicants need to submit an initial inquiry, even those who have received a grant previously. You will receive a notification to your inquiry by email within two weeks after the January 15 or July 15 deadline. If you do not receive a response, it is the applicant's responsibility to follow up with the Foundation.
STEP 2: FULL APPLICATION
If your proposed request aligns with the Foundation’s grant-making interests, you will be invited to submit a full application through the online system and the form will be available in your portal. Please note that the invitation to submit a full application does not guarantee that a grant request will be funded (see Application Review Process). After submitting the application it is the applicant’s responsibility to notify the Foundation immediately, but no later than the grant meeting of the directors, if there is a substantive change related to the information in the application, including a major change in the project, or a change in leadership, structure, or finances of the organization.
THE DOCUMENTS YOU'LL NEED BEFORE YOU BEGIN:
- List of Board of Directors. Please include employment and/or community affiliations.
- Most recent financial statement - either a Financial Audit, Balance sheet, or Statement of Financial Position.
- Organization operating budget - please include:
- current fiscal year budgeted revenue and expenses;
- previous fiscal year budgeted;
- previous fiscal year actual. Please visit News & Resources for examples and templates.
- Detailed project budget. This is required for nonoperating support requests. The budget should include projected expenses and sources of committed and anticipated revenue. Note specific sources and amounts of any pending funding requests. A budget narrative may be included as needed.
- 501(c)(3) IRS determination letter. This is required for all first time 501(c)(3) applicants or if using a fiscal agent.
- Letters of agreement and/or support - if applicable include a letter of support from the collaborating organization(s). Requests to work with schools should include a letter from the school. If you have multiple letters they can be combined and submitted as one document.
WHEN YOU ARE READY:
All grant proposals must be submitted using our online application system. To apply for a grant, first time applicants and prior grant recipients will need to access the online system by clicking the button below. You will be guided by instructions throughout the application. Once you have started a new application you can access and return to your in-progress or submitted application by clicking the "Account Login" at the top of each page, or the action button below. As an alternative method to access and return to your applications and requirement forms please bookmark https://bbgm-apply.yourcausegrants.com/apply/applications and add noreply@yourcause.com to your safe senders list. We are encouraging grantees to add all additional applicants that should have access to the application and subsequent forms to enable sharing. Please do not hesitate to contact Gloria Nicholson, if you have any questions along the way.
LEGACY PORTAL:
Be advised that your organization's application history will be starting fresh in the new portal. The legacy portal will cease to be available after August 25th, 2025 and you may want to download any previous applications and reports to preserve historical data. Progress and final reports due in connection with previously awarded grants can be completed here until August 25th. Questions? Contact the Foundation: gnicholson@samlcohenfoundation.org