Grant Eligibility & Application | Carrie Estelle Doheny Foundation

Eligibility Guidelines

The Foundation funds approximately 300 organizations per year. The majority of these organizations have had a relationship with the foundation for more than 10 years and are well-aligned with Mrs. Doheny’s Mission & Mandate. Organizations and grant requests must fall within the specific four areas of funding outlined below.

Four Areas of Funding

Organizations that apply for funding must reflect this Mission & Mandate and fall within one or more of these four areas:

Social Welfare
Health and Wellness
Education
Religion

Registered NonProfit Status

Only grant seekers that are currently registered and in good standing as section 501(c)(3) with the Internal Revenue Service and the Attorney General of California’s Registry of Charities will be considered. For helpful information please visit California Association of Nonprofits’ checklist here: https://calnonprofits.org/resources/nonprofit-compliance-checklist/

Ineligible Requests

Grant requests are not considered for publishing of books, television, or radio programs or production, travel funds, advertisement, individual scholarship, political purposes in any form, or endowments.

Geographical Location

Funding is generally limited to Los Angeles County. In some instances, Los Angeles programs of organizations headquartered elsewhere may be funded. Please see our Funding Map for more information.

Application Frequency

Organizations may only apply once a year. Returning organizations may apply after the grant report from the previous grant has been submitted, three months before the anniversary of grant funding.

Application Types

Before starting the application process, please review the important information below. There are three different application options available. To preview a sample application, click the appropriate link in the description below.

Grant Program

Use this application for programs, projects, or operating funds. Application due dates vary based on the thematic area of funding, see below.

Preview a sample Grant Application ›

Campership Application

The 2025 Campership application is now closed. The 2026 Campership application will be available on November 6 and campership requests are reviewed annually in April. The application deadline is February 17, 2026.

Capital Application

This application is for specific, large projects such as construction or major technology purchases which are outside of regular operating budgets. Funding may not be requested for endowments. The 2025 Capital application will be available on March 6 and requests are considered annually in October with decisions communicated before the end of the year. Applications are due no later than July 29.

Please note: The Foundation seldom participates in capital campaigns, and then only with organizations with whom the Foundation has had a long relationship.

Reviews and Notification

Applications are reviewed by the Board the last Thursday of the month, with exceptions due to holiday conflicts. The Board does not meet in July, September, or November. The grant review process can take up to three months, and applicants are notified by email after the Board’s decision.

Monthly Thematic Areas of Funding

The Board of Directors considers grant requests not only by the Foundation’s Four Areas of Funding, but also by monthly Thematic Areas of Funding. Please see below to identify which month most closely matches the theme of your organization’s work and note the corresponding application deadline. If the due date for your thematic area has past, please wait to apply until the next year’s application has been posted. This is usually done by the end of October.

Month	Theme	Application Deadline
January	Catholic School Programs, Eldercare, Evangelism and Prayer	December 3
February	Youth Programs and Youth Welfare	January 7
March	Counseling, Mentoring	January 28
April	Campership	February 18
April	Comprehensive Community Programs (Invite Only), Senior Assistance	February 25
May	Pregnancy and Life, Supportive Housing Services	April 1
June	Food Security, Literacy, People with Disabilities	May 6
August	Free and Low-Cost Care, Job Training	June 24
October	Capital Requests Note: The Foundation seldom participates in capital campaigns, and then only with organizations with whom the Foundation has had a long relationship.	July 29
October	Restorative Justice, University, Volunteerism	August 12
December	Chaplains, Seminaries, Support for Religious	October 7

Information & Tips

Site visits are a regular part of the evaluation process. An applicant may be contacted by Foundation staff to arrange a visit that may last about an hour.

First-time Applicants

Read carefully through our Grant Eligibility & Application Information above.
Click on the Begin Application button at the bottom of the page.
Enter your email address and desired password and click Create New Account.
Follow the directions to create a new account for your organization. An account is required to apply for a grant.
Once account creation is complete, you will see the word Apply in the menu bar at the top of the screen. Click to begin a new application.

Returning Applicants

Click on the Begin Application button at the bottom of the page.
Login to your account and begin a new application.

Returning Applicants with New User(s)

If you would like to add a new user to your current account or change current information, contact the Foundation or add the new user information to your application in the Additional Contact Information section of the application.

Work is automatically saved every 20 minutes but may also be saved manually by clicking Save as Draft at the bottom of the application page. Save as Draft allows applicants to log off and log back in to continue working later.

To withdraw an application, please contact us with the name of your organization, the name of the application you wish to abandon, and state that you wish to withdraw your submission. Applications left as a draft for over 60 days will automatically be abandoned.

Finalizing Upload

Documents will not appear as uploaded until the Save button is clicked.

File Size

There are size limitations to documents for uploads. The document maximum size is specified near the upload button. Document size can be decreased by compressing files or removing pictures/graphics before uploading.

Deleting or Replacing Uploads

To change/replace an upload, click Upload, then Browse; choose your new application file and click Save. The old document will be overwritten.

Uploading Multiple Documents

Only one document upload is allowed per question. If you have multiple files, combine them into one document before uploading.

Formatting

PDF is the recommended file format, although Word or Excel may also be submitted.

Begin Application

or Login to Your Existing Account

Questions

Please contact us with any questions you have about the application process.

Feedback

If you have any feedback (positive or negative) you can review the Foundation at: GrantAdvisor.org