Grant Eligibility & Application

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 organizations that are currently registered as section 501(c)(3) with the Internal Revenue Service will be considered. 

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 and adjacent surrounding areas. 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.

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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. 

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. 

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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 5
February	Youth Programs and Youth Welfare	January 4
March	Counseling, Mentoring	February 1
April	Campership	February 20
April	Comprehensive Community Programs (Invite Only), Illness, Senior Assistance	March 5
May	Pregnancy and Life, Supportive Housing Services	April 2
June	Food Security, Literacy, People with Disabilities	May 7
August	Free and Low-Cost Care, Job Training	June 25
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 30
October	Restorative Justice, University, Volunteerism	August 13
December	Chaplains, Seminaries, Support for Religious	October 15

Information & Tips

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