FAQs for Applicants
The questions below include those that have been asked during past application periods and is by no means a comprehensive list. If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact the Collaborative Fund Manager for support. For ease of use, this FAQs page has been formatted with clickable links.
What projects have been funded in the past?
What does the decision-making process look like?
Does a grant award count as taxable income?
What does a “good” application look like?
How specific does my budget have to be?
How much can my expenses change during the grant period?
Can Wabanaki Commission staff review my application beforehand and provide feedback before I submit?
What projects have been funded in the past?
We have funded a wide range of projects including: traditional arts, traditional food harvesting, cultural workshops, youth canoe projects, ethnobotanical projects, and more. The best way to learn more about these projects is to visit our past grantee pages.
What does the decision-making process look like?
The Wabanaki Commission engages a participatory grantmaking process: Wabanaki people are designing applications, reviewing applications, recommending grantee cohorts, and awarding funds throughout the entire process.
Grantmaking happens in three parts: (1) Our application period opens to members of the Wabanaki community; (2) A ten-person Wabanaki Advisory Committee reads applications, convenes for an in-person meeting, and makes recommendations for funding to the Commission Members; (3) The Commission Members make final decisions to award funding based on the recommendations of the committee.
Does a grant award count as taxable income?
Grant awards to Wabanaki tribal governments and nonprofits do not count as taxable income. However, grants to Wabanaki individuals do count as taxable income. If you are concerned about the impact on your taxes, we recommend consulting with a tax professional on how best to approach expending your grant.
What does a “good” application look like?
There are no “good” or “bad” applications. All Wabanaki organizations and individuals are doing good work for our communities, and we wish we could fund everyone. When it comes to how you present information, think about what questions someone reading your application might ask. The “how am I going to do this work” is just as important as the “what am I going to do.” Remember, our advisory committee and our Commission Members will not have the opportunity to ask you questions. Try your best to anticipate what those questions could be and include them in the application.
Be sure to include all the information that is asked for in the application. For example, if you are an organization applying and are asked for your board of directors, do not refer us to a page on your website. If you note that you are going to send your budget in a separate document, make sure you send it. We are not able to include information in your application after the deadline passes.
I have never written a grant application before. Should I be worried that my writing style will negatively impact my application?
We do not expect everyone to have grant writing experience. Everyone, regardless of whether they work at a Wabanaki organization or are a Wabanaki individual, should be able to complete our application. Grammar and spelling are not critically important. When reading applications, we are rooting ourselves in the vision of your work and how you are going to do it.
And remember, you do not have to submit a written application. If you feel more comfortable speaking about your work, you can schedule a Zoom call with our Collaborative Fund Manager who will video record your session and present it to the advisory committee for review. You will be asked the same questions as all other applicants, so there is no need to worry about being unprepared for the call ahead of time.
How specific does my budget have to be?
You should be able to provide a general overview of how you plan to use your funds during the grant period. While it is expected your costs will shift as you engage your work, your budget will help the advisory committee see that you have a plan and an idea of how you will get there.
How much can my expenses change during the grant period?
It is OK for your expenses to change during the grant period if you are not completely changing the work you are doing in the process. Nothing ever pans out exactly the way we plan and grant funding from the Wabanaki Commission is designed to be flexible for this reason. You may have to get creative in how you pursue your work or you may encounter expenses you did not think of when you applied.
If you are concerned about making broad changes to the scope of your work, feel free to reach out to the Collaborative Fund Manager to discuss strategy. We are committed to partnering with our grantees to make sure they have the support they need.
Can Wabanaki Commission staff review my application beforehand and provide feedback before I submit?
Unfortunately, we cannot provide feedback to all our applicants ahead of time. There is too much variability in the number of applications we receive and when we receive them. In fact, most of our applications come in the last few minutes before the deadline. That is the nature of grantmaking!
If you can, run your application by someone you trust and see if they have any questions about your work. If they do, jot them down and find a way to answer them in your application.
Does it reflect badly if I do submit my application close to the deadline? Is there anything I should keep in mind as the deadline gets closer?
Not at all. You should take all the time you need to make sure your application best reflects your vision and your work. If this means submitting the application one minute before the deadline, so be it.
Something to keep in mind as the deadline approaches is the availability of the Collaborative Fund Manager to support you through technical difficulties. The majority of applications are submitted the day of the deadline. If a question comes up the day before or the day of, we may not be able to respond fast enough for you to submit on time. We recommend giving yourself a little wiggle room – a week or so – to polish your submission and make sure everything comes through smoothly.
I want to make sure I am submitting an application that is most accessible to the advisory council. Should I submit multiple versions of my application, so you have the most accessible one?
No. Please make sure you are following directions and are only submitting your application once. When the application period closes, our Collaborative Fund Manager takes all the submissions and puts them into accessible formats. All written applications are provided as a PDF and all the video submissions are kept in the same location to access. The purpose of having multiple options to submit your work is to make it easy for you as the applicant. We can take care of the rest.