A. The Connelly Foundation's philanthropic interest is to work in partnership with nonprofit organizations serving people in the City of Philadelphia, the surrounding counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery, and the City of Camden, New Jersey. In 2022, 98% of our funding was concentrated within this geographic area. Rarely, grants are made outside the Philadelphia region primarily to organizations that had a direct relationship with the founders, John and Josephine Connelly.
A. Please review our application process instructions https://connellyfdn.org/how-to-apply/faqs to determine which portfolios are currently open for pre-proposal discussions. Due to the significant volume of inquiries, we cannot accommodate all requests for discussions prior to application but encourage new applicants to review our funding areas and request a pre-proposal discussion.
A. The Foundation relies on the organization submitting the grant request to calculate the resources needed and the amount to be requested from the Foundation. When considering a requested grant amount, it may be helpful to know that the Foundation’s average grant award in 2022 was $38,000, with many of those awards covering multi-year periods. The Foundation does not accept unsolicited requests of $100,000 or greater.
A. The Connelly Foundation prefers prospective grantees to apply online. Many of the questions from the Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia Common Grant Application Form are on our application.
A. The Connelly Foundation does not accept applications via email but does accept grant proposals and reports online. Click here to submit an online application. Grantees receive invitations via email to submit upcoming reports through the online portal.
A. The assigned Program Officer will be pleased to discuss the status with you. Please contact the Foundation offices to identify the Program Officer who is reviewing your proposal.
A. An organization must wait a full year from the award date of the grant check or the final pledge payment and must also have submitted the Common Report Form for review.
A. The Connelly Foundation is precluded from giving grants directly to individuals. A good source to check for appropriate information is the Regional Foundation Center at the Free Library of Philadelphia. For information on the Connelly Foundation’s programs, please see the Signature Programs section of our website, specifically the Josephine C. Connelly Achievement Awards Program and the Neumann Scholars Program. These grants and scholarships are offered to eligible students who currently attend Archdiocese of Philadelphia elementary schools and plan to attend Archdiocesan high schools.