The Foundation's funding is aimed at increasing capacity of organizations to have a positive impact on lives and communities. The Foundation has six main areas of focus:
The Foundation funds within Maryland, with a particular focus on the Greater Baltimore area. France-Merrick Foundation's funding is focused on project-oriented requests which have defined beginnings and endings which do not require ongoing financial support, as opposed to annual giving or operational support. Many of the Foundation's grants support new construction or renovations of existing buildings. In capital grant making, special attention is given to sustainable building practices and energy conservation measures incorporated into the project.
Organizations should send the Foundation a Letter of Inquiry (LOI). The LOI is the beginning of the Foundation's application process and is accepted on a rolling basis and will be reviewed by Foundation staff quarterly. After the LOI is reviewed by Foundation staff, the organization will be notified within two weeks if a full proposal should be submitted and provided with the proposal guidelines and due date. If the Foundation is not requesting an application, notification will also be sent.
The LOI closing dates are: