Grant Application Process

Circumstances for Grant Consideration

Fund A Life, NFP is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our mission is to help families and individuals overcome major life-altering and threatening circumstances. We provide that aid in the form of individually approved grants personalized to each person’s case. Fund a Life does not provide financial grants for any one particular type of life crisis or circumstance, but will consider all applications on an individual basis. Here are examples of life circumstances related to the most commonly received requests, offering insight into the types of situations we typically consider:

  • Financial burden resulting from a major health issue or diagnosis

  • Financial burden incurred due to the passing of a loved one

  • Unexpected loss of housing

  • Need for a specific medical device or equipment

  • Travel or respite expenses for emotional or physical treatment or recovery

  • Expenses related to modifying a residence or automobile for the safety of a loved one

Grant approval is not limited to the above-listed circumstances; rather, these are some of the most commonly received requests. Our grant committee will assess each grant application independently, vetting each application accordingly. If the application is deemed to fit within our foundation's mission, a grant may then be considered for a potential award.

Guidelines & Process

The following guidelines must be met by any/all applicants for an award to be considered:

  • Recipient must be a current resident within the state of Michigan, and a permanent resident inside the U.S.

  • Individual applicants need to be at 18 years of age, unless otherwise co-signed with an adult who has verified all the information is accurate as represented by said minor.

  • Applicants need to be both willing and able to provide appropriate proof of the need requested in the grant application

Note: Any and all medical documentation will only be used by Fund a Life to verify any grant applicant's case. Under no circumstance will this information be shared with anyone outside the Fund a Life grant approval team.

Application Submittal / Receipt - Applicant submits the completed grant application to Fund a Life electronically, via email, or hard copy by mail for review

Application Pre-Screening & Vetting of Application - The Grant Review Committee reviews the provided information to ensure the application appears legitimate and that the application is filled out in its entirety. We may ask for additional information to help verify the need outlined in the application.

Application Decision - Our Grant Committee meets on a quarterly basis to present findings related to the application and provide a preliminary determination for the board’s final consideration and decision. 

Grant Application Response - We notify you of the final decision of the grant application along with any details of funding approval or denial at this stage. It can take anywhere from 30 to 90 days for applications to be reviewed and processed. If approved, the grant will be awarded to the recipient identified throughout the application process.

FAQs

  • Fund a Life has a committee of 5 dedicated individuals that meet quarterly. These individuals are not related to the organization in any other way other than as a grant committee member. This group reviews all applications and makes a determination for each application received within that quarter cycle.

  • The executive board reserves the right to issue emergency grants when/if applicable, based around a number of factors including available grant budget, the application’s need, and ensuring it fits within Fund a Life’s mission.

  • The grant committee will make a determination on every application received within a particular quarterly cycle. Every application received within this cycle will receive at least a written notice of determination via the email address provided and via mailed letter to the applicant’s address provided in the application. Depending on when your application is received during a cycle, a response may be received anywhere from 30 - 90 days post-submitted.

  • If awarded a grant, the grant committee will not consider another application for the same household for 1-year from the time it was awarded. The only exception to this is if the application is for a completely different and unrelated circumstance.

    If an application is denied, an applicant may submit a new request once the new quarter grant cycle has begun. This application would be independently reviewed at the new grant cycle committee meeting.

  • The amount requested is an important piece of information for our committee. We are a small nonprofit trying to best utilize our funds in the biggest and best way possible to make a large impact in the people’s lives we support.

    Many times after reading through an application we are not sure what dollar amount may be able to make an impact, so this piece of information paints a clearer picture of what the impact can and would be for a potential recipient.

    The more details you can provide us with, the better picture we have and the easier our decision-making process can be.

  • Although every grant application is unique and every need is custom to the applicant’s situation, our grants typically (80% of them) range from $1,000 - $10,000 with specific outlier grants that then fall on either side of those amounts depending on the need and impact we can make.

Ready to apply?

Grant applications must be filled out in its entirety and submitted electronically through our site at the form provided on the right.

If you prefer to fill out a hard copy of the form, you can download it below and email the form to grants@fundalife.org or mail a copy to Fund a Life at P.O. Box 406, Brighton, MI 48116​

Still Have Questions?

Feel free to reach out to our team about any questions or unique circumstances you might have, and we’ll be happy to lend a hand.