Resources for NEFE Grants and Research Applicants

Use the following links to find out what NEFE grants reviewers look for, information on orientation call schedules, and application instructions.

What NEFE Grant Reviewers Look For
Orientation Calls
Application Instructions
Concept Inquiry Form 

What NEFE Grant Reviewers Look For

We consider Concept Inquiries based on how well they support NEFE’s organizational and philanthropic goals, and on their potential to achieve successful outcomes that lead to action. These are many of the key questions that guide our assessment of a project’s merits and potential for success.

What is the likelihood that the project will:

• Increase public interest in responsible management of personal finances?
• Support NEFE’s mission to help all Americans acquire the information and gain the skills necessary to take control of their finances?
• Produce results that can be actuated by NEFE’s core program areas or the broader financial literacy community?
• Expand the body of knowledge in the field of financial education?
• Fill an unmet financial literacy need?
• Present long-term, replicable, and sustainable solutions to financial literacy problems?
• Deal effectively with root causes of financial illiteracy, including harmful financial behaviors?
• Provide a unique or creative solution that can be applied to enhance the financial well-being of the public?
• Adapt discoveries and proven methodologies from other fields toward improving and expanding the reach and improving results of financial education programs?
• Generate public expectations for change in government and/or private sector delivery of financial information and/or services?
• Inspire a cultural shift in how society values and manages personal financial resources?
• Engage entities with access to and influence on the general public or a target population?
• Generate interest of consumer, scholarly, trade, and/or professional media?
• Associate NEFE with programs of benefit to the public or those who can affect the financial literacy and behavior of the public?
• Create opportunities for enhancing current or bringing new relationships into the financial literacy community?
• Support one or more NEFE Initiatives?
• Generate measurable quantitative and qualitative outcomes?
• Be conducted in a manner in which performance and methodology can be monitored?
• Be conducted by an individual or team whose experience, expertise, and credentials demonstrate successful project implementation, completion, and outcomes?

Note: Not all projects will be a match for all assessment questions. However, in general, the more criteria a project fulfills, the more likely it will receive funding consideration. 

Orientation Calls for Prospective Applicants

The National Endowment for Financial Education schedules conference calls to answer general questions about its grants program about one month prior to each cycle deadline. Although prospective applicants are not required to participate in these calls, all are encouraged to take part in one of them. 

For each call of interest, a separate e-mail for advance registration is required at least 48 hours before the scheduled call. To register for the call, click here.

Upon receipt of each registration, NEFE will send an e-mail acknowledgment. Specific directions for the call will be sent approximately 24 hours before each scheduled call.

To accommodate prospective applicants in different time zones, more than one call may be scheduled for each cycle. While you may register for more than one call, subsequent calls are not likely to provide additional information. To register for more than one call, you must send a separate e-mail for each call.

Two conference calls are scheduled in May 2010 for the October 2010 cycle:

To register for a call, click here.

NOTE: Calls will start promptly at the times indicated. We anticipate calls will last about one hour. Roll call will not be taken on the calls. We realize that some participants prefer privacy. The primary purpose of pre-registration is to gauge the volume of participants on the call and be able to transmit call instructions.  

Application Instructions

All applicants requesting a grant from the National Endowment for Financial Education must complete the two-page Concept Inquiry Form as the first step in being considered for funding.

1. Please read and follow the instructions below regarding how to complete and submit the Concept Inquiry Form (CIF)
2. Before completing the CIF, please refer to the Guidelines and Eligibility for NEFE Grants Program section and do the following: 
   • Review NEFE’s basic eligibility requirements to determine whether you, your organization, or project idea are eligible for consideration.
   • Review NEFE’s funding priorities 
   • Review the characteristics of successful grant projects to decide whether your project is a fit with NEFE’s grant program.
3. After reviewing the above, if you believe your project idea is appropriate we strongly encourage you to complete the CIF. 

Download and use the Concept Inquiry Form.

Instructions for Filling out CIF

1. When you download this Word document, you will have the option to OPEN or SAVE it. Click the SAVE option to download it to your computer.
2. All applicants must respond to every item on the form within the space allotted.
   • Exact word counts are based on 10 point Arial Narrow font. Please use this font or an equivalent 10 point or larger font when completing the form.
   • Reviewers will not consider CIFs presented in fonts smaller than 10 points or in a condensed format.
   • Do not exceed the word count restrictions listed for each section.
   • Do not exceed two pages.
   • Do not include cover letters or additional attachments or materials with the two-page CIF.
   • The CIF must be completed using a computer (not typewritten or handwritten).
3. Refer to the NEFE Grant Guidelines for information about NEFE’s two annual grant cycles and deadlines.
4. Submit your CIF in one of the following ways:

Attached to an e-mail addressed to NEFEGrantRequest@nefe.org with a Subject Line that must state: Grant CIF from [insert name of your 501(c)(3) organization]

 

OR

Via postal mail to:
NEFE Grants Program
Attn: CIF
1331 17th Street, Suite 1200

Denver, CO 80202-1586

 

If a phone number is required by the delivery service, use: 303-741-6333* 

*Do not call NEFE with questions about the grant program or your application.