- Who can apply?
The Quantum Foundation makes grants to organizations classified as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code. The Quantum Foundation also makes grants to tax-supported institutions such as a college or university, local taxing district, or government agency. A complete list of our eligibility requirements can be found within our grant eligibility guidelines. To learn if your organization is eligible for a Quantum Foundation grant, take our short eligibility quiz.
- Does the Quantum Foundation accept unsolicited requests?
Yes. Any organization that successfully completes the eligibility quiz is welcome to submit a letter of inquiry to the Foundation. From time to time, the Foundation also issues Special Funding Initiatives and may solicit an organization to submit a Letter of Inquiry and/or a Full Proposal.
- What is the application process?
The Quantum Foundation application process begins with the eligibility quiz. Once you have completed the eligibility quiz and your organization is determined to be eligible for a grant, you may submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) that will be reviewed by Quantum Foundation staff. Letters of Inquiry are reviewed on a monthly basis. As such, you will be notified about the results of our review of your LOI from four to six weeks after it is submitted. At that time, your request may be declined or you may be asked to submit a Full Proposal.
- Does the Quantum Foundation provide grants to individuals?
No. According to our grant eligibility guidelines, the Quantum Foundation only provides grants to organizations classified as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code and tax-supported institutions such as a college or university, local taxing district, or government agency.
- What are the Focus Areas for the Quantum Foundation?
The Foundation has three Focus Areas: health, education, and community betterment. Your request to the Quantum Foundation must align with at least one of these three Focus Areas.
- How is Quantum Foundation funding allocated across the Focus Areas?
Because the Foundation was established through the sale of a hospital, the majority (approximately 75%) of our funding is allocated to the health Focus Area. Approximately 15% of our funding is allocated to the education Focus Area, and approximately 10% of our funding is allocated to the community betterment Focus Area. For a breakdown of how Foundation grants were awarded across the focus areas in 2009, please refer to the distribution of funds.
- Does the Quantum Foundation fund outside of Palm Beach County?
No. The mission of the Quantum Foundation requires our funding to exclusively benefit individuals in Palm Beach County.
- Does the Quantum Foundation support direct services projects?
Yes. The majority of our grants are made in support of direct services projects.
- Does the Quantum Foundation provide general operating support?
The Foundation infrequently provides general operating support to enable an organization to carry out its mission, provided that its mission is aligned with the Quantum Foundation’s mission and at least one of the Foundation’s three focus areas. General operating support is not restricted to a specific project or program. Instead, general operating support funds the day-to-day expenses of running an organization. A request for general operating support must meet the Quantum Foundation’s grant eligibility guidelines and must be submitted using the Quantum Foundation’s application process. Prior to submitting a LOI for general operating support requests, please contact our Program staff.
- Does the Quantum Foundation support capital requests?
The Foundation infrequently supports capital requests. Although you may submit an LOI for capital support, please note that a request for capital must meet the Quantum Foundation’s grant eligibility guidelines (including alignment with at least one of the Foundation’s three Focus Areas), and must be submitted using the Quantum Foundation’s application process. Prior to submitting an LOI for capital requests, please contact our Program staff.
- Does the Quantum Foundation support events?
The Foundation infrequently supports events such as health fairs and fund raisers. Although you may submit a letter of inquiry for event sponsorship, please note that a request for event support must meet the Quantum Foundation’s grant eligibility guidelines (including alignment with at least one of the Foundation’s three Focus Areas), and must be submitted using the Quantum Foundation’s application process. Prior to submitting a letter of inquiry for event sponsorship, please contact our Communication Relations staff.
- What are the Quantum Foundation’s submission deadlines?
The Foundation accepts LOIs throughout the year, via our online application system. Organizations whose LOIs align most closely with the Quantum Foundation’s mission and Focus Areas may be asked to submit a full proposal. For these requests, Quantum Foundation staff will ask for a Full Proposal and will provide instruction regarding proposal content and proposal due date. For a calendar of important submission and review dates, please refer to our review cycle schedule.
- How long does it take for a grant request to be approved?
The entire grant making process (from LOI submission, to request for a Full Proposal, to notification of funding decisions) can take up to 6 months, so please plan ahead. The Quantum Foundation’s Board of Trustees meets at least three times per year to make funding decisions. For a calendar of important submission and review dates, please refer to our review cycle schedule.
- May an organization submit multiple Letters of Inquiry?
Yes. An organization may submit multiple LOIs, as long as they are for distinct requests.
- May I submit a Letter of Inquiry if my organization currently has a grant from the Quantum Foundation?
Yes. However, please note that an organization’s current (or past) performance on a grant may have an impact on requests.
- Where does the Foundation’s money come from?
The Quantum Foundation was established in 1995 using the net proceeds from the sale of JFK Medical Center in Atlantis, Florida.
- What is the average size and duration of Quantum Foundation grants?
Amounts awarded vary widely and depend on the scope and scale of the project. When determining the size of an award, the Foundation considers factors such as the size of the total project budget, the amount of support the project is receiving from other sources, and the size of the organization’s annual operating budget. The Quantum Foundation is rarely the sole funder of a project and encourages applicants to develop a variety of individual, government, and private funding sources for project. Grant durations also vary, depending on the scope and scale of the project. However, grants are typically between one and three years in duration.
- How large is the Quantum Foundation’s endowment?
As of December 2009, the Quantum Foundation has assets in excess of $129 million.
- How much funding has the Quantum Foundation awarded?
Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than $80 million to organizations serving the residents of Palm Beach County. For information regarding the cumulative Quantum Foundation grant award history, please refer to the distribution of funds.
- Will grants always be for the full amount requested by the organization?
No. It is possible that the Quantum Foundation will award a grant for less than the amount requested by the organization. In reviewing a request, the Quantum Foundation considers a number of factors including the reasonableness of the budget request based on the project's goals, duration of the project, and resources needed to accomplish the goals of the project.
- What are the most common reasons why a request is denied?
There are a variety of reasons why the Quantum Foundation may decide to decline a letter of inquiry or a Full Proposal; however, several of the most commonly reasons for declination are that the project does not:
- fall within one of the Foundation’s Focus Areas
- demonstrate a shared emphasis on one (or more) of the Quantum LEAP measures of success
- fall within the Foundation’s grant eligibility guidelines
- address a well-described need in Palm Beach County or illustrate the project's potential for positively impacting the described need
- have clear and measurable outcomes and impacts that can quantify progress towards achieving the Quantum LEAP measures of success for your target population in a specific way
- demonstrate the potential for sustainability beyond Foundation support
- The government just cut funding for our program; can we apply to the Quantum Foundation to fill the gap?
No. The Quantum Foundation will not make grants to replace government funding.
- Is the grant making process at the Foundation competitive?
Yes. The process is highly competitive. Annually, the Foundation receives requests for support that far exceed the amount of funding available for that year.
- What makes a request competitive?
Competitive grant requests demonstrate:
- Alignment with one of the Foundation's three Focus Areas
- General involvement in one of the activities related to the identified Focus Area
- A project goal that supports the outcomes and long-term impacts of the identified Focus Area as described in the Quantum LEAP
- A shared focus on one (or more) of the Quantum LEAP measures of success, with specific project goals, activities, outcomes, and impacts that can establish or demonstrate quantifiable progress towards achieving the Quantum LEAP measures of success for your target population in a specific way
- If my organization is asked to submit a Full Proposal, what is the most important section on which to focus to help Quantum in its review?
All sections of the Full Proposal are of equal importance in our review. However, program evaluation is typically the weakest section in the proposals we receive. For both new and existing projects, evaluation models that demonstrate a shared focus on one (or more) of the Quantum LEAP measures of success, with specific project goals, activities, outcomes and impacts that can establish or demonstrate quantifiable progress towards achieving the Quantum LEAP measures of success for your target population in a specific way.
- What are some examples of programs that the Quantum Foundation is currently funding or has funded in the past?
You can find previous grants made by the Quantum Foundation through our search grants awarded page. You may also review Grantee Directories and Annual Reports, both available on our Publications page.
- My organization has been invited to submit a Full Proposal. How long do I have to complete it?
You invitation to submit a Full Proposal will include a submission deadline. In addition, Full Proposal deadlines are posted on the Time Line section of the Grant Center.
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My organization has been invited to submit a Full Proposal, but we can’t meet the proposal submission deadline. What should we do?
Please contact Program staff if you are having difficulty meeting a proposal submission deadline.
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Can my organization withdraw an LOI or Full Proposal that is currently under consideration at Quantum?
Yes. The Quantum Foundation realizes that sometimes situations arise (like a change in executive leadership or organizational priorities, or funding cuts) that prohibit moving forward on a project. Please contact Program staff to discuss the situation and appropriate next steps.
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My organization was invited to submit a Full Proposal, but we recently were notified that the invitation to submit has been rescinded. Why?
The Foundation will rescind its invitation to submit a Full Proposal if more than 6 months have passed since the invitation was extended with no submission or contact from your organization. Once an invitation to submit a Full Proposal is rescinded, your organization’s request will be withdrawn from potential funding consideration.
- My organization has been asked to submit a Full Proposal. The Full Proposal requires an evaluation model with goals, activities, outcomes, and impacts. What are the differences between these three?
- Goals, activities, outcomes, and impacts enable organizations and the Quantum Foundation to benchmark, monitor, and track changes based on the work accomplished within a project and the Quantum LEAP.
- Goals are broad changes that need to happen in order to impact the problem that your project is addressing.
- Activities are the work that your organization will do to achieve the desired outcomes and impacts of your project. Successful completion of activities should demonstrate progress being made towards your project's outcomes, impacts, and goal. Activities should be:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Realistic
- Time sensitive
- Directly and collectively related to the outcomes of the project
- Outcomes are the short-term changes or benefits for your target population that result from successful completion of activities. Successful achievement of outcomes should demonstrate progress being made towards your project's impacts and goal. Outcomes should be:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Realistic
- Time sensitive
- Directly and collectively related to the impacts of the project
- Impacts are the longer-term changes or benefits that address at least 1 of the Quantum LEAP measures of success in a specific way. Successful achievement of impacts should demonstrate progress being made towards your project's goal and the identified Quantum LEAP measure of success. Impacts should be:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Realistic
- Time sensitive
- Aligned with at least 1 Quantum LEAP measure of success for your population in a specific way
- What are the responsibilities of Quantum Foundation grantees?
Foundation grantees are required to submit interim reports to the Foundation at regularly scheduled intervals throughout the grant period and a final report at the end of the grant. These reports describe progress towards achieving the project’s stated key goals and objectives. These reports also detail expenditures of Quantum funds against the approved project budget.
- If I know members of the Quantum Foundation’s Board of Trustees or Grants Committee, may I contact them to discuss my request?
No. Trustees and Committee members refer all calls regarding requests to Quantum Foundation Program staff. Contacting a Trustee or Committee member will not increase your likelihood of receiving funding.
- How can I make a donation to the Quantum Foundation?
The Quantum Foundation has, from time to time, been the recipient of unsolicited, unrestricted gifts to our endowment. We appreciate and acknowledge these gifts. While the Foundation does not solicit contributions, engage in active fundraising, or handle donor-advised funds, we are happy to help to identify members of our grantee family and other local foundations which may be aligned with a potential donor’s needs and interests.
- What do I do if I have a question that was not answered on this page?
You may submit an email question or contact Program staff for additional information or clarification.