Meetings are arranged only at the request of the Co-Trustees. We will not meet with any organization until a complete Grant Proposal together with all supporting documentation, including the Cummings Fund Questionnaire, has been submitted to the Fund.

If your organization is contacted to schedule a Zoom meeting to discuss your proposal this Fall, you will be asked to include the Executive Director, relevant program staff, and a Board Member. Meetings are an important part of our review process and help us to answer such questions as the following:

• Is the Executive Director an effective leader with a capable and well-trained staff?
• Does the organization have a proven track record in general? Specifically as to this program area?
• To what degree does this project help to address one or more of the community’s pressing needs?
• Is this organization offering innovative programs or is it replicating/duplicating others’ efforts?
• What is the overall present financial situation of this organization?
• Is the Board of sufficient size to have an active committee structure and to properly oversee the organization?
• Does the Board financially support the organization commensurate with their means? Do they also solicit support from their personal/business contacts?
• Does the organization have a written Strategic Plan and Mission Statement? If so, when were they last updated and to what extent was the full Board involved in the process?

After the Zoom meetings, the Co-Trustees decide which organizations will be considered for funding at our next Board of Advisors Meeting. While Advisory Board Members participate in meetings and provide input at the meeting, the Co-Trustees have final responsibility for all grant proposal approvals and rejections. Once the Co-Trustees decide to deny funding for any request, which can happen at any point during a grant cycle, organizations are notified in writing. All organizations that are selected to receive grants after our Advisory Board Meeting are notified in writing shortly after the Board of Advisors Meeting.