Application Review Timeline

There are two open windows to apply for a Canary Fund grant each year. Sign-up for our e-newsletter on our home page to receive notifications when our next grant window is open. 

Each application is reviewed by a panel representing various fields of interest. The entire process generally takes about 3-4 weeks from the time of the application deadline until the time that applicants are notified if they will receive a grant. 

• Pre-Screening: We pre-screen your application to make sure it qualifies for funding. If we identify an issue or questions that our granting team has with your application, we will reach out for further information. Sometimes applications that simply do not qualify for grants with us are declined during this phase. We may also require references at this time, and will inform you if this is the case.  

• Grant Review:  A separate panel reviews qualified grants following a standard rubric. Scores are given to each project and panelists meet to determine final applicant selection and grant amount. 

• Decision: Once the panel has completed its review, you will be notified of the decision on your application via email.

• Funding: If your project is funded, we will send you further information to complete and a grant agreement letter and contract. It typically takes one week to receive your grant payment once all paperwork has been submitted. Grantee payments are made via check. 

Grant Reporting:

We require that grantees provide reporting regarding their grant. In addition to the required reporting outlined in our grant agreements, we invite grantees to provide additional informal updates at 3 and 6-months on your project so that we can stay in touch and learn about what is happening with our sponsored projects. We use these ongoing updates to further promote projects on social media and among our donor base. We are also required by U.S. laws to monitor grants we make and to collect information on how our funds are being used. A single required report is due within 9 months of the date on which you received your grant funding.