Guidelines

Guidelines

MISSION STATEMENT: It is the mission of the Dorothea Haus Ross Foundation to support organizations that serve vulnerable children.

TYPE OF ORGANIZATION: Private Foundation

PRIMARY FUNDING PRIORITIES: The Ross Foundation provides direct aid and assistance to vulnerable children, including those who are ill, orphaned, disabled, injured, disfigured, abused and malnourished or have limited access to education.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF GRANTS: United States and International

ELIGIBILITY: The Ross Foundation provides financial assistance to organizations that are qualified under the laws of the United States as a charitable organization for projects that directly benefit vulnerable children. We typically do not fund day-to-day operations, individuals, conferences, day care, or public education. We encourage organizations applying to us from foreign countries to call or email our office at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for further instructions.

The Ross Foundation is most interested in projects which it can fully fund or nearly fund with the grant amount. The Ross Foundation is less interested in larger projects or capital campaigns that are better left to larger foundations and organizations.

GRANTS FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2009: In 2009, the Ross Foundation made 37 grants, totaling $435,960. Most grants made by the Dorothea Haus Ross Foundation are one-time awards in the range of $1,000 to $15,000. Grants that exceed this range, as well as multi-year commitments, are rare.

GRANTS FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2008: In 2008, the Ross Foundation made 35 grants, totaling $598,466. Most grants are one-time awards in the $1,000-$15,000 range. Grants that exceed this range, and multi-year commitments, are rare.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES:

LETTER OF INQUIRY
The Foundation encourages potential applicants to CONTACT US or submit a letter of inquiry (via mail, fax, or email) prior to submitting a complete grant application. We attempt to respond to all inquiries within three weeks of receipt.

GRANT APPLICATION
The grant application must include the following:

Five copies of the application including a project budget and an organization budget
One copy of the Financial Report for the last two years
One copy of the IRS Letter approving Section 501(c)(3) status which must be in full force and effect
One copy of the Annual Report
One copy of other sources and amounts of financial support (past, present and anticipated future support)
One copy of the List of individuals or entities who are Directors or Trustees, and their affiliations.
One copy of Key personnel with qualifications

BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING DATES:
February, May, August, November (subject to change)

EXAMPLES OF RECENT GRANTS MADE BY THE ROSS FOUNDATION:

to support an art and music program for a school benefiting learning disabled children in Rochester, New York
to purchase a Verifit System real ear/hearing aid analyzer for a hearing-impaired school in Massachusetts
to establish and maintain a computer lab for girls attending high school in Kabul, Afghanistan
to help pay for the construction of a dormitory that will allow 100 rural mountain children to attend school in East Timor
to purchase rehabilitation equipment and to train new staff in order to double the number of children served at a children’s rehabilitation center located in Vietnam
to renovate an orphanage for handicapped children and to purchase beds, bedding, chairs, and other items for this orphanage located in Kenya
to purchase telemedicine equipment for a hospital located in Belize, which will allow medical volunteers in Rochester, New York, to provide pediatric consultations with the Belize medical staff
to support a medical mission in Bhavnagar, India, where 50 children who have strabismus will undergo surgery
to fully equip and to provide one year of consumable supplies for a pediatric examination room in a newly constructed health clinic located in Haiti
to construct an indoor playroom benefiting 55 children living in an orphanage located in Albania
to underwrite the expenses of rescuing 230 girls from being indentured servants in rural Nepal
to purchase a portable ultrasound machine benefiting pregnant women living in rural villages in Tibet
to renovate a children’s chemotherapy treatment room and purchase equipment for The National Cancer Center in Georgia, former Soviet Union
emergency grant to complete the installation of a new heating system for an orphanage in China
challenge grant to construct a dormitory for 100 tsunami orphans in South India

OFFICERS/TRUSTEES: Kathryn C. Chamberlain, Trustee; Charles C. Chamberlain, Trustee;
Edward C. Radin, Trustee; Bank of America, Trustee

STAFF: Wayne S. Cook, Ph.D., Foundation Executive
Julie Byassee, Administrative Assistant