Non-profit 501 (c)(3) organizations may apply for a maximum of 50% of the total project cost.
Units of government (tax supported) may apply for a maximum of 25% of the total project cost.
Any applicant may submit a total of up to two applications, for two separate projects, in any 12 month period. If an application for a project is declined, however, another application for that same project cannot be resubmitted for one year. For this reason, it is to the applicant’s advantage to postpone submitting an application until the strongest possible case can be made for the project.
Contributions received from other donors are an indication of support for the project and are informative and persuasive to the Board of Trustees as they review applications. To illustrate his philosophy about this aspect of his philanthropy, Mr. Kiewit frequently used the example of a three-legged milk stool. He saw the actual charitable organization and its immediate support group as one leg; the larger community (whether geographic or mission-related) as the second leg; and then his participation as the third leg. He believed that this balanced support would ensure “ownership” of the project by those who would need to sustain it into the future. The Foundation is unlikely to award grant funds in successive years for a project or program, so it is important that the applicant demonstrate that support exists to continue the program after the proposed grant period has ended.
All Peter Kiewit Foundation grants are awarded on a matching funds basis. Mr. Kiewit, a self-made man, wanted to invest in people and organizations that first demonstrated the ability and desire to help themselves. Non-profit 501 (c )(3) organizations may apply for a maximum of 50% of the total project cost. Units of government (tax supported) may apply for a maximum of 25% of the total project cost. This means that all grantees must raise substantial funding from other sources, and it is to an applicant’s advantage to have developed at least some of the matching funds needed before submitting an application to the Foundation.
Every approved grant is unique and contains certain terms and conditions. General purpose grants for programs or capital construction are usually conditioned upon the grantee developing the balance of the funds needed to complete the project from the other donors. When grants are approved for capital construction, Foundation funds are paid only after the construction has been completed and the facility is actually available for its intended use. All grants are structured to ensure that the project will be completed and to help the grantee raise the balance of funds needed. 