The window for submitting a new LOI is CLOSED. The 2026 submission dates for new LOIs are listed below. The link for the LOI Form is at the bottom of this page.
All interested applicants must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) and have it accepted for review. After reviewing the LOIs, we invite a limited number of full proposals. Organizations may have only one LOI reviewed per calendar year. If you submit an LOI that is not accepted for review, you may submit again within the calendar year. Please read our Grant Policies for additional requirements.
LOI Due Dates in 2026
- Cycle 1: January 7
- Cycle 2: April 15
- Cycle 3: August 12
Hours for submission are 9 AM to 5 PM on the designated date. Early or late submissions will not be accepted. A maximum of 20 LOIs are accepted for review per cycle.
Submission Process
The Joanna Foundation invites any organization that meets the basic criteria to state their case so that the trustees can consider their needs as well as the fit with our mission. Due to this open-door policy, the volume of applicants and scope of requests always exceed our resources. A cap on the number of LOIs accepted for review ensures that each application will receive a thorough, thoughtful review. We offer three cycles a year to give grant-seekers a broad timeframe for applying.
Previously we accepted LOIs on a first-come-first-served basis, meaning that the first 20 LOIs to arrive in the submission inbox made the cut and the rest missed out based on the timestamp. Although objective and not preferential, this method may not be equally fair as differences in transmission speed and access to technology can cause varying gaps between the time of submission by the applicant and precise time of arrival in The Joanna Foundation inbox. Furthermore, it sparked significant anxiety, tension, and frustration.
The Foundation now uses a different approach to identify 20 LOIs to review. The window for submission is open from 9 AM to 5 PM on the designated due date. At the end of the day, all eligible LOIs received are assigned a random number that is used to identify a maximum of 20 LOIs to be accepted for review. All applicants are notified and applicants whose LOIs are not selected for review may resubmit in the next cycle.
This process has proved to be fair and not frenzied. We recognize that a random process does not guarantee that a given applicant will ultimately gain a review slot, so we are tracking data in order to evaluate outcomes for applicants over time.
The Joanna Foundation strives to be accessible and transparent in all communications on the website as well as directly with grantees and grant-seekers. We welcome your feedback at any time.
Confirm Eligibility — DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!
Organizations that receive funding in one year are not eligible to submit during the following calendar year. This policy is firm. Complete the online eligibility survey each time you consider applying.
Use the current LOI Form. Download and save the form with a new name before starting to fill the blanks.
The CURRENT LOI FORM is available at this link. Using your browser’s File menu to select “Export as PDF,” save the form to your drive and re-name it using the following format: <JF Your Organization Name LOI>. The form is an Adobe fillable form that must be completed using Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader. (Download Adobe Reader for free here.) Do not try to complete the form on-line; save it and work on it on your own drive. Follow the instructions in the form.