Skip Navigation

  1. About
    1. News & Updates
    2. Executive Director's Statement
    3. Founder's Statement & History
    4. Contact Us
    5. E-Mail Notifications
    6. Grant Eligibility Criteria
      1. MA Map
      2. NY Map
  2. What We Fund
    1. Grant Eligibility Criteria
    2. Education
      1. Annual Early Childhood Education Grant Guidelines
      2. School-Based Request for Proposals (RFPs)
        1. Data-Driven Instruction RFP
        2. Technology-Based Remediation RFP
    3. Community Mental Health
      1. Annual Community Mental Health Grant Guidelines
    4. Developmental Disabilities
      1. Annual Developmental Disabilities Grant Guidelines
    5. Organizational Capacity-Building
      1. Cape Cod Leadership Initiative
      2. Organizational Scholarships
        1. Scholarship Recipients
      3. Technology Planning & Implementation Request for Proposals (RFP)
        1. Phase I
        2. Phase II
  3. Grant Recipients
  4. FAQs
    1. Glossary of Terms
    2. Grant Eligibility Criteria
  5. E-mail Notifications

Welcome > About > Executive Director's Statement

Executive Director's Statement

Welcome to the Tower Foundation's Website. I hope that you find the site both informative and easy to use.

I am often asked how we decide on which projects to support. The answer is that we fund the projects whose outcomes are most closely aligned with our funding objectives; that focus on our target population (children and adolescents); and that address one or more of our funding priorities. We do not fund requests for capital campaigns or projects, general operating support, or equipment purchases (except through select mini-grant initiatives).

When reviewing grant requests, we look for more than a good idea: we look for a comprehensive implementation plan. The existence of a plan tells us that the organization is serious about the project and that potential challenges and barriers to implementing it have been thought about and addressed.

We also look carefully at the project budget. The Foundation gives priority to grant requests where the incremental costs of the project represent the majority of the request. Incremental costs are defined as the costs that are new to the organization as a result of implementing the project. On-going costs such as existing staff salaries, rent, and utilities expense are not considered incremental costs.

In addition, we look at the sustainability of the project once Tower grant funds terminate. Sustainability can take many different forms. Sometimes, as in the case of professional development grants, sustainability means utilizing the professional development in a way that enhances service delivery well after the training period ends. In other cases, it might require an organization to absorb future costs into its operating budget; and in still other cases, it may mean identifying a permanent revenue source.

It should also be noted that we do not ask organizations to do something “new” or “different” in order to be eligible for grant funds. Many of the grants we make, as well as many of our initiatives, focus on enhancing organizations' ability to do what they do better.

I encourage you to read through all of the website as we have a number of different ways in which we make grants — through annual cycles, requests for proposals, and periodic mini-grants. The Grant Eligibility Criteria, What We Fund, Glossary, and FAQs pages contain valuable information that may help you to determine if your project would be a good match for the Tower Foundation.

If, after reviewing the website, you have any questions or would like to speak with a Foundation representative, please feel free to contact us.

Glenda M. Cadwallader
Executive Director