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Welcome > What We Fund > Intellectual Disabilities

Intellectual Disabilities

The Foundation’s funding objective in the Intellectual Disabilities category is to improve service delivery for children, adolescents, and young adults to age 26 with intellectual disabilities.

We define intellectual disability  as a disability characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior, which covers many everyday social and practical skills.  This disability originates before the age of 18.  Intellectual functioning refers to general mental capacity, such as learning, reasoning, and problem-solving.   Adaptive behavior comprises three skill types:  conceptual skills  (e.g., language and literacy, money, time, number concepts, self-direction); social skills  (e.g., interpersonal skills, social responsibility, self-esteem, gullibility, naivete, social problem solving, ability to follow rules/obey laws and avoid being victimized); practical skills  (e.g., personal care, occupational skills, healthcare, travel/transportation, schedules/routines, safety, use of money, use of telephone).

Our Intellectual Disabilities Grant Guidelines are issued on an annual basis with letters of inquiry due in mid-June. The grant guidelines provide information about the Foundation’s target population, funding priorities, and application procedure.

We encourage you to review the grant guidelines carefully and to submit a letter of inquiry should you have a program or project that qualifies. If your letter is selected for further consideration, you will be asked to complete a full grant application. Grant applications are accepted by request only.