Tau Grants
Program Description
Tau Grants are intended to strengthen the health and well-being of communities across our six-county region. These grants specifically support small nonprofit organizations that expand access to healthcare services (cycle 1) or promote economic mobility (cycle 2). We are especially interested in organizations that both serve and are led by people from historically marginalized communities, including BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), LGBTQ+, Individuals with disabilities, and immigrants. Tau Grants provide unrestricted general operating support to help these organizations thrive.
General operating grants strengthen the organization’s overall mission and goals and further its charitable purpose. The focus is not on specific projects or programs although you will be expected to describe how your organization’s programs support our focus areas. Examples of general operating needs include strategic planning, staff training, technology upgrades, audits, and infrastructure costs such as utilities, rent, and personnel.
Focus Areas
In FY27, there will be two Tau Grant cycles. Each cycle will have one dedicated focus.
CYCLE 1 – ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE: Healthcare access is the ability to obtain healthcare services such as diagnosis, prevention or treatment that is affordable and convenient. * Examples may include organizations focused on providing health services to underinsured or uninsured individuals or assisting with health insurance enrollment.
CYCLE 2 – ECONOMIC MOBILITY: Economic mobility is the ability of individuals to improve themselves and their families’ economic condition. Examples may include organizations focused on job training/placement, entrepreneurship, social assistance, or financial literacy.
Eligibility
To be considered for funding, the organization must meet ALL of the following requirements:
- The organization has an operating budget of less than $1 million.
- All applicants (including fiscal sponsors) must currently hold active 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the IRS, with a ruling dated on or before July 27, 2025 (Cycle 1) or January 11, 2026 (Cycle 2). If status was ever revoked, the most recent reinstatement ruling must meet this same date requirement.
- Serve residents in one or more of the following counties: Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, St. Lucie, Martin, Hillsborough, and Pinellas.
- The organization does not have an active Tau grant; if you have an active Tau grant, you may not apply until the current grant is completed with a final report.
- The organization serves historically marginalzied groups including BIPOC, LGBTQ+, Individuals with disabilities, or Immigrants.
- Organizational leadership (leadership team as you define it) includes individuals who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQ+, Individuals with disabilities, or Immigrants.
- Be willing and able to comply with all requirements of the Allegany Franciscan Ministries Grant Agreement.*
- The organization acts in alignment with Catholic Social Teaching.
Limitations
- Only one application may be submitted for an organization per cycle.
- Tau grants are not available for individuals, public agencies, capital campaigns, endowments, or reserve funds.
Priority Criteria
Priority will be given to organizations that meet all or most of the following criteria:
- The application is clear about what the organization does and who it serves.
- The need for funding is explained and is reasonable.
- The organization’s work is closely aligned with the focus area (access to healthcare or economic mobility).
- The organization incorporates the viewpoint of individuals who are served.
- The budget is complete and clearly addresses operational needs.
- There is a clear plan for evaluating the impact of the grant.
Total Awards
We expect to award up to 40 Tau Grants altogether (about 20 per cycle) in FY27. Each grant will be for a two-year term and may total up to $20,000; the amount per year may be any amount as long as the total over two years does not exceed $20,000.
Note: The amount awarded may be less than the full amount requested.
Application Process
Applications must be accessed through our online Grant Portal. If this is your first time applying, review the Portal Instructions & FAQs first.
*NEW: The Tau Grant application process now includes two separate steps.
- LOI (Letter of Intent) Application – Submit LOI Application. This is a brief, five question application with Eligibility Criteria questions. LOIs will be reviewed daily.
- Full Application – If you meet ALL Eligibility Requirements and your organization’s LOI is approved, you will be invited to complete the Full Application. This application will appear on your Applicant Dashboard page under “ASSIGNED TO YOU” in the left-side panel.
Application Dates
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Cycle 1 (Fall 2025) |
Cycle 2 (Spring 2026) |
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Webinar |
July 29, 2026 @ 11AM - 12PM |
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Application |
July 27 |
January 11 |
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Office Hours |
July 27 - August 21 |
January 11 - February 5 |
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LOI Application |
August 24 @ 12PM noon |
February 8 @ 12PM noon |
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Full Application |
September 9 @ 12PM noon |
February 19 @ 12PM noon |
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Deliberation |
September 14 - October 5 |
February 24 - March 17 |
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Decisions |
Late October |
Early April |
|
Feedback |
November 2-13 |
April 12-23 |
Past Tau Grants Awarded
Reference Documents
FY27 Tau Grant LOI (Letter of Intent) Application Questions Cycle 1*
FY27 Tau Grant Full Application Questions Cycle 1*
*Application questions are provided in advance for reference only. Applications must be submitted online using the Access Grant Portal button located at the bottom of this page.
A Spanish version of the application can be provided if needed. Please contact Carla Batts at cbatts@afmfl.org to request.
Webinar
We will host a FY27 Tau Grant Information Webinar will be held on July 29th from 11 am – 12 pm. We encourage nonprofits interested in applying for Tau Grants to attend. There are a couple significant changes from last year. Registration is required.
Frequently Asked Questions
St. Francis of Assisi adopted the Tau symbol as his signature on letters. For St. Francis, the Tau was a loving symbol of God’s intense relationship of love and the mystery of faith. St. Francis had the symbol carved on the walls of his cell as the sign of genuine hope and faith in God.
Allegany Franciscan Ministries uses this symbol as part of our logo and as the name for our Tau Grant program, to connect us to St. Francis and the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, and to remind us of our commitment to those who are experiencing poverty and those who have been historically marginalized.
For Allegany Franciscan Ministries, “public agencies” refers to state, county, and local governmental agencies; these entities are not eligible for a Tau Grant from us. Public universities and colleges may not apply directly for funding. However, if a state university or college has set up a separate foundation, the foundation may apply for funds. The foundation must meet all our eligibility criteria, including 501(c)(3) designation. In addition, a public agency may be a partner in an initiative with another organization that serves as the lead agency; this project would be eligible. Beyond these two specific grant programs, we are open to partnerships with public agencies.
A fiscal sponsor may be used to apply for a Tau Grant. Please see our Tau Grant Eligibility & Fiscal Sponsor Frequently Asked Questions.
Organizations cannot apply for a Tau Grant if they have an active grant of the same type. However, grant partners with one type of active grant (e.g., Tau Grant) can apply for a different type of grant (e.g., ACOR Grant) in the same year.
This guiding principle is Allegany Franciscan Ministries’ intentional effort to create equitable opportunity and access to our funding for many diverse and exceptional organizations and programs. In addition, Tau Grants are not intended to provide ongoing funding, thus we do not renew grants annually.
For Tau Grants, a maximum of one request can be submitted per organization per cycle so if your request is denied, another cannot be submitted until the next cycle.
A report is required at the end of the grant period. For multi-year grants, the Organization may be required to complete one or more additional reports. Reports will either be a verbal report to be completed with the Allegany staff person overseeing the grant or a written report submitted through Allegany’s online grant portal. Reporting will include organizational updates, challenges encountered/lessons learned, and an accounting of grant funds. Reporting schedule information for your organization’s awarded grant can be found in Allegany’s online grant portal in your grant agreement.
Contacts
Contact Erin Baird with Tau Grant program questions via email.
Contact Carla Batts via email with grant portal questions.
Erin Baird
Director of Grants
Office Hours for Cycle 1:
July 27 – August 21
Schedule Call
