Grant Application Guidelines
Fall 2026- Updated information below! Please review.
Applications should be for organizations and events located in New Paltz, NY or eastern Roosevelt County, MT focusing on the communities of Bainville, Culbertson and Froid.
If the organization applying for a grant is not wholly contained in one of these communities but serves them, we require documentation of number of people served in one of the designated communities.
Applying organization must be a nonprofit, governmental or religious organization or be sponsored by one.
Grants are typically for $500-$2000.
We encourage applications to be for simple things. Successful applications in the past have been for such things as picnic tables, gazebos, tents, handicapped strollers, ovens, refrigerators, projectors, lighting, ceiling fans, books, bookcases, signs, maps, playground equipment, fencing, trail cameras, a sprinkler system, bog bridges, a scoreboard, archery equipment, doors, concrete work, a tool shed, a defibrillator, countertops, computers, benches, planters, cabinets, flooring, a pully system, plants, carts, hard drives, bridges, tables, chairs, costumes, tools, compasses, microscopes, roofing, Jerry chairs, a water purification system, dishwashers, bleachers, a vault toilet, hand-held radios, cooking kits, a high jump pit, speakers, vital sign monitors, binder lifts, exercise equipment, microphones, electrical upgrades, greenhouses, and audiobooks.
Grants have also been given for restoring old gravestones or documents or digitalizing archives, and for events such as service summits, theatre programs, teen workshops, first aid training, nature programs, history projects, a women’s conference, community learning projects, training projects, and a program on bullying.
Applications must include detailed information on how the money would be spent.
If you are purchasing an item or items, please include photographs of catalog pages or links to websites showing the exact items to be purchased and their precise costs.
If you are hiring a contractor, caterer, entertainment, or any individual to provide any service, please attach a photograph of their itemized signed written estimate of costs.
If you are purchasing food or any other items for an event, please write a list of the exact food or other items you plan to buy and attach a photograph from a supermarket or other store, or a previous receipt showing what each and every item will cost.
Applicants must provide written information about the applying organization or the link to a website about the organization.
The 503(c)1 number or equivalent tax-exempt ID number of the applying or sponsoring organization must be on the application.
If there is a sponsoring nonprofit organization, the application must include a letter from the sponsoring organization regarding its willingness to sponsor the application.
We much prefer applications for items/events in which the total cost or most of it is within our grant budget ($500-$2000) rather than for a piece of a large project.
Preference is given to organizations that have not previously been awarded a grant by the Nyquist Foundation, or have not applied in many years.
Successful applicants - those awarded a grant - may not apply for a grant the very next year, but may apply again in the future as long as the application is for a different purpose.
We do not fund ongoing expenses such as operating expenses. We have occasionally made a one-time grant to cover scholarships for camps, preschools, etc. or a new annual event, but will not fund the same type of scholarship or event again, even after the one year waiting period.
We do not give money to an organization that then gives out money, such as another foundation, unless their application is for something concrete such as a table or computer.
Grant money must be used for what was stated in the grant application, and within one year of the award. Any unused moneys must be returned.
Grant money must be accounted for within one year of the award through detailed written receipts, and ideally photographs of any items or events. Such photographs may be put on our website or used in promotional materials.
The deadline for completed applications is October 30th of the calendar year before which the money is needed. However we strongly encourage submission of applications prior to September 30 in case any additional information is requested by us which must also be in our hands prior to October 30.
Grants submitted after October 30th will be rejected unread. Those submitted close to the deadline that require additional information will also be rejected.
Applications will be voted on by the Nyquist Foundation Board annually in December, applicants will be informed of the success of their application in January, and checks will be mailed out in March or April.
Updated 7/16/26