The Selley Foundation

The Selley Foundation (Selley) is a donor-advised fund of the Greater New Orleans Foundation. Selley Trustees review grant requests in the areas of education, arts, and in certain cases the environment.

Selley supports nonprofits serving the greater New Orleans area with an emphasis on capital needs, but occasionally will consider programmatic requests. In the area of education, the Fund will support capital items and special programs for higher learning institutions and high schools with a record of excellence. In the arts & culture, the Fund will support organizations that strive for excellence.

In general, Selley does not make grants to support athletics, annual operating funds or budgets, special events, or fundraising benefits.  

Selley will not fund 100 percent of a project.

How to Apply

Selley has a two-step application process, and all submissions are to be done electronically using the Foundation’s online grant portal, which can be accessed by clicking here.

• The first step is to access and complete the Selley LOI.
• In the second step, upon review of the Selley LOI, a limited number of applicants will then be invited to submit a full grant application. The applicants making capital requests must follow the capital request application guidelines. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

When to Apply

Proposals should be submitted via the online portal no later than the cycle due date.  Selley has two annual grantmaking cycles, one in the spring and one in the fall.

Dates for spring grantmaking cycle:

• Selley’s online portal opens on January  2
• LOIs are due on or before February 4 (or next business day)
• LOIs  are considered by the Selley Trustees in March  
• If an organization is invited to submit a full grant application, the invitation will include procedures and a due date.
• Full applications will be considered at the Selley Trustees’ meeting in May

Deadlines for fall grantmaking cycle:

• Selley’s online portal opens on July 1
  
• LOIs are due on or before August 2
  
• LOIs are considered by the Selley Trustees in September
  
• If an organization is invited to submit a full grant application, the invitation will include procedures and a due date.
  
• Full applications will be considered at the Selley Trustees’ meeting in November

An organization must wait 18 months after it has been awarded a Selley grant before applying for another Selley grant. However, organizations that are not invited to submit a full grant application are welcome to reapply during any grantmaking cycle, but are encouraged to contact the Foundation staff about the practicality of a new funding request.

Submitting a Letter of Intent

Please remember that Selley will only accept LOIs electronically through the online portal. Proposals that are not submitted electronically will not be considered.

The Greater New Orleans Foundation’s technology partner, Foundant, has created a brief tutorial for applicants that may be viewed here. It is highly recommended that all applicants review this video before beginning a new application in order to better understand the process.