Mission statement

The Baker-King Fund is a family foundation based in Baltimore. Our mission is to fund organizations which we believe will make the most of our grants, directly or in-directly helping needy or under-served segments of the society.

Our story

When Joseph Dill Baker of Frederick, MD died in 1938, he left a trust whose primary purpose was the endowment of The Buckingham School in Frederick County. The trust also stipulated that

When the school ceased operations, control of the trust reverted to Joseph D.Baker's daughter, Charlotte Baker King, and her husband John Theodore King, Jr.of Baltimore. The seconday 'general charity' provision of the trust now became it's primary provision, and the Baker-King Fund was incorporated in Baltimore on May 19,1954 with approximately $215,000 in assets.

On January 19, 1957, the IRS determined that we were "organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, and educational purposes" as described in section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code. Gifts to and from our organization are thus "exempt from federal income tax.".

On November 23, 1970, the IRS further determined that we were not "an operating foundation" which by definition directly supports it's own agenda but rather a "private foundation" whose purpose is "making grants to other organizations." From that date forward, we have been restricted to making grants ONLY to other 501(c)(3) organizations.

To date, we have made grants exceeding $1.2 million while growing our assets from the original $215,000 to over $530,000.

Proposal Guidelines

IRS regulations

Our single (legally) binding requirement for grantees is that they must themselves be tax-exempt organizations, eg 501(c)(3) or equivalent. Within that non-profit framework, we are happy to accept any proposals. The rest of what follows should be considered 'friendly suggestions' rather than requirements. We'll let you know if

• we need any information additional to what was in the original proposal
• we absolutely can't accept your proposal...eg you are not 501(c)(3)

 

Dis-incentives...again mostly FYI & there are always exceptions...

• We like to keep our grants 'close to home,' so we are much more likely to fund requests from Maryland-based organizations than from anywhere else.
• Our 'average' grants are relatively small ($500-$5000 in any given year,) but we will definitely entertain proposals for other amounts or for multi-year periods.
• We generally take seriously only 'personalized' proposals. Anything which arrives with bulk-mail postage or which is not directed specifically at us (eg a general fund-raiser request) is likely to be ignored .

 

K.I.S.S.

Our decision-making board has NO professional financial people. Proposals are more likely to get a 'gut reaction' than a 'rigorous financial overview' from the board. So, keep it simple. Proposals longer than a couple of pages are likely to lose the board's attention.

 

Subject matter We like to feel we are making a difference, so...

• specific projects are more likely to receive funding than are 'general operating' requests
• small(er) projects where our impact can be felt are generally preferable to large(r) projects
• an 'overview' budget of the project
• a list of your board members
• if you have a 'laundry list' of possible projects, the board is perfectly happy to choose something which 'suits their fancy' at the moment.

 

Application process We have no fixed application process, but...

• a single copy of the application will suffice
• the applications does not need to be addressed to anyone in particular
• the entire board receives copies of all our in-coming proposals
• the following formats are acceptable (applicable addresses above)
  • mailed to our PO Box
  • faxed...we do not have a dedicated fax number; please call before faxing
  • e-mailed...text, Microsoft Word, WordPad, or WordPerfect formats are fine...call for others

 

Grant amounts

Don't worry too much about asking for 'too much' or 'too little' or even having to choose an amount at all. The final funding decision is frequently based on the board's reaction to the project rather than the amount originally requested.

 

Timing

• We have only a single board meeting each year, generally in late June or early July.
• Anything we receive by mid-June can be distributed to & reviewed by the board prior to the meeting.
• Proposals received througout the year are generally acknowledged, to verify that we got the proposal.
• There is no (dis)advantage to our receiving proposals at any time of the year.
• After the meeting, you can expect to receive either a check or a declining letter by the end of July.

 

Summary Here's what we're looking for in an grant request...

• a short letter describing your organization and project
• a budget overview of the project
• a list of your board members
• a copy of your IRS not-for-profit determination 501(c)(3) or equivalent

Board of Directors

All the adult descendents of founders Charlotte Baker King and John Theodore King, Jr. are invited to join the board

Virginia Whittlesey, President
Sydney King, Vice President
Joseph D.B. King, Vice President
Katherine M.R. King, Secretary
Markell Whittlesey, Treasurer