For Grantees

I’m having trouble logging in my organization’s online account. What do I do or whom can I contact?

• If you have forgotten your password, click “Forgot Password?” on the account login page and follow the prompts.
• If you need to transfer your organization’s account email, click “Questions?” on the login page to send an email requesting the change. Provide your organization’s name, the current email account login, and the new email.

How do I start a new application?

• To start a new application, click “Start Application” on the appropriate program page on McKnight’s website. For invitation-only programs, follow the link provided in your email invitation.
• To return to an application already in progress, click “Login” from McKnight’s homepage to access your account.

What is the diversity, equity, and inclusion information form?

• Read this blog post to learn more about why McKnight is collecting demographic data as part of its grants application process.
• A preview of the DEI information form (PDF, Word) is available to prospective grantees for your planning purposes. Please do not fill out this sample pdf form. The only way to submit the data is through the online application system. In addition, we would like to point out this tip sheet from the D5 Coalition as possibly one helpful resource to those who are beginning to think about the demographic data collection process. Our website offers additional resources on DEI.
• We understand that not everyone will be able to supply this information immediately, and there is an option for applicants to provide context for their work. We do encourage grantees to begin having conversations within their board and staff about what role diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) plays in their organization and community.

How can I tell if McKnight received my application or report?

• The online system automatically generates an email to the account holder address every time an application or requirement is saved or submitted.
• Log in to your account and select either the “Applications” or the “Requirements” tab. Select “Submitted Applications” or “Submitted Requirements” from the drop-down menu. A list of submitted items will appear below the red bar.

How can I find what report is due, and when?

• Log in to your account and select the “Requirements” tab. Select either “New Requirements” or “In Progress Requirements” from the drop-down menu. A list of open requirements will appear below the red bar with due date(s).

I’m having trouble uploading required attachments. Can I just email my attachments to someone at McKnight?

• From within the application or requirement form, select “Questions?” to email the program assistant/administrator with technical assistance questions. Do not email attachments directly to anyone at McKnight. All application and requirement attachments must be submitted via the online system.

Can I get a copy of your logo? What are your brand and graphic style guidelines?

You can download a compressed file containing all current McKnight logo options. The logo is available in two colors (red and black), two orientations (wide and vertical), and three file types (.eps, .jpg, and .png). Beyond these parameters, no variations in the logo’s appearance or treatment are allowed.

Designers working on communications projects for McKnight should consult McKnight’s brand guidelines. The manual includes important guidelines and requirements related to logo usage, fonts, color palette, and other aspects of McKnight’s visual identity.

We would like to write a press release or statement about our new grant. How do we describe the McKnight Foundation?

If you would like to include text about McKnight at the end of your release or announcement, please use the following approved boilerplate language (updated as of October 2021):

The McKnight Foundation, a Minnesota-based family foundation, advances a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and planet thrive. Established in 1953, the McKnight Foundation is deeply committed to advancing climate solutions in the Midwest; building an equitable and inclusive Minnesota; and supporting the arts and culture in Minnesota, neuroscience, and international crop research.

Are there any guidelines or restrictions on how we can share the news of our McKnight grant?

Grantees should feel free to share news of grant awards, grant-supported activities, and program impact and outcomes. Sharing information about your supported activities can heighten visibility of important issues, maintain or increase positive momentum, and encourage widespread use of best practices and lessons learned.

For the first public announcement of funding, we generally request that grantees wait until after McKnight has distributed its own official grants announcements, about one month after board approval. We are open to making reasonable exceptions. Grantees wishing to announce earlier for a particular strategic purpose should contact a communications team member at communications@mcknight.org.

Beyond the above, the Foundation does not restrict how or if grantees announce McKnight funding. Grantees are not required to list us as a funder, although we assume the McKnight Foundation will be listed among other current funders where appropriate. This page has links to our logo, boilerplate statement, and graphic standards manual.

McKnight does not expect to review or approve a grantee’s independent media or marketing materials. Upon grantee request, however, we are available to verify accurate representation of McKnight or the grant in your materials.

For broader, ongoing collaborations or more intensive communications strategies and materials, please contact McKnight Communications directly at communications@mcknight.org.

How does McKnight share the news about grants approved to the public?

About a month after board approval, McKnight staff will email each grantee an official notice of approved funding. That letter will outline the scope of funded work, noting any restrictions, and detailing the Foundation’s expectations for future reporting and/or additional payments. At roughly the same time, McKnight publicly releases a grant announcement that features a few grantees, and all the grants become available in our grantee database .

For each grantee, the following information gets released:

• organization’s name
• city
• amount of funding approved
• Year approved
• one-line description of supported grant
• relevant McKnight program area
• organization’s web address, if provided by grantee

How do I stay current on news and developments at McKnight?

As a grantee, your organization is an important and valued partner to McKnight. We regularly share Foundation announcements, including field-specific developments, news across program areas, insights from our staff, and details about new research reports and new opportunities.

To reach you, we may use any email address your organization provides as part of your grant application process. If there are changes to relevant staff, please contact our grants administration team at apply@mcknight.org. Additional staff or partners can also sign up on our website to receive McKnight’s e-news mailings.

Please be sure to add the following addresses to your “safe senders” list: apply@mcknight.org and communications@mcknight.org.

In addition, be sure to follow us on our Twitter and Facebook accounts. After you follow us on Facebook, click “See First” on our page or prioritize the McKnight Foundation in your news feed preferences to help ensure our posts end up in your newsfeeds.

If you are not already receiving McKnight news, then please sign up for our email list.