Legal

Grant Terms & Conditions

The following terms and conditions govern all grants and scholarships awarded by the Edmund Cheney Foundation. By accepting an award from the foundation, grantees agree to comply with these terms in full. Last updated: January 15, 2026.

1. Grant Award Acceptance

Grant awards from the Edmund Cheney Foundation are conditional upon the grantee’s written acceptance of these terms and conditions within 30 calendar days of the award notification date. Acceptance is executed by countersigning the Grant Award Letter provided by the foundation and returning the executed copy to the Grants Office. Failure to return a signed acceptance within the specified period may result in forfeiture of the award, at the sole discretion of the Grants Committee. Awards are non-transferable and may not be assigned to another organization, individual, or project without the prior written consent of the foundation’s Executive Director.

2. Disbursement Schedule

Grant funds are disbursed according to the schedule specified in the Grant Award Letter. For project grants (Historic Preservation, Community Infrastructure, Emergency Relief), disbursements are typically structured as follows: 50 percent of the award amount upon execution of the Grant Award Letter and receipt of required documentation; 40 percent upon submission and approval of a satisfactory interim progress report documenting project advancement consistent with the approved scope of work; and the remaining 10 percent upon submission and approval of the final completion report. STEM Scholarships are disbursed directly to the recipient’s educational institution in equal installments at the beginning of each academic semester. Arts Micro-Grants are disbursed in a single payment upon acceptance of the award.

3. Reporting Requirements

All grantees are required to submit periodic reports documenting the use of grant funds and the outcomes achieved. Historic Preservation and Community Infrastructure grantees must submit semi-annual progress reports during the active project period and a comprehensive final completion report within 90 calendar days of project conclusion. Progress reports must include a narrative summary of work completed, an itemized financial accounting of expenditures to date, photographic documentation of project progress, and a description of any material deviations from the approved scope of work or budget. STEM Scholarship recipients must submit annual progress reports including official academic transcripts, a narrative summary of academic and community engagement activities, and verification of continued enrollment in a qualifying STEM program. Arts Micro-Grant recipients must submit a final project report within 60 calendar days of the funded activity’s conclusion, including a narrative description of the completed project and photographic or video documentation.

4. Financial Accountability & Audit Rights

Grant funds must be used exclusively for the purposes described in the approved grant application and Grant Award Letter. Grantees must maintain separate financial records for all grant-related expenditures and retain all supporting documentation (invoices, receipts, contracts, payroll records) for a minimum of seven years from the date of the final disbursement. The foundation reserves the right to conduct financial audits of grant-funded activities at any time during the grant period and for five years following the final disbursement. Audits may be conducted by foundation staff or by an independent auditor engaged by the foundation. Grantees agree to cooperate fully with any audit and to provide timely access to all requested financial records and supporting documentation.

5. Scope Modifications & Budget Revisions

Material changes to the approved project scope, budget, timeline, or key personnel require the prior written approval of the foundation’s Executive Director. A “material change” is defined as any modification that alters the fundamental purpose or expected outcomes of the funded project, reallocates more than 15 percent of the total award amount between approved budget categories, extends the project timeline by more than six months, or replaces the project’s principal investigator or lead professional. Requests for scope modifications must be submitted in writing and must include a justification for the proposed change, a revised budget and timeline, and an assessment of the modification’s impact on expected project outcomes.

6. Intellectual Property

Intellectual property created with foundation grant funds belongs to the grantee, subject to the following conditions. The foundation retains a perpetual, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, and distribute reports, photographs, architectural drawings, research findings, and other materials produced with grant funds for the foundation’s educational, promotional, and grantmaking purposes. Grantees must acknowledge the Edmund Cheney Foundation’s support in all publications, presentations, exhibitions, and signage related to the funded project, using the acknowledgment language specified in the Grant Award Letter.

7. Return of Unused Funds

If a grantee is unable to complete the funded project or uses fewer funds than the total award amount, any unexpended grant funds must be returned to the Edmund Cheney Foundation within 60 calendar days of the project’s termination or completion date. Returned funds are redeposited into the foundation’s program fund for the applicable grant category. If a grantee wishes to redirect unexpended funds to a materially different purpose, a new application must be submitted and approved by the Grants Committee through the standard review process.

8. Termination & Suspension

The foundation reserves the right to suspend disbursements or terminate a grant at any time if the grantee fails to comply with these terms and conditions, misuses grant funds, provides materially misleading information in the application or reports, loses its tax-exempt status, or is unable to complete the funded project due to circumstances within its control. In the event of termination, the grantee must return all unexpended funds within 30 calendar days and submit a final accounting of all expenditures made with grant funds to date. The foundation will provide written notice of suspension or termination specifying the grounds for the action and, where practical, an opportunity for the grantee to cure the deficiency within a reasonable period.

9. Governing Law

These terms and conditions are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without regard to its conflict of laws provisions. Any dispute arising under or related to these terms shall be resolved in the Circuit Court of the City of Richmond, Virginia, and all parties consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of that court. The foundation’s failure to enforce any provision of these terms shall not constitute a waiver of that provision or any other provision.