Should You Accept Unsolicited Proposals?

Foundations are often divided on whether to accept proposals from organizations they do not yet know. Some see openness as a strategic advantage. Others see it as a drain on precious time and attention. As with many governance questions, the answer depends less on ideology and more on clarity of purpose.

There are strong arguments in favor of accepting unsolicited proposals.

1. It is difficult to imagine that we already know every organization capable of developing and successfully implementing important projects. This is especially true for foundations that fund broadly and do not have intimate knowledge of every field in which they operate. A blanket refusal to accept unsolicited proposals may deprive both the funder and the field of a meaningful advance.
2. Expanding the pool of potential grantees also expands the networks to which we have access. A previously unknown organization might introduce us to thinkers, funders, or evaluators who become valuable partners in other areas of our philanthropic work.
3. Openness creates space to discover emerging organizations that are not yet household names but could become the next Hadar, Repair the World, or Leading Edge. Many of today’s most influential institutions were once unknown quantities.

At the same time, there are serious reasons to decline unsolicited proposals.

1. Opening the door widely will generate significant additional work. While there may be diamonds in the rough, staff will need to sift through many cubic zirconia to find them. During my decades at AVI CHAI, I saw everything from humorous submissions, including a museum in New Jersey dedicated to Jewish egg farmers and an equestrian therapy camp with no connection to Jewish identity building, to proposals that were closer to our mission but came from unfamiliar academics and organizations. Investigating even the relevant ones would have required staff time that might otherwise have been devoted to projects in which we already had deep confidence.
2. There is also the question of what unsolicited proposals truly measure. They often surface not the most effective organizations, but those most capable of writing compelling proposals. We all know highly effective organizations that struggle to articulate their impact on paper, and weaker organizations that excel at presentation. A process that privileges written submissions may unintentionally privilege polish over performance.
3. If a foundation maintains open channels of communication with peer funders and with its grantees, it is likely to learn about promising new organizations and initiatives organically. Strong networks can surface innovation without the need for an open submission portal.

There is no universally correct answer to the question of unsolicited proposals. What matters most is strategic clarity. Foundations that are clear about what they are trying to achieve and that are well-connected in their fields will naturally be part of the conversations where new ideas and organizations emerge.

It's also worth noting that this is not a binary choice. Even a foundation that formally declines unsolicited proposals and sends a standard response letter may occasionally encounter a submission that warrants a second look. Although AVI CHAI did not accept unsolicited proposals as a matter of policy, one of our longest-funded projects began with an unsolicited letter from a well-regarded organization that had not previously worked in our field. Its reputation prompted a phone call. That conversation, followed by thoughtful engagement from both the organization and our staff, led to a highly successful grant program.

Policies matter. They shape default assumptions, staffing allocations, and operational discipline. But the strongest foundations combine policy clarity with intellectual flexibility. Even when the door is officially closed, they remain open to the possibility that an unexpected letter may turn out to be a jewel in the foundation’s crown.

If you would like to think through how this question applies to your foundation’s strategy, governance, and staffing model, please reach out to JFN Consulting at yossi@jfunders.org