Question 1

How can I access the submission portal?

Accepted Answer

Regardless of whether or not you have applied for a Puffin grant in the past, each grant cycle requires that a new application be submitted in order to create a new grant proposal (project funding request). Once you are a registered user, you can access the portal at apply.puffinfoundation.org. If you are working on a grant proposal, you will be able to log in and return to your work as needed until submission is complete. After submission of your grant proposal, you will be able to log in to access other features of the portal, such as acceptance of award terms or submission of reports. You will not be able to alter your submitted grant proposal, nor can users create a new grant proposal until or unless they are granted access in a future grant cycle.

Question 2

Should I apply as an individual or as an organization?

Accepted Answer

If the project for which you are seeking support is being produced, created, or conducted by an organization, you must apply for that project on behalf of that organization. Individuals associated with projects that have organizations behind them may not apply as individuals for that project, nor may multiple individuals apply on behalf of the same project or organization in any given grant cycle.

Question 3

I'm not sure what should be in my budget or how to create my budget. Can you provide me with samples?

Accepted Answer

We do not provide specific examples of budgets for applicants. Puffin grant applicants range from nonprofits with staff members responsible for entire organizational budgets to individual artists who may only be responsible for their personal tax filings. In order to make our application as accessible as possible for all applicants, we accept a very wide range of formats for budget documents. We don't require that grantees adhere to any specific one.The most important thing is that you give us an accurate representation of both anticipated expenses as well as income, and identify which items in the budget you would like Puffin funds to cover, bearing in mind the specific things that we do not cover (see our Eligibility FAQs).You may submit a multiyear budget (last year, this year, with or without the coming year) or a single year budget for this year or last. If there are significant changes from year to year, you should explain that, either in the budget document or in the application narrative.Remember to address the question in our application of how the project will be funded if anticipated income is not received, or if a Puffin grant is for less than the requested amount.

Question 4

What types of work samples and supplemental materials should I include in my application?

Accepted Answer

The portal will allow you to upload and link to work samples and supplementary materials to assist us in understanding your project. There are sections for:visual samples of your worklinks to short selections of video or music (5 minutes maximum for primary example)supplemental materialsExamples of supplemental materials are: media write-ups; letters from partner organizations or colleagues; educational resources or curricula you’ve created to accompany your work; sections of scripts or screenplays; look books, flyers or programs for upcoming or prior performances. If appropriate, please attach or link to a sample of work up to 5 minutes in length that best represents or encapsulates your work or the proposed project. You may attach or link to additional samples, but this work sample should speak for itself. Do not upload books, complete scripts or screenplays, or full length films. You may include links to full texts or films, but it is unlikely that we will be able to review them.Letters of reference are not required. You may include up to two if you would like to. Do not have letters or any material pertaining to your project sent separately from your application; include them in your application or they will not be considered.

Question 5

What file types do you accept for application attachments?

Accepted Answer

If you are applying in a year in which music is a genre, a variety of audio files can be uploaded in the “Work Samples” field. They include: mp3, wav, m4a, wma, aif, aiff, and mpa.Videos cannot be uploaded directly; you must provide a link.For all other uploads (documents and images), we only accept PDF files. You can find a variety of free conversion tools online or use the provided links below.Word to PDFJPG to PDFPNG to PDFExcel to PDFAdditional files to PDFMerge PDFs into single file

Question 6

What is the maximum file size and/or page limits for uploads?

Accepted Answer

Our max upload size is 10mb per file. Please do not upload any documents longer than 10 pages. Do not upload complete manuscripts.

Question 7

Do I have to provide a social security number (SSN)?

Accepted Answer

Yes, if you’re applying as an individual. The Foundation has a special tax status that allows us to grant money to individuals (not just nonprofits), and anyone applying for a grant as an individual is asked to provide an SSN. If an award is given, we generate a 1099 because the money is considered as “gift income” for tax purposes and we require an SSN for our records.With the large number of grants that we award, it would be burdensome for us to retroactively request and receive SSNs from grantees that we can then provide to the IRS if audited. For that reason we request the information of individual applicants up front. Social security numbers are encrypted upon entry and we delete all record of SSNs after the date of any possible use by our own auditors or the IRS.

Question 8

What do you mean by federal ID #, EIN, or non profit #?

Accepted Answer

These tax identification or Employer Identification Numbers (EINs) are only requested of applicants who are applying as a nonprofit organization or using a fiscal sponsor to receive and administer any grant received. These applicants do not have to supply their personal social security number. Nonprofits are required to include a digital copy of their IRS Determination letter.

Question 9

Can I apply for a multi-year project?

Accepted Answer

Yes. As long as you spell out your anticipated timeline in your proposal, multi-year projects are fine. Please note, however, that the project will only be eligible for funding once, so consider which year makes the most sense for your request.

Question 10

What is the typical grant amount?

Accepted Answer

The maximum grant size is $3,500. While some projects will receive full funding, a typical grant is about half that amount.

Question 11

Uh-oh! I left an item out of my already submitted proposal. Can I add it after the fact?

Accepted Answer

Please read over your proposal carefully before submission to make sure that it is exactly how you want it. Due to the volume of grant proposals that we receive, we are unable to make changes to proposals after submission or allow applicants to do so themselves. The only exception would be if your project plans significantly change before you have received a decision from us. See FAQ in section 4 for more on this.

The Puffin Foundation

How to Apply & FAQs

Overview

Our 2026 grant cycles are now closed. We will reopen in September for projects in film/video and theater. Please check back for updates.

Details and Deadlines

2/16/26-4/13/26 – Request period for access to the portal (for 2026 EAA Grant Cycle).

All requests must be postmarked no later than 4/13/26.

4/30/26, 5:00pm EDT – Deadline for online submission of project proposals

This FAQ is for prospective grantees as well as those who have been awarded a grant. We strongly recommend that you familiarize yourself with all our procedures and guidelines before applying for a Puffin grant.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I access the submission portal?

Should I apply as an individual or as an organization?

I'm not sure what should be in my budget or how to create my budget. Can you provide me with samples?

What types of work samples and supplemental materials should I include in my application?

What file types do you accept for application attachments?

What is the maximum file size and/or page limits for uploads?

Do I have to provide a social security number (SSN)?

What do you mean by federal ID #, EIN, or non profit #?

Can I apply for a multi-year project?

What is the typical grant amount?

Uh-oh! I left an item out of my already submitted proposal. Can I add it after the fact?

The Puffin Foundation

How to Apply & FAQs

Overview

Our 2026 grant cycles are now closed. We will reopen in September for projects in film/video and theater. Please check back for updates.

​​

Details and Deadlines

2/16/26-4/13/26 – Request period for access to the portal (for 2026 EAA Grant Cycle).

All requests must be postmarked no later than 4/13/26.

4/30/26, 5:00pm EDT – Deadline for online submission of project proposals

This FAQ is for prospective grantees as well as those who have been awarded a grant. We strongly recommend that you familiarize yourself with all our procedures and guidelines before applying for a Puffin grant.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I access the submission portal?

Should I apply as an individual or as an organization?

I'm not sure what should be in my budget or how to create my budget. Can you provide me with samples?

What types of work samples and supplemental materials should I include in my application?

What file types do you accept for application attachments?

What is the maximum file size and/or page limits for uploads?

Do I have to provide a social security number (SSN)?

What do you mean by federal ID #, EIN, or non profit #?

Can I apply for a multi-year project?

What is the typical grant amount?

Uh-oh! I left an item out of my already submitted proposal. Can I add it after the fact?