Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions. Contact us via email or the address and phone number listed below if you are looking for more specific information, or apply today at www.sappi.com/ideas-that-matter-call-for-entry.
Sappi funds and oversees the program as part of the company’s commitment to the design industry and the communities in which designers live and work. Sappi manages, promotes and collects grant applications and also administers funds once they are awarded by the judges. Sappi gives no input in the selection of grant recipients—that process is the sole responsibility of an annually-selected team of judges.
Yes, your proposal can address an overseas concern. However, the nonprofit that you are partnering with must have nonprofit status in North America.
It is not a traditional design competition. While the judges recognize the role that good design plays inspiring people to take action, each application is evaluated according to how well the proposed project will support and extend the mission of the nonprofit. The effective use of design is an important consideration as it pertains to the audience it is intended to reach.
Grant money can only be used to complete the project you have proposed and for specific components you have outlined in your budget. Grant awards may be used for implementation and out-of-pocket costs including photography, illustration, artists, writers, outside copywriting, paper (please specify a Sappi product), printing, mailing, advertising, distribution, and website hosting for the selected project as well as a design honorarium for up to 10% of the total value of the grant request. You must adjust your costs so the combination of the honorarium and all other costs do not exceed the $50,000 limit.
Once you are in production, if you find it is necessary to adjust specific components of your project, please contact Sappi in advance to discuss the changes. Typically, as long as you stay within the overall project budget and the project deliverables remain the same, Sappi is happy to support changes.
No. Grant awards cannot be applied toward indirect costs such as travel, hardware, fiscal sponsor fees, or overhead elements such as computers, staff salaries, accounting costs or rent.
Yes. Your budget may include up to 10% of the overall cost of the project as a design honorarium. You are not required to include this amount in your grant request, or you may choose to include an amount less than 10%. Your application will not be judged based on the honorarium amount you decide to include. You must also adjust your costs so the combination of the honorarium and all other costs do not exceed the $50,000 limit.
Yes, the grant can be used to pay for outside copywriting or photography. Those costs are considered direct costs. The costs of these specific services should be included in the itemized budget you present with your application.
Yes. The proposed project does not have to be 100% print although at least a portion of the project must be printed. Appropriate outside media can include an online presence, a billboard, a bus poster, etc.
All outside production costs can be included in the budget proposal including costs for photography, copywriting and distribution. You may also include the cost of illustration, paper, printing, mailing, buying ad space, and related expenses for the selected project as well as up to 10% of your budget for a design honorarium.
Costs of previously designed pieces which are to be reprinted can be part of your grant proposal if they are also part of your new proposed project. You may not submit an application exclusively for reprinting an existing piece.
The proposed project must use some printed media. Sappi paper products should be the dominant stock for the printed component of your project. A portion of all applications should be printed materials.
Grants range from $5,000 to $50,000. The amount awarded is based on the detailed breakdown of the proposed project’s budget needs.
No. The budget should realistically reflect the scope of the project. The judges review the amount requested against the proposed end results, choosing projects that will make a difference.
The number of proposals that receive funding vary per year, depending on the amount of funds the selected proposals have requested. The range of grants given tends to fall between 10 and 30 annually.
All grant money is paid through a Purchase Order system managed by Sappi and based on the grant applicant’s proposed budget and the amount of money the judges allocated to the project. Grants are not paid out as a lump sum. Upon winning the grant, Sappi opens a Purchase Order for the granted project. As expenses for the project are incurred, either the designer or the nonprofit must submit a request for payment on official letterhead, along with the supporting invoice(s).
No. The grant is guaranteed for 6 months from the start date of the project. On a case by case basis, extensions are allowed and must be approved by Sappi. Once the budget year has ended the grant money is no longer available for use.
The organization must be an IRS (or Canadian equivalent) recognized 501(c)(3) organization. The project must be intended to solve a problem and support the mission of the nonprofit organization. The nonprofit must endorse the project and support the concept, design and implementation plan.
The proposal can support the work of a new nonprofit. There are no eligibility restrictions on the size of the nonprofit organization or the number of years that the nonprofit has been around. However, the nonprofit organization must have a 501(c)(3) designation from the IRS (or Canadian equivalent). It is preferable to have that designation finalized by the time you submit the application—however, it is absolutely required to be finalized prior to the judging (which usually takes place one month after the close of entries). No funds will be released without proof of 501(c)(3) status.
Sappi believes that good design inspires people to take action and great ideas can change the world. The Ideas that Matter program is based on this belief and supports designers in their efforts to make a difference.
No. Applications can come from an individual designer, a group of designers, a design firm or agency, an in-house corporate design department, an in-house nonprofit design department, design instructor, design student or student design group. The applying designer must complete the project—a designer cannot apply and then pass the work off to someone else for completion.
Yes. Sappi welcomes applications from designers actively working in the nonprofit community.
Yes, Ideas that Matter grant recipients can apply as many times as they wish. The program has had a number of repeat grant recipients since it began in 1999.
Yes. Multiple grant applications can be submitted for different projects. And, grant applications can be submitted for the same nonprofit organization by multiple design firms.
The proposal must be submitted by the designer. The nonprofit organization needs to be included in the process and must approve the proposed project but should not submit the grant UNLESS the designer is employed by the nonprofit organization.
Members of a team can compile resumes into one document. Sappi would like information on the individuals on the design team to provide Judges with a complete understanding of a team’s ability and experience.
Yes. As long as the application includes all the required information and all questions are answered. If you do reformat your application, Sappi recommends that the presentation include information in the order of the online application. Please note: CDs and web pages are not acceptable application formats.
Like any complete project that you propose to a client, you should communicate the "big idea" and then explain the specific elements that will support that idea. In Step 2 of the Call for Entry application form, you are asked to communicate your concept and share your vision. Step 3 asks for a list of specific components of the project, as well as the budget completion dates for each component. .
No. We do not need copies of the actual estimates from printers and suppliers. However, we expect that your budget estimates are relatively accurate and based upon your experience, or upon conversations you have had with suppliers and vendors.
Yes, include the cost of paper in the estimate. Please be sure that the paper you specify and intend to use for this project is a Sappi product—McCoy, Opus, Somerset or Flo
Please send pdf images of prior printed work in 8.5” x 11” format. If you send in actual pieces, please enclose a SASE if you wish to have them returned.
For Sappi and the Ideas that Matter program, ‘publication rights’ refers to Sappi’s right to publish images of and information about the work you propose and then produce in order to promote the program and build its visibility in the design and nonprofit communities.
You can request swatchbooks and printed samples for your project by visiting www.sappisamples.com or by contacting your local merchant or Sappi salesperson.
An independent panel of judges will evaluate each and every entry and grants will be announced in Fall 2023.
You may contact us at 800-882-4332 or by email.
More than a dozen years ago Sappi North America— the maker of McCoy, Opus, Somerset and Flo — established the Ideas that Matter grant program to recognize and support designers who use their skills and expertise to solve communications problems for a wide range of charitable activities. Even today, Ideas that Matter remains the only grant program of its kind in the industry. Since 1999, Ideas that Matter has funded over 500 nonprofit projects, contributing more than $12.5 million worldwide to causes that enhance our lives, our communities and our planet. Sappi believes and supports the creative ideas of designers because they are a powerful force for social good. Working together with our customers, we aim to make a difference.