the Grant Process

The Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA) distributes funds to nonprofit organizations aligned with any of our cause areas that cannot be funded through traditional funding sources: 

1. Direct care for people and families infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS

2. Advocacy on behalf of effective and progressive public policy

3. AIDS awareness, education and infection prevention

General Funding Grants 

Submitted grant requests go through an in-depth vetting process with the DIFFA Dallas board of directors including requestor site-visits and thorough review of submitted materials. Site-visits validate content of written requests, evaluate organizations greatest needs and assess the requestors promotion of DIFFA Dallas. Submitted materials are scored against several criteria:

• Need of the organization

• Purpose and goals of the program

• Program innovation

Final grant amounts are determined at the sole discretion of the DIFFA Dallas board of directors based on multiple factors including but not limited to: available funding to distribute, results from the site-visit, grant request evaluation, and support of DIFFA Dallas including:

• Marketing support of DIFFA Dallas (required for grants over $10k)

  • For example: DIFFA Dallas logo on website, DIFFA Dallas event marketing on social and/or email

• Volunteer support of DIFFA Dallas (required for grants over $15k)

  • For example: up to 8 hours of total annual volunteer time in DIFFA Dallas office or at a DIFFA Dallas event (including IMPACT podcast recordings)

• House of DIFFA event attendance/fundraising support (required for grants over $20k)

  • For example: buy or sell one table for House of DIFFA and provide details to DIFFA Dallas

We welcome any non-profit organization with a program aligned to one of our cause areas to apply for a grant. A general funding grant to a first-time applicant is limited to $10,000.

Grant Timeline

• Grant Request Deadline: April 28, 2023 by 5:00 pm Central Time (late applications will not be accepted)

• Organization Site Visit: May-June

• Grant Notification: Summer

• Grant Distribution Event: Summer

Eligible Programs & Projects 

Only community-based organizations with a 501(c)3 designation are eligible to apply, and must provide services to clients within North Texas.  

Programs and Projects eligible for funding include: 

• Prevention

• Education 

• Direct Service

• Legal assistance 

• Outreach

• Awareness 

• Food and nutrition

• Shelter and housing 

• Transportation 

Ineligible Programs 

Programs and Projects not eligible for funding include: 

• PACs and lobbying

• Laboratory research related programs 

• Conferences (unless educational)

• Publications (unless educational)            

• Capital improvement

• Purchase of vehicles 

• Support/education services for non-targeted populations