The Oak Hill Fund
The Oak Hill Fund (OHF) is a private family foundation formed in 2002 out of the restructuring of the W. Alton Jones Foundation (founded in 1944). Initial grants at OHF focused mainly on Environmentally Sustainable Affordable Design of low-income housing in the U.S. and a variety of local program areas. After fifteen years and hundreds of grants to organizations incorporating sustainable design into affordable housing, the Board closed the program to make room for the interests of the next generation of the family.
In 2024, the current leadership of OHF completed a strategic plan focused mainly on governance, succession, and internal operations. We work to achieve our mission through a variety of programs that are of interest to the family. These programs change as issues, interests and generations shift, while also respecting the legacy of previous generations.
Currently, six programs make up our Healthy People – Healthy Planet grantmaking portfolio, each addressing a specific issue critical to ensuring people and our planet thrive:
Healthy People
Healthy Planet
The Food Security and Conservation of the Mesoamerican Reef are by invitation only. Please do not contact us regarding invitation-only program areas. The remaining four programs are open to submissions on the schedule outlined below. This schedule may change without notice.
Grant Guidelines and Submission Process
For the programs that are not invitation-only, we use an on-line grant application process that begins with submission of a letter of inquiry. All letters of inquiry will be answered in a timely fashion. Please note that The Oak Hill Fund only awards grants to organizations that are tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. If you do not have an IRS determination letter but have applied for tax-exempt status, please state such in your letter. You may still be eligible to apply. The Oak Hill Fund supports overhead (administrative and fundraising expenses) required for the proposed project. Additional overhead, such as often established by colleges and universities, will not be considered.
At present, The Oak Hill Fund does not support capital campaigns, endowments, individuals, or book and film writing or publication. We focus funding for research in the Diminished Tree Species and Conservation of the Mesoamerican Reef programs.
As there are areas of overlap among our Programs, please feel free to submit an LOI wherever you see the best fit. If necessary, OHF Program Officers will move the request to another Program. Further details on LOI guidelines are available after registration in our online system.
The Oak Hill Fund will review and respond to all letters of inquiry and proposals on the following annual schedule:
- Healthy People Program:
Open for 30-day window for Letters of Inquiry on March 1 (due by midnight eastern March 30), July 1 (due by midnight eastern July 30), and November 1 (due by midnight eastern November 30).
- Healthy Planet Program:
Open for 30-day window for LOIs on February 1 (due by midnight eastern March 2), June 1 (due by midnight eastern June 30), October 1 (due by midnight eastern October 30)
No allowance or changes if any dates fall on holidays or weekends.
To submit a letter of inquiry click on the program above that best fits with your project focus and follow the directions.
All letters will be answered in a timely manner. The entire process from LOI to decision (assuming a proposal is invited and approved) generally takes 4-5 months but may vary at the Board’s discretion. The Board may opt to skip the LOI process and invite a proposal renewal but this should not be sought. It is the Board’s sole discretion.
Please Note: If you wish to submit an LOI for renewed funding (i.e. for the same project as your current grant), you must first submit your final report. Reporting dates and questions are visible on the Reports tab of our grantee portal. You may submit a new LOI as soon as you submit your final report, provided the portal is open for your program of interest. You don’t have to wait to hear from us regarding your report. If the portal is not open when you submit your report, you must wait for the next opening (as described above). LOIs submitted before reports will not be considered and must be resubmitted once your report is in.