When a family reaches out to a charitable foundation, simply describing the situation isn’t enough to responsibly begin a fundraising campaign. 
Before making a decision, we need to understand:
what the specific need is; what documents support it; what the exact amount is; who the service or equipment provider is; whether there is a current invoice; whether any parallel fundraising campaigns are underway; whether we can transparently pay the invoice and report on the outcome.Sometimes the proposal can be refined. Sometimes the foundation lacks the resources or capacity to take on the case.
A rejection does not mean that the family’s need is unimportant. It means that the foundation cannot make commitments if it is unable to fulfill them responsibly. 
We want philanthropy to be based not on promises, but on verification, transparency, and fair rules for all parties.
