Family foundations sometimes are more amenable to this kind of approach, but be very careful. Remember, too, that many foundations with progressive agendas actually have conservative board members who are not good contacts, and indeed may be nettlesome to everyone if approached by an applicant. There is no commitment until the check arrives. Foundations are human, too. Sometimes a letter or phone message or even a proposal gets misplaced.
People are busy.
We see hundreds of proposals each year and may forget who you are. Don ' t take it personally. Fix whatever has gone wrong and do so cheerfully, if possible, then move forward. We have no moral obligation to you. We see many, many good proposals, and probably don ' t have enough money to fund all of them.