The Trust requests that applicants submit proposals through one of the three unrestricted general grant programs. However, the Trust recognizes that needs occasionally arise outside of the guidelines of the formal programs. As a result, the Trust reserves the right to invite and/or review Letters of Inquiry that may not respond specifically to the programs described nor comply specifically with the deadlines outlined. The Board of Trustees and the Secretary of Environmental Affairs must approve all grants. Once the Secretary and MET Board of Trustees have approved a Directed Grant, a summary of the grant and the reasons for directing the grant without the regular Unrestricted Grant Process will be listed on the MET web site.

Directed grants are typically advocated and advanced by the Trust's Board, often in response to an initiative that merits special and immediate action. Therefore, very few grants are awarded in this category. There is a specific, three step process to follow: 1) a potential applicant should contact the Trust's Unrestricted General Grants coordinator 2) follow-up discussion is required with the executive director of the Trust before filing a Directed Grants Application. 3) If after review the request merits further consideration, a Letter of Inquiry and a Trust Cover Summary Sheet must be submitted by the applicant for review by the Board. (See guidelines for Letter of Inquiry under Unrestricted General Grants.) A full proposal will be reviewed by the Board only when the three initial steps articulated above have been completed.