MEMO
TO: All organizations that requested an application
FROM: Edie Blakeslee, Program Officer
DATE: April 15, 2004
RE: 2004 Open Grants cycle
Enclosed are the application and guidelines packet for this year’s Open Grants program. A fill-in-the blank application is required for all applicants, regardless of whether the organization is a prior grantee, and this is the cover page for your submission.
Non-profits from Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester County are eligible to apply, as well as organizations that primarily serve residents in these counties. Georgetown County is not included in this year’s cycle because it has it’s own Open Grants program, through TCF’s affiliate, the Frances P. Bunnelle Foundation.
We would like to reduce the volume of paper applications we send out next year and in the future, and so we will only mail the actual application to those who specifically request it (presumably, because they do not have access to a computer and printer). Most applicants do have computer access and prefer an electronic version of this packet, and we ask that, in the future, you simply get each year’s updated application instruction from TCF’s website www.TCFgives.org by clicking on Grant Making, and then Grant Programs (on the far left toolbar).
Remember, we do not automatically send out applications. We suggest that you mark your calendar to check our website after February 1st of each year for updated application instructions for Open Grants. For those of you without a computer and printer, call us after February 1st to be put on the mailing list for a paper copy.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Edie Blakeslee at 723-5736 extension 121 or .
Thank you.
THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION Serving Coastal South Carolina, 90 Mary Street, Charleston, SC 29403
Telephone: (843) 723-3635 Fax: (843) 577-3671 www.TCFgives.org
INTRODUCTION
The Community Foundation Serving Coastal South Carolina (TCF) is a public foundation that responds to the needs and opportunities of people who live in South Carolina’s coastal region.
TCF's ultimate goal is to improve the quality of life in this region. To achieve this goal, TCF encourages donations and distributes money in the form of grants. Some of the grant money, following donor instructions, can only go to a specific organization (to a certain charity named by the donor) or to a specific purpose (such as “the environment” or “youth”, for example).
Other donations are made only with the request that the people to be served by the grant live in TCF's traditional service area of coastal South Carolina. Such donations allow TCF to operate its Open Grants Program, to which any non-profit organization in Berkeley, Charleston, or Dorchester counties may apply.
To receive application guidelines, each organization must contact TCF each year for an updated version; TCF does not automatically send applications to organizations. This packet gives the procedures for applying for a grant in the Open Grants Program, with answers to the following questions:
1. What kind of organization is eligible to receive grants?
2. In what program areas are grants awarded?
3. What type of program is funded?
4. What steps are involved in receiving a grant?
1. What kind of organization is eligible to receive grants?
An organization can receive a grant from TCF only if it meets all four of the following eligibility criteria:
a. The organization serves people who live in Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester or Georgetown counties.
b. The organization is recognized by the I.R.S. as being non-profit and is either a government organization or a private organization exempt from income tax with a 501 (c) (3) designation from the I.R.S.
c. The organization is not a political or lobbying organization.
d. The organization does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, national/ethnic origin, or disability.
2. In what area does TCF award grants?
TCF generally provides concentrated support in six program areas -- Arts, Education, Environment, Health, Human Needs, and Neighborhood/Community Development. Definitions of each area and examples of awarded grants follow.
a. ARTS: includes the performing arts (such as music and theatre), and the visual arts (such as painting and sculpture), as well as poetry and other written works. E.g., a TCF Arts grant was given to pilot a choral class offered to 90 rural, middle school students, in an after-school program.
b. EDUCATION: includes all subjects taught in schools up to the 12th grade; however, there are no age restrictions for “students”, thus a program to teach high school subjects or job skills to adults would qualify under the Education area. E.g., a TCF grant in Education was given to conduct early childhood education and parent education classes, offered weekly to parents and their children.
c. ENVIRONMENT: includes all aspects of the natural environment, such as natural resources, land use and conservation, protection of endangered species, and contamination of land, water, or the air; also, animal protection programs. E.g., a TCF grant in Environment was given to the only rehabilitative facility in South Carolina treating injured eagles, hawks, owls, and other birds of prey.
d. HEALTH: includes any illness, whether physical or mental, as well as health education, wellness programs, and outreach programs to deliver quality health care to under-served groups. E.g., a TCF grant in Health helped to support a program that helps individuals suffering severe vision loss adjust to their condition and help them live independently.
e. HUMAN NEEDS: includes programs to meet basic human needs, such as food, clothing, and housing, as well as those addressing significant social problems, such as crime, poverty, unemployment, and domestic abuse. E.g., a TCF grant in Human Services was given to enhance services at an emergency shelter, for children removed from their home due to neglect and abuse.
f. NEIGHORHOOD & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: includes grants to help neighborhood organizations to bring about positive changes in their communities. Most TCF grants in this area are made through TCF’s N.E.W. Fund Program, but requests are also accepted in the Open Grants program. E.g., a TCF grant in Neighborhood & Community Development was given to support community gardens, located in formerly vacant, overgrown patches of land.
3. What type of program is funded?
TCF gives priority to proposals that include one or more of the following:
a. A program sensitive to an emerging need;
b. A program that addresses existing needs in new and imaginative ways;
c. Initiation of a promising pilot program so that it can demonstrate its usefulness to the community;
d. A program designed to improve the management of non-profit agencies – that is, to reduce cost and increase efficiency;
e. A program with a direct impact on persons with needs; and
f. A program with a plan to receive other necessary funding so that it can be continued after TCF's support has ended.
Requests cannot exceed $10,000. Only one Open Grant request per year can be received from an organization. Implementation of programs is expected within a year’s time. TCF always receives a larger number of requests for grants than it can fund. The ratio of proposals funded to total Letters of Intent initially submitted varies by funding cycle. Within the last two years, the percentage of those receiving full or partial funding has been 40% of the original pool. The higher the quality of the proposal is, the greater the chances of funding.
Requests will be accepted from public and private schools only if the applicant can show evidence of collaboration with other organizations(s) in the community, in both the program’s development and access to services.
TCF will not fund endowments, special one-time fundraising events or benefits, religious purposes, or political purposes. Also, TCF does not award grants to individuals.
4. What steps are involved in receiving a grant?
There are 5 steps in receiving a grant. TCF staff can provide assistance during normal business hours (Monday - Friday, 8:30 - 5:30), if completion of a step is unclear or if applicants would like advice. Additionally, a Letter of Intent may be submitted more than two weeks prior to the June 2nd deadline with the request that TCF staff read it, critique it and send it back to the applicant so that suggested changes may be made before the final submission is made by June 2nd. Assistance can also be found in reference books about proposal writing in the Reference Department and elsewhere at County Libraries.
TCF makes awards from the Open Grants Program once annually, in autumn. Explanation of and deadlines for completion of the steps are given below.
Steps: Deadline:
Step 1: Submit Letter of Intent and application page June 2, 2004
Agencies wishing to submit a proposal must submit a brief Letter of Intent, along with a one-page application, prior to the proposal stage. This Letter is evaluated so that only the most compelling will be asked to submit a proposal. The Letter of Intent should be concise and clear and should contain the information in the order listed in Exhibit A.
Step 2: Finalists Determined July 12, 2004
A Grants Committee assesses the Letter of Intent. The Committee then recommends that a full proposal be submitted, that a proposal be submitted with suggested changes, or that the applicant not submit a proposal because the request is not likely to be funded as described. Approximately 50% of organizations submitting a Letter of Intent are asked to submit a full proposal, and 50% are declined at this stage.
Step 3: Finalists Submit Proposal August 13, 2004
The grant proposal is basically an expansion of the Letter of Intent. The proposal should contain six sections in the order listed in Exhibit B. However, it is not mandatory that proposals discuss each and every point of information listed by each section, as the information to be presented may not be relevant to all types of programs, especially research programs.
Step 4: Proposals Evaluated September 24, 2004
Each proposal submitted is read and reviewed. Members of the Board and other civic leaders will visit some of the finalists to address questions regarding the proposal. A meeting of the Open Grants Committee is then held to discuss each proposal and determine whether or not a grant will be given. This determination is based on overall quality of the proposal and on TCF grant funds available. There is no set number of grants by program area, nor is there a total number of grants per funding cycle.
Step 5: Decisions Announced October 3, 2004
TCF will notify finalists of funding recommendations.
! NOTES:
* The dates given above are approximations. However, if a Letter of Intent is received after June 2nd for the fall funding cycle, it cannot be considered in this year’s cycle.
* The Exhibits that follow provide information about how to complete each of the steps involved in receiving a grant.
EXHIBIT A
CONTENT OF THE LETTER OF INTENT BY PARAGRAPH
Maximum letter length = 2 pages (not counting non-profit certification attachment);
Number of copies = 1
1. Introduction. State who you are, what your mission statement is, the community need your program will address, and the purpose of the program.
2. Organization. Provide the purpose of the organization, the services provided, who in the 4-county area receives the services, and number of years in existence. Please include a brief statement that the organization practices non-discrimination.
3. Program. Give program objectives, activities to be used to meet the objectives, number of persons who will benefit from the program, and how the final results will be evaluated. “Objectives” generally involve changes in behaviors, attitudes, conditions, knowledge, or status. Be sure to indicate the program’s geographic area and the type of program being proposed, as well as the number of months the program will run.
4. Budget. Show the total amount of money for the proposed program and the amount to be requested from TCF. If these amounts are different, indicate from where the remaining monies will come.
! NOTES:
* Letters of Intent should be on the organization’s own letterhead and signed by the organization’s executive director or chief executive officer.
* Applicant organizations must attach to the Letter of Intent a copy of page one of the agency’s non-profit certification letter from the I.R.S.; lacking that, a letter from a non-profit organization certifying willingness to serve as fiscal agent for grant funds (and their non-profit certification) must be attached to the Letter of Intent.
* No faxes, please. The Letter of Intent must be postmarked on or before Tuesday, June 1st or hand-delivered on Wednesday, June 2nd by 5:30.
* Use an easy-to-read, standard font, size 12-point or larger, and please refrain from inserting page numbers at the bottom of any page.
* Attach only the first page of your non-profit certification; all other attachments will be discarded, including newspaper articles, brochures, and other materials. If invited to submit a full proposal, supporting documents and information will be accepted at that time.
ü CHECKLIST:
Complete cover sheet.Two-page Letter of Intent, with the first page on organizational letterhead.
Copy of page one from I.R.S. non-profit certification letter, except if government agency (attachment 1).
If applicable, fiscal agent’s I.R.S. non-profit certification letter and a letter from the agency’s executive director attesting to the relationship (attachment 1).
EXHIBIT B
PROPOSAL CONTENT BY SECTION
Maximum narrative length = 5 pages (not counting attachments)
Number of copies = 1
1. Qualifications of the Organization. Give a brief history of the organization, including a description of services, and provide documentation of past program accomplishments related to the request being submitted. Provide justification for why the organization is qualified to conduct the proposed program if a pilot project. End this section by listing your assessment of the three most important accomplishments of your agency in the past twelve months. Include as Attachment #1 a list of the members of the governing body of the organization.
2. Need for the Program. Give a clear and concise statement as to why the program is needed. Identify a specific need that is not currently being met in the area. Provide a rationale for how the program is different from existing programs. Describe the persons who have this need, provide numbers of people who will benefit, and the geographic area involved.