East Trenton Community Grants Program

601 North Clinton Ave., Trenton, NJ 08609

(515) 674-2127 -

EAST TRENTON COMMUNITY GRANT PROGRAM

SPRING 2017 APPLICATION

Project title:

Please describe the idea for your project in two sentences:

APPLICANT INFORMATION

Are you applying as a/an ___ Individual ___ Group/collective ___ Business ___ Nonprofit

Are you a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization? ___ Yes ___ No

If so, please provide your EIN. ______

Applicant name:

Contact person:

Mailing Address:

Email Address:

Phone:

GRANT LEVEL (please select one):

___Strength grant (up to $2,500)

___Amp grant (up to $5,000) -- this level is only open to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations

GRANT REQUEST INFORMATION

How many people will your project serve overall?

How many people in East Trenton will your project serve?

Total cost of project:

Funds requested from the ETC Community Grant Program:

PROJECT NARRATIVE

Please provide short, clear answers to the following questions. Each can be answered in one paragraph.

  1. What specific challenge in the East Trenton neighborhood does your project address?Please be as focused as possible, and talk about the challenge at the scale where you plan to get something done about it.
  1. Tell us about yourself or your organization. What do you do? What is your connection to the East Trenton neighborhood?
  1. Describe your project. What activities or work will you be doing? Where will you do it, and when? Who else will work with you?
  1. How will your project address the challenge you told us about in Question 1? Please be specific (for example, 10 people trained, 20 porches painted).
  1. How many people will directly benefit from your project? How many will be from East Trenton? Please tell us how you will recruit East Trenton residents to participate in your project, and how you will document that participants are from East Trenton.
  1. How will your project make the East Trenton neighborhood better?
  1. Budget

Please list the specific expenses your project will have.

Expense / Amount / Source of funds / Status
Total project cost
Requested from ETC

East Trenton Community Grants Program Spring 2017

Application Instructions

This grant program supports grassroots projects in the East Trenton neighborhood. It was set up by the East Trenton Collaborative (ETC), a group of nonprofits, community leaders, and residents, as part of an overall revitalization effort (read the plan at A lot of real community change is driven by small organizations, neighborhood activists, and neighborhood groups working on the ground -- people with great ideas and initiative, often with very limited resources. This grant program aims to support their work.

The ETC is partnering with I Am Trenton Community Foundation, whose mission is to make Trenton even better through community engagement, building pride in our city, and community-focused giving. I Am Trenton has been raising funds and giving grants to grassroots efforts around Trenton since 2007, using a competitive grant application process that promotes inclusion, equity, and diversity. Read more at

THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Located in the North Ward of Trenton, the East Trenton neighborhood runs along North Clinton Avenue from Perry/Lincoln Street to Plum Street (see map). This grant program only supports projects in the East Trenton neighborhood or benefiting East Trenton residents. If your idea is somewhere else in Trenton, visit for information on our citywide grants.

WHO CAN APPLY

Essentially anyone willing to roll up their sleeves and do something good for the East Trenton neighborhood! We provide two levels of funding:

●Strength grants (up to $2,500) are open to anyone -- individuals, community associations, nonprofits, small businesses, etc.

●Amp grants ($2,501 - $5,000) are only open to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations. The goal of these grants is not to support an organization’s regular activities, but rather to strengthen its capacity to serve East Trenton.

Mandatory workshop: All applicants must attend an application workshop to go over the process. We will also hold two informal (non-mandatory) ideas workshops. See the Timeline on Page 6.

One grant at a time: You/your organization can only apply for one grant per cycle. If you have received a Community Grant in the past, you cannot reapply until your final report is submitted.

WHAT WE DO AND DO NOT FUND

It’s simple: we want to support inclusive, equitable, grassroots efforts that will improve the East Trenton neighborhood. If you know you can get something done that will make East Trenton better, we encourage you to apply!

The main things we ask are that the project:

●Have a community benefit rather than being for private gain

●Be non-discriminatory, and

●Benefit the East Trenton neighborhood and/or its residents.

This last point is very important -- the funds for this program are specifically for the East Trenton neighborhood, as defined in the map on Page 1. We understand that some types of projects physically cannot take place inside East Trenton due to a lack of a needed facility (for example, a swimming program, an educational program at a museum, etc.) -- but you will need to explain and justify activities outside of East Trenton. In your application, you’ll be asked to discuss where your project will take place, and how you will check that participants are East Trenton residents. If it is not a project for East Trenton, it can’t be funded through this program. See for citywide grants.

There are also some things we can’t fund for legal reasons:

  • Projects or organizations that discriminate on the basis of age, race, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.
  • Debt reduction or on-going operational support
  • Capital campaigns or fundraising events
  • Re-granting programs
  • Scholarships
  • Partisan political activities, lobbying, or efforts to influence an election
  • Religious activities such as worship, religious instruction, or proselytizing. Religious organizations can apply for non-denominational activities that are open to all and do not require participation in religious services.

TIMELINE

This round requires projects to take place between June 15, 2017, and Sept 30, 2017. If your project will take place at another time (for example, the year-end holiday season), please wait for the fall round, or think of preparatory activities you can do during the summer.

  1. Ideas workshop

If you’d like to discuss an idea you’re having for a project and make sure it fits with the program, come to one of the ideas workshops:

April 12, 2017 at 6:00 PM

April 18, 2017 at 6:00 PM

The ideas workshops are not mandatory, but we encourage you to drop in -- it’s a great way to meet other people who care about East Trenton.

  1. Mandatory application workshop

You must attend the application workshop if you plan to apply. This is to go over the application questions and the process:

April 22, 2017, 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM

  1. Application deadline

Applications are due on May 8, 2016, at12:00 pm (noon) Eastern Standard Time. Late applications will not be reviewed.

Applications should be emailed to or delivered in hard copy to the East Trenton Center, 601 North Clinton Ave.

  1. Notification of awards

We will notify all grantees on whether their application was approved or not by June 9, 2017. Grantees will be required to sign a grant agreement before they can receive any funds.

  1. Grant ceremony

Grantees will receive their grants at a ceremony to be held at the East Trenton Center on June 16, 2017 at 6:00 PM.

  1. Grant activities should run between June 15, 2017, and Sept 30, 2017.
  1. Progress report/check-in

Grantees are required to submit a short progress report by July 31, 2017. For grants over $500, the second installment of funding is conditional on your timely submission of the progress report.

  1. Final report

Grantees will be required to submit a final report by October 15, 2017.

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

Email: We very strongly prefer email submissions. Please email your grant application to .

Drop-off: Paper applications may be dropped off before the deadline at the following location:

Attn: East Trenton Community Grants Program

The East Trenton Center

601 North Clinton Avenue

Trenton, NJ 08638

(Corner of Clinton and Olden Avenues)

Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday: 9 am – 2 pm.

Please do not mail applications to this address. If dropping off, please make sure you get a time-stamped receipt.

The application deadline is 12:00 pm (noon) Eastern Standard Time on May 8, 2017.

Late applications will not be accepted.

HOW TO REACH US

If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to the East Trenton Community Grants team!

●Email:

●Phone: (515) 674-2127. Please leave a message, making sure you mention that you are calling about the East Trenton Community Grants program, as well as your name, phone number, and question. We will get back to you right away.

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU GET A GRANT

  1. Before you start your project:

●Sign a grant agreement. Before you can get a check, you have to sign an agreement with us -- basically that you’ll do the project as you described in your application.

●Attend the grant ceremony. Grantees will receive their checks at a small ceremony on June 16, 2017, at 6 pm at the East Trenton Center, 601 North Clinton Ave. We do this to celebrate the exciting grassroots work underway, and to introduce the people who will be doing projects to each other and the rest of the East Trenton Collaborative.

  1. As you do your project:

It’s time to get to work! Please keep the following in mind as you carry out your project.

●Keep all receipts. You will be required to submit them with your reports.

●Document activities in the East Trenton neighborhood. Please create and keep photographs, sign-in sheets, and any other documentation that prove your activities took place in East Trenton and that your participants are from East Trenton. These are required for your reports.

●Keep us posted! Let the East Trenton Collaborative knows of any events, cleanups, gatherings, etc. you have coming up, any calls for volunteers, etc. We’ll help get the word out, and help you troubleshoot as much as we can if any issues come up.

  1. Reports – during and after your project:

You’re required to send us two reports -- a progress report and a final report. If your grant is over $500, we can’t give you the second check until we get your progress report.

●Progress report: This is a short write-up (one page) telling us what you’ve gotten done so far, what’s left to do, what (if any) challenges you’re facing, and how much you’ve spent. Please include a copy of all receipts so far, and any photos, flyers, etc. that give us a sense of how the project is going.

●Final report that includes:

A short written narrative (two pages maximum) with a reflection of what you did, what you learned, and how your project affected East Trenton and your organization

A financial summary listing all expenses, with copies of all receipts

Documentation that your work was in/for East Trenton

Any other materials (photos, news articles, etc.) about your project.

Keeping in touch: Feel free to contact the East Trenton Community Grants team at any time throughout your project if you have questions, need to adjust course, etc. We’re here for you! We can be reached at (515)-674-2127 or .

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