January 12, 2017

Dear Agency Partner,

We’re writing today to share some changes to our 2017 Grantmaking Guidelines.

We work with hundreds of donors who entrust us to make an impact with their philanthropic dollars, and our Board of Trustees is passionate about creating transformative, lasting change fornonprofits and the communities we serve. Our Trustees strongly believe:

Our Community Foundation must do more than simply fill a gap in a nonprofit’s

operating budget. We want to help the nonprofit meet its strategic goals.

To accomplish this, we have made the following changes to our 2017 grantmaking:

•Apply our “Impact Criteria” to ALL regular grantmaking, now $10,000 - $75,000 (see our

website for Impact Criteria).

•Focus on four priority areas identified by our Board of Trustees:

Placemaking, Workforce Development, Neighborhood Centers and Capacity Building (see our website for priority area definitions).

•If your project fits one of our four priority areas, it must also meet our Impact Criteria.

•If your project does not fit one of our four priority areas, you may still apply for an Impact Grant as long as your project meets our Impact Criteria.

•Our regular grantmaking will no longer provide cash assistance for ongoing operations/routine programs.

Eliminating general grants for operations/routine programs will unlock

thousandsof dollars to make many higher-level Impact Grants each year.

For organizations with operating budgets of less than $350,000, we have also created a new Mini-Grant opportunity ($2500-5000)that we will submit to our Donor Advised Fundholders and Youth Action Committee. Mini-Grants can support regular, ongoing programming, but projects that meet Impact Criteria will have a greater chance of funding.

Only one grant application (Impact or Mini) per organization per year will be considered.

Our Community Foundation is committed to helping nonprofits in new ways.

We will strive to build stronger relationships with agency partners.

If you are unsure about your project after reviewing our grant criteria and qualifications on our website, please call usbefore you apply. We can tell you where your project fits best, or which one of your multiple projects might have the best chance for funding. Let us help you make your application the best it can be. Then, if you are funded, we want to hear about your progress and support you through challenges if they occur.

We will provide greater funding and assistance with capacity building.

By strengthening management systems and governance, you can increase your nonprofit’s effectiveness and sustainability – something everyone wants. Capacity Building grants can include fundraising planning and education, board development, staff training and infrastructure, strategic planning and much more. In addition, we can provide resources and referrals to consultants who can help with specific needs.

We will connect nonprofit needs toDonor Advised Fundholders.

Our Donor Advised Fundholders (DAFs) make recommendations on how they would like to see their funds distributed by our Community Foundation. By working more closely with them, we can make them aware of your nonprofit’s needs and inspire them to make recommendations accordingly.

We will streamline our grantmaking process to reduce burdens on nonprofits.

We have combined all general grantmaking into one process at the beginning of the year, including a new, short “Preliminary Application.” This initial inquiry stage means you will spend less time/staff resources. A committee will screen Preliminary Applications for Impact Grants to determine which agencies will be invited to submit a full grant application.

2017 GRANTMAKING TIMELINE

January 13New guidelines, criteria, priorities and preliminary application on website

February 15Preliminary applications due via email

March 20Invitations to apply for Impact Grants emailed to agencies

April 15Full Impact Grant applications due

June 29Grant review committee makes funding recommendations to Board of Trustees

BEFORE YOU CALL OUR OFFICE WITH QUESTIONS, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO REVIEW OUR NEW GRANTMAKING GUIDELINES, PRIORITIES AND FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.

Thank you for all you do to help our region thrive!

Laurie Strauss BaumerPauline Pasch

Chief Operating OfficerSr. Program Officer