Peninsula FAITHS Partnership

Application Guidelines

Silicon Valley Community Foundation announces a request for proposals from congregations and faith-based organizations in San Mateo and northern Santa Clara counties, as far south as Mountain View, for grants ranging in size from $500 to $5,000.Working in partnership with The San Francisco Foundation’s FAITHS Initiative, Silicon Valley Community Foundation has established a grants program to help congregations and faith-based organizations increase their ability to provide non-religious programs and services to the broader community.

In addition to funding, Peninsula FAITHS Partnership (FAITHS) provides grantees the help of consultants to assist with the questions and challenges grantees face in implementing their projects. These professional consultants advise grantees in such areas as fundraising, strategic planning, leadership development, cross-cultural issues and budgeting, among others. As part of the program, grantees are expected to work cooperatively with assigned consultants, and attend two FAITHS convenings conducted by the community foundation, during their grant year, around issues of interest to grantees.

Funding will support the development of new programs or the expansion of already existing programs that address community needs described below.

Peninsula FAITHS Partnership is especially interested in programs that:

  • Address the needs of low-income families and communities (example: PescaderoCommunityChurch received funding to work with low-income agricultural workers in Pescadero)
  • Foster leadership development, especially for those who, because of language, culture or educational levels, have been excluded from participation (example: GoodShepherdChurch in Pacifica received funding to develop the leadership and community organizing skills of a group of youth from Pacifica)
  • Build community among those who might not otherwise get to know one another (example: United Muslims of America received a grant to work with other congregations and organizations to reduce negative stereotyping of American Muslims and Islam)
  • Maximize the healthy physical and emotional development of infants and young children or increase the supply of quality child care for low-income families
  • Promote educational achievement and positive personal development in school-age children and youth (example: The First Tongan United Methodist Church of San Bruno received a grant to develop a program to help Tongan parents learn ways to help their teenage children avoid gang involvement)

In addition to these five priorities, Peninsula FAITHS Partnership is also interested in funding programs that:

  • Promote good health (example: The African American Community Health Advisory Committee received funding to develop its program to help African Americans living with diabetes);
  • Improve the community’s access to the arts and culture (example: Mid-Peninsula Hispanic Outreach Ministry received funding to offer music lessons to low-income Hispanic children and youth);
  • Provide environmental education or strive to improve our natural environment.

How to Apply & Grant Eligibility

To be eligible for a grant, you must fill out an application form (available online at and return it to our offices by the application deadline.

The following projects are not eligible for funding:

  • Programs for which funding will be used solely to provide emergency assistance for individuals or families unable to pay rent, utility bills, tuition, etc.
  • Programs whose primary or sole recipients are the members of the applicant’s congregation
  • Programs that are conducted by congregations or organizations that are discriminatory
  • Programs whose primary recipients are outside of San Mateo or northern Santa Clara counties (Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Mountain View)
  • Programs whose primary purpose is fundraising
  • Expenses incurred before a grant is approved

Peninsula FAITHS Partnership

Application Cover

Date of application ______

Congregation or organization name ______

Mailing address ______

Contact person and title (if appropriate) ______

Telephone (W) ______(H) ______FAX ______

Best time/day to call ______Email ______

Best time for a site visit ______

Total project budget $ ______Amount requested $ ______

Project time period ______

Project title ______

Has your group been a recipient of the Peninsula FAITHS Partnership (FAITHS) before?

 Yes  No

If yes, have you submitted a final report for that grant?

 Yes  No

______

Signature of Contact Person

Date

Submit completed applications to:

Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Peninsula FAITHS Partnership

1700 South El Camino Real, Suite 300

San Mateo, California 94402-3049

Fax: 650.358.3950

Applications for funding during 2007 must be submitted by 5 p.m. on March 2, 2007. Funding decisions for the spring cycle will be made by April 5, 2007.

Faxed applications will be accepted and the original must be

mailed and postmarked by March 2, 2007.

For assistance completing this application, please contact Helen Omictin

at Silicon Valley Community Foundation at 650.581.4338

Peninsula FAITHS Partnership

Grant Application

Your grant application does not guarantee a grant. A review committee of Foundation staff and community leaders will make grant decisions. Please type or clearly print your responses in the space provided. No additional sheets of paper are necessary. If you use a computer to respond to these questions, please limit your responses to the same amount of space provided on this form and follow the application format described below.

Part I: Project Description

1.What is the principal objective of your project? In this section, please include a description of which community need(s) (listed on the application guidelines) your program will address.

2. What constituency will your project serve? Please include information on the age range, ethnicity, income level and geographical area your project will serve.

3. Who is responsible for project leadership? Please discuss which individual(s) or committee in the congregation or organization will be responsible for oversight of the project and that person’s or committee’s background. Please include contact information including email addresses for the project leaders.

4. What partner organizations/ congregations (if any) are involved in the project’s implementation? Please discuss the level of commitment partner organizations have made to the project in terms of time, leadership, funding, congregational participation, etc.

5. What is the level of community involvement? Please address issues of clergy and congregational support, as well as support (if any) from individuals from the wider community beyond your own congregation.

6. What is the anticipated time frame? Please describe the steps involved in the project and the dates by which you hope to accomplish each step.

7. What specific goals are you trying to achieve? Please list the specific measurable goals you have set for your project. For example, a congregation may have a goal that states, “Our congregation will serve 50 meals per week to homeless individuals in our area.” or “On a weekly basis, our congregation will provide tutoring for 30 children in grades 1-8.”

8. How will you know if you are successful? Please discuss how you plan to evaluate your project.

Peninsula FAITHS Partnership

Proposed Grant Budget Form

Part II: Budget

In this section, include a budget for your project that describes all sources of funding (revenue) for the work you plan to do, as well as a list of all anticipated expenses. Please state clearly the dollar amount requested from Silicon Valley Community Foundation. It is acceptable if Silicon Valley Community Foundation is the only funder of the project, but projects with other funders are considered stronger prospects for funding.

Anticipated Expenses

Please list below / Total amount of each item / Indicate how much, if any, community foundation funding would be used for each item.
$ / $
$ / $
$ / $
$ / $
$ / $
$ / $
$ / $
$ / $
$ / $
Total Anticipated Expenses / $
Expected Revenue (Sources of funding may include the congregation or organization that is planning the project, interested donors, other foundations and Silicon Valley Community Foundation)
1. __Peninsula FAITHS Partnership grant______/ $
2. / $
3. / $
Total Expected Revenue
The expected revenue should be at least
as much as the anticipated expenses. / $

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