Community Impact Investment Fund 2019/2020 Invitation to submit an Expression of Interest

Transcription

1 Community Impact Investment Fund 2019/2020 Invitation to submit an Expression of Interest OVERVIEW Northumberland United Way (NUW) has developed an investment framework based on feedback from people across Northumberland County. During Community Conversations, residents shared their aspirations, hopes, and the challenges they face. The community told United Way what they need. Local experts shared their knowledge. Volunteers guided this process. United Way uses defined investment strategies to guide how investments are made in the community. STRATEGIC FOCUS AREAS NUW has identified three focus areas to invest in our community where we have learned there is the greatest need, and where we feel we are well-positioned to make a positive impact. Poverty to Possibility Assist people to maintain housing and meet basic needs Support those at risk of homelessness Support training for employment opportunities All That Kids Can Be Support learning life skills Increase inclusion in recreational opportunities and physical activities Support mental health wellness through prevention and early intervention Strong Communities Support access to information and/or resources Increase mental health support In addition to the focus areas identified above, there are more detailed investment strategies and outcomes within each area. These details are shared below in Section 6. Revised May 19, 2018

2 APPLICATION PROCESS FOR THE COMMUNITY IMPACT INVESTMENT FUND Funding is for July 1, 2019 to June 30, Paired with our strategic focus areas, this process is open to eligible non-profit and charitable organizations who fit the criteria below, and have a funding request of $10,000 or greater. The process will involve two steps. The first step is for interested applicant organizations to complete an Expression of Interest and submit it to NUW by noon on Thursday, September 27 th, This Expression of Interest will be evaluated using standard scoring tools by a small committee of staff and volunteers to ensure the process is bias-free, transparent, and consistent. Applicants who are successful and pass the first step (Expression of Interest) of the process will be invited to submit a full application, the second step of the process. Applications will be forwarded to the invited applicants by Friday, November 30, Completed applications will be due at noon on Thursday, January 17 th, Some applicant organizations may be asked to complete an interview. It is important to note that the invitation to submit a full application does not guarantee funding and could include partially funding a request. To support you through this application process, NUW staff will offer assistance as requested. We will provide detailed feedback to all applicants who submit an Expression of Interest so that applicants have the opportunity to learn more about how their work aligns with our community impact goals and strategies, and what we are looking to see in successful applications to our Community Impact Investment Fund. To submit an Expression of Interest, please ensure all sections below are complete: Section 1: Eligibility Section 2: Contact Information Section 3: Organization Information Section 4: Funding Request Section 5: Partnerships Section 6: Investment Strategies and Desired Outcomes Section 7: Impact and Measurement Section 8: Capacity Section 9: Additional Information Section 10: Declaration and Signature 2

3 SECTION 1: ELIGIBILITY To ensure your organization is a good fit for the NUW Community Impact Investment Fund. The organization: Yes/No Is incorporated as a non-profit and has a registered charitable number, or is a notfor-profit organization, partnering with a registered charity. Please provide charitable registration number. # Has an active, community based board of directors or is affiliated with a national and/or provincial head office through a local management group Provides services which directly benefit the Northumberland County community Can demonstrate fiscal and managerial responsibility Can demonstrate financial need Makes services available without discrimination If you answered YES to each of the questions above, please proceed. If you answered NO to any of the questions above, your organization is not eligible for funding. Is the application for: Yes/No The regularly funded activities within a school, college or university The regularly funded activities of a hospital Political party activities Religious activities Capital expenditures Deficit funding An Individual If you answered NO to each of the questions above, please proceed. If you answered YES to any of the questions above, your organization is not eligible for funding. About the Initiative You Are Seeking Funding For The service: Advances one of the NUW strategic focus areas (Poverty To Possibility, All That Kids Can Be, Strong Communities) Directly targets a community issue/concern which links with one of the NUW investment strategies Has a strong case for action which includes local research and supporting data Links with the work of other organizations but does not duplicate the work of other organizations Has clear and measureable outcomes Has a clear and formal outcomes measurement process Has the capacity to be flexible and responsive to changing community needs Yes/No If you answered YES to each of the questions above, please proceed. If you answered NO to any of the questions above, your initiative is not eligible for funding at this time. 3

4 SECTION 2: CONTACT INFORMATION Name of Organization: Charitable #: What is your year end? Address: Telephone: Website: Contact Person: Title: Telephone: We encourage clear, concise responses in 200 words or less. SECTION 3: ORGANIZATION INFORMATION 1. Please provide your organizations: Mission Vision Values 4

5 2. Tell us about your organization. Please describe your organization (i.e. what programs/services you offer, who you support, demographics of the clients you serve): SECTION 4: FUNDING REQUEST Description: Core (operational funding) Service (funding a specific program or service) Core or Service Name Yes/No Estimated Funding Request $ 5

6 1. Briefly describe the service for which you are requesting funding (i.e. what are the objectives, social need being addressed, how long has your organization provided this service, who benefits). SECTION 5: PARTNERSHIPS 1. Who are your partners? United Way is investing in community partnerships that improve lives locally. Description This initiative has partners? Y/N If yes, please provide details below. Name of Partner Contact name and phone # How is the partner contributing to this initiative? 6

7 SECTION 6: INVESTMENT STRATEGIES & DESIRED OUTCOMES Our investment strategies are designed to address issues that really matter in Northumberland County. They are based on consultation with local residents, expert stakeholders and local research. Step 1 - Please select one Investment Strategy that best fits and most closely aligns with the funding request. Step 2 - Choose one or two of the Desired Strategy Outcomes within the Investment Strategy selected. INVESTMENT STRATEGY Assist people to keep and maintain housing while being able to meet their basic necessities food security, life skills. FROM POVERTY TO POSSIBILITY OUTCOMES Supports are available to help maintain housing. Basic needs of food security are met. Opportunities are available for training/education around managing life skills. Support those at risk of homelessness by making sure they have access to shelter services and supports. Help people facing challenges related to employment by supporting training programs for employment opportunities. People have access to a range of emergency and alternative living arrangements and supports. People access training opportunities (job skills training, literacy, financial literacy), to increase employability. INVESTMENT STRATEGY Support children, youth and families in learning life skills. Increase inclusion in recreational opportunities and/or physical activity for children, youth and families. Support promotion and awareness of mental health wellness through prevention and early intervention programs for children and youth. ALL THAT KIDS CAN BE OUTCOMES Children, youth and families have increased knowledge of life skills. Children, youth and families do not experience barriers to accessing recreational opportunities and/or physical activities. Children and youth are engaged in prevention and early intervention programs. Children and youth have access to programs that increase awareness about mental health wellness. Parents, caregivers and family members have access to programs that increase awareness surrounding children s mental health. 7

8 INVESTME INVESTMENT STRATEGY Support ease of access to information and/or resources on health and social services. Increase the availability of supports and services for individuals, families and caregivers affected by, or living with, mental health issues. STRONG COMMUNITIES OUTCOMES Increase number of requests/visits to agencies for information and/or resources. Increase number of contact points to access information and/or resources. Increase in networking and collaborative opportunities among agencies and organizations. Increase in programs/services that provide mental health services and supports. Increase awareness and support to individuals, families and caregivers regarding mental health education. Do you have any additional outcomes? We encourage you to choose one or two of your own outcomes as they relate to the Investment Strategy you ve selected. INVESTMENT STRATEGY SELECTED DESIRED STRATEGY OUTCOME(S) 8

9 SECTION 7: IMPACT & MEASUREMENT IMPACT Community Impact: Community Impact is about achieving meaningful, long-term improvements to the quality of life in our community - addressing not just the symptoms of problems but also getting at the root causes. It is about mobilizing the community to make fundamental changes to social conditions and creating opportunities for a better life for individuals and families. 1. What is your intended impact? Please describe how you are planning to make a meaningful impact in Northumberland County. (Refer back to Section 4, Question 1) 2. Please indicate how many lives will be impacted (both directly and indirectly, if applicable). 9

10 MEASUREMENT 3. What is your plan for measuring outcomes/impact? For the investment strategy selected, please describe your plan for measuring impact and what data this will generate. Discuss the methods you intend to use in concrete terms. There are many evaluation methods possible; below are just a few options. For example, you may say: We will survey participants about their life skills before and after the service We will use our client database to track the number of people who move into housing SECTION 8: CAPACITY 1. What is your organization s current capacity to carry out this work? Please briefly describe below the resources you have to provide this service (i.e. staff, training, transportation, volunteers, and facilities). 10

11 2. Please provide a brief description of how the investment from NUW will support your capacity. We are interested in learning about what resources you need, and how the funds you are requesting will be used. SECTION 9: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 1. Please include any general comments or additional information that you believe pertinent, yet not captured elsewhere in this document. This may include information regarding your program or organization that the community volunteers reviewing your Expression of Interest would likely be unfamiliar with. 11

12 SECTION 10: DECLARATION AND SIGNATURE I confirm that the information contained in this document and accompanying documents are true, accurate and complete. Name Signature of CEO/ED Date Name Signature of Board Chair Date Date of Submission: This document can be submitted by to Heather Norris: hnorris@nuw.unitedway.ca Fax to (905) Or Send or deliver a hard copy to: Northumberland United Way 62 Swayne Street Cobourg, ON K9A 1K5 Thank you for submitting an Expression of Interest. United Way will confirm receipt within 5 business days. Please follow-up with United Way if you do not receive a confirmation notice. 12