2017 BANK OF AMERICA LEGAL ASSISTANCE FOR FORECLOSURE PREVENTION & COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT GRANTS

Transcription

1 2017 BANK OF AMERICA LEGAL ASSISTANCE FOR FORECLOSURE PREVENTION & COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT GRANTS Applications Due Nov. 21, 2016 Application forms available online at 1. General Information In March 2016, the Massachusetts IOLTA Committee received $5.6 million from a settlement on mortgagerelated litigation between the US Department of Justice and Bank of America. These funds will be distributed by the three charities responsible for granting IOLTA funds in Massachusetts: the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation, the Boston Bar Foundation, and the Massachusetts Bar Foundation. The MBF received approximately $1.4 million to distribute in grants to Massachusetts legal aid organizations. To date, over $1 million has been awarded through our annual IOLTA Grants Program. The MBF will distribute its remaining funds from the settlement allocation by means of a competitive grant process in which we invite current MBF IOLTA and Citigroup Community Redevelopment Grant Recipients to participate. The MBF expects to award one-time grants totaling approximately $300,000 for programs that utilize legal advocacy to provide foreclosure prevention assistance or to foster community redevelopment in areas of Massachusetts hit particularly hard by the foreclosure crisis. We are seeking proposals for significant grants ($40, minimum) for programs which can be put into effect immediately, and used during the grant period which will be March 1, 2017 through February 28, Grants for Foreclosure Prevention Assistance Proposed projects should provide legal assistance directly to low-income homeowners at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure. Priority will be given to those programs providing direct legal representation. Foreclosure prevention legal aid can involve various types of legal aid advocacy in prevention of mortgage foreclosures such as: Bankruptcy to save the client s home Seeking loan modifications to avoid foreclosure Property tax (on homestead) legal disputes that put the homestead at risk of foreclosure Review of loan documents and counseling re. viability of loan modification, triage for state or federal violations including Homeowner Bill of Rights violations Loan modification assistance, includes forbearance agreements and repayment plans for debt forgiveness or reduction, interest rate reduction, or extending time for payment; also transitional options, including short sale, deed in lieu of foreclosure, and cash for keys Loan modification denial appeals Pursuing affirmative actions to restore title in other context, such as consumer fraud, predatory lending, or financial abuse

2 In limited cases legal assistance with other debts, such as avoiding repossession of a vehicle needed to get to work, that can be clearly tied to a client s ability to avoid foreclosure. Strategies may be across a broad range of options from advice and counsel, representation, and mediation programs, but should reflect an understanding of the current needs and challenges within the communities to be served, knowledge of successful models, flexibility and creativity, and necessary collaborations to achieve stated goals. 3. Grants for Community Redevelopment Proposed projects should support and promote community redevelopment by providing legal services that revitalize or stabilize low-income communities, particularly with respect to housing. Funds may be used to provide services to clients identified as individual eligible clients or groups, such as neighborhood or community organizations that cannot afford private counsel. Community redevelopment work should address neighborhood blight resulting from problems facing communities unemployment, poverty, job loss, environmental degradation, substandard housing, and loss of community control. Eligible services can include community lawyering which actively elicits community involvement when working with government and private sectors to build strong communities, industries, and markets. Qualifying activities can include, but are not limited to: Eliminating barriers that block low-income individuals from employment success, including assistance obtaining work-related documents, expungement of criminal records, credit repair, and assistance with housing and consumer matters Fostering healthy communities by strengthening the healthcare safety net, increasing access to health insurance/health care Eliminating homelessness by providing legal assistance in cases, such as those involving wrongful evictions and poor housing conditions Providing legal resources to small businesses and local nonprofits, including tenant associations Initiatives designed to hold owners accountable for vacant properties Negotiation with a variety of groups including private, city, state, or federal Devising program, policy, and legislative solutions to the loss of affordable housing or other affordable housing advocacy to combat displacement and enforce redevelopment law Representation of low-income communities to address community conditions, e.g., environmental justice, equity in transit-oriented development, prevention and elimination of homelessness, segregation patterns in housing, inclusion of affordable housing and other matters that protect the healthy development of communities. 4. Criteria for Funding The MBF considers the grants that will result from this competitive application process to be IOLTA grants. As such, programs will be evaluated primarily using established IOLTA Grants Program Priorities and the following criteria:

3 Demonstrated Need of the Targeted Population: Although there are no income-eligibility requirements for this funding, the MBF will consider the articulated needs of a defined target population/community, particularly those with populations facing significant adversity. In addition, the MBF seeks to direct these funds to communities that continue to struggle due to the impact of the foreclosure crisis. Deliverables within Grant Period: Grant deliverables must be achievable within the period of the proposed grant. Although funding a portion of a project (e.g., impact litigation) coupled with other funding as a bigger project or over a longer term will be considered, the proposal should articulate the specific deliverable that will be achieved with the grant funding during the grant period. Partnerships and Collaboration: As relevant, the MBF will consider the extent to which an applicant already has developed necessary partnerships, or has demonstrated the ability to partner with community organizations, local government, or other stakeholders to accomplish goals. The MBF anticipates the added value of strong partnerships, particularly in regard to community redevelopment proposals. Leverage and Sustainability: Because this is one-time funding, the MBF is particularly interested in how the proposed project fits within current organizational programming. If it is an existing project, how will funds be leveraged to increase services? If the project is a new innovation, how will the organization sustain the project past the first year? Is it replicable or scalable? How will information about the project be shared with other legal aid organizations? Organizational Excellence: The MBF will also consider the experience of the grantee in successfully executing similar projects; the stability of the organization s infrastructure and ability, as necessary, to hire, train, and supervise attorneys; and to successfully administer any resultant grant, including budgeting, reporting and evaluation. 5. Application Details, Eligibility & Reporting Requirements All application instructions and forms are available at Applications must arrive at the MBF no later than 5:00 p.m. on November, 21, Late applications will not be accepted. The MBF will accept proposals only from nonprofit organizations which are currently recipients of MBF IOLTA and Citigroup Community Redevelopment grant funding. Proposals can request funding for a new or existing initiative. Only one application will be accepted from each applicant. Prior to the release of any grant funds, successful applicants must sign a contractual grant agreement, which may include individual funding conditions. In addition to completing the MBF s standard IOLTA reporting requirements, the MBF, in accordance with a national data collection effort by the National Association of IOLTA Programs, will require that grantees collect and report the following data: Foreclosure Prevention Legal Assistance Initiatives: How many individuals assisted (separately, how many elderly, children and veterans)? What was the total number of foreclosures prevented? How many foreclosure clients benefited in other ways? Community Redevelopment Legal Assistance Initiatives: How many individuals benefitted (separately, how many elderly, children and veterans)? How many non-profits benefitted, if any? How many small business clients benefitted, if any?

4 Grantees must also provide at least one client story detailing how a nonprofit or small business was served by the program OR a person or people positively impacted by the foreclosure prevention or community redevelopment legal services provided. By submitting a grant application, an applicant agrees to collect and report the data described above. 6. APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS Applications must be typed and include the four (4) components listed below to be considered. NOTE: The two form components are available at Please do not alter the forms in any way or attach additional pages. Be sure to use the forms indicated specifically for the 2017 Bank of America Community Redevelopment Grants Program. Component 1. Proposal Summary Form The information for the Proposal Summary Form must be submitted on the form available on the MBF website. Please use the Proposal Narrative (see below) to clarify any issues in the Proposal Summary. This form intentionally follows the format of the IOLTA Summary Form, but there have been changes to page 1 and page 2 of the form. Component 2. Budget Form Please complete and submit the one-page MBF Budget Form available on the MBF website. Program budgets should reflect costs only for the program for which funding is requested. In the Total Program Budget column, please list expenses for the entire program. In the MBF Request column, please list the specific expenses for which you are requesting Foundation support. Please adjust your budget to reflect the anticipated grant period, March 1, 2017 to February 28, The total amount requested from the Massachusetts Bar Foundation and the additional revenue sources listed at the bottom of the form should, at minimum, equal the total expenses of the Total Program Budget column. Please do not list in-kind contributions and expenses on the Budget Form. They can be listed in Part III of the Proposal Narrative. Component 3. Proposal Narrative In the Proposal Narrative, please elaborate on the information requested in the Proposal Summary Form. The Proposal Narrative may not exceed five (5) pages (strictly enforced). Please type the narrative in a font no smaller than 12 point, use 1 inch margins, and number the pages. Please follow the outline of topics to cover in the shaded box at the end of this document. NOTE: The Proposal Narrative and Summary Form should be completed as separate, stand-alone documents. Each will be used in a separate component of the review process. Component 4. Appendix Materials The Appendix Materials must include: A. Current Board-approved organization budget B. List of Current Board members 7. SUBMISSION FORMAT NOTE: If application instructions are not followed exactly, your grant application will not be considered.

5 Please submit all materials electronically via the liquidfiles link below on or before November 21, Each application should include four PDF files, named as follows: Your Organization Name Summary Form.pdf Your Organization Name Budget Form.pdf Your Organization Name Proposal Narrative.pdf Your Organization Name Appendix.pdf To submit your application files, please go to: Complete the fields on the Massachusetts Bar Foundation File Drop Page. Click the green button to add files to the message, then hit the send button. 8. Questions Please contact the MBF Grants Office with any questions at or via Applicants should not contact members of the MBF Board of Trustees, unless specifically requested to do so by the MBF Grants Office Bank of America Please use the following outline in preparing your Proposal Narrative. Please be as clear and concise as possible. I. Profile of the Organization A. Brief summary of organization's history, goals, and key achievements. B. Overview of organization's structure and programs, including board, staff, and volunteer involvement. II. Profile of the Program A. Program Description. 1. Description of the program including the measurable goals and objectives. Please project and list the quantitative outcomes you expect to result from this program. Remember to include the actual activities grant funds will support in this section. 2. Description and time-line of specific program activities. 3. Please indicate if this program is new or an existing initiative. B. Community/Regional Redevelopment Needs the Program Will Address. 1. Description of the scope of the problem your program will address, indicating what is currently being done to address it and how your organization will take an innovative approach, complementing existing programs, rather than duplicating them. Also, be sure to describe the geographic scope of your program. C. Target Population and Outreach. 1. Description of the population this program will target for services, including how you will reach them and their geographic distribution. 2. If applicable, a description of the income eligibility guidelines and screening processes used to determine eligibility of program clients. D. Community and Volunteer Support. 1. Description of how the program will enlist the pro bono involvement and support of the private bar, if at all.

6 2. Description of the level and nature of the involvement of the courts, private bar, local bar association, legal service community, and the community-at-large. Identify organizations with whom you will collaborate in conducting this program and the anticipated effect this cooperation will have on the program. Please distinguish between lawyer volunteers and non-lawyer volunteers. E. Qualifications of Staff and Volunteers. 1. Brief profiles, not resumes, of key staff and volunteers. 2. Description of training and supervision for staff and volunteers. F. Outcome Measurement and Evaluation. 1. Description of the criteria used to measure effectiveness of program. 2. Description of the methods used to track program outcomes and long-term success. G. Future Plans. 1. Is program anticipated to continue beyond the one-year of the grants resulting from this RFP? 2. If so, please describe your strategy to secure future funding for the program. III. Budget Narrative (this section must be included within the 5-page limit of the entire proposal narrative) A. Narrative description for each line item included on the Budget Form. Please be sure this form includes both the entire program budget and the specific expenses for which you are seeking Massachusetts Bar Foundation support. IV. Current and Past Support for your Organization A. List of IOLTA or other grants received from either the Boston Bar Foundation or the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation, as well as any grants from the federal Legal Services Corporation, over the last two years. B. List of other companies, foundations, and resources being approached to fund this program. Please include request amounts and indicate the status of your request (pending or secured). If funding is only partially secured, please list the amount secured, as well as the amount still pending. All four components must be included in the 5-page narrative. Please do not include attachments, appendices, exhibits, or extra pages to the narrative. They will be removed.