GRASS ROOTS GAY RIGHTS FOUNDATION BENEFICIARY APPLICATION Table of Contents GRASS ROOTS GAY RIGHTS FOUNDATION S MISSION & DEFINITIONS... 2 MISSION:... 2 Definition: Grassroots... 2 Definition: Diverse Populations... 2 FOUNDATION FUNDRASING EVENTS... 2 TYPES OF GRANT FUNDING... 3 TIER 1 GRANTS LOCAL LARGE ORGANIZATIONS:... 3 TIER 2 GRANTS LOCAL SMALL ORGANIZATIONS:... 3 TIER 3 GRANTS - LOCAL:... 3 TIER 4 GRANTS NATIONAL:... 3 GRANT SELECTION PROCESS... 4 Reporting Requirements for Tier 1 & Tier 2 Beneficiaries:... 4 Dates and Deadlines:... 4 Partnering with Grass Roots Gay Rights Foundation:... 5 GRANT APPLICATION... 6 SECTION A ORGANIZATION DETAILS... 6 SECTION B FUNDING, REACH AND IMPACT... 6 SECTION C FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS... 7 APPLICATION SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS... 8 QUESTIONS... 8 BENEFICIARY APPLICATION 1
GRASS ROOTS GAY RIGHTS FOUNDATION S MISSION & DEFINITIONS MISSION: Our Mission Statement is: The Grass Roots Gay Rights Foundation changes lives by supporting organizations that promote a happy, healthy, and connected Bay Area LGBT community. The Foundation is committed to raising and distributing funds to grassroots organizations that strengthen the diverse populations that make up the Bay Area s LGBT community. Our goal is to support charitable organizations that create local impact, sustainable results and measurable change in the areas of LGBT civil rights, community development, social services, the arts, and/or HIV/AIDS and other health- related issues. Definition: Grassroots Grassroots refers to how the Foundation raises resources, which is primarily from the work of volunteers who organize our events and from our Circle of Friends who host, buy tickets and attend our events. Grass Roots also refer to what we look for in our beneficiaries, meaning the ability to create measurable local positive social impact for the diverse populations that make up San Francisco s LGBT community. Definition: Diverse Populations "Diverse populations" refers to the variety of beneficiaries that represent the wide range of people and issues in the Bay Area s LGBT community. This includes beneficiaries that serve several populations, sustain any single distinct group, and/or focus on important issues that affect these diverse populations. FOUNDATION FUNDRASING EVENTS The Foundation manifests its mission by producing several major dance parties and other social events. The Foundation s Events Working Group oversees the production of these events. Our signature event is REAL BAD, the unofficial closing dance event of Folsom Street Fair Weekend, which takes place Sunday, September 27, 2015. REAL BAD, now in its 27th year, is the longest running, most successful event of its kind in the country. The Foundation attributes the success of REAL BAD to its Circle of Friends tradition friends inspiring friends to gather in celebration to benefit community. The foundation of this tradition is the generous and loyal support of the REAL BAD Hosts. Hosts provide the funding required to produce REAL BAD, allowing 100 percent of general admission ticket proceeds to be donated to the Foundation s selected beneficiaries. Hosts also serve as the primary source for tickets, selling to their personal Circle of Friends, creating REAL BAD s uniquely familiar, intimate, and playful atmosphere. In addition to REAL BAD, the Foundation s Events Working Group also produces two annual dance parties REACH taking place on June 27, 2015 (Pride Weekend) and RECOVERY taking place on Sunday, October 4, 2015 (Castro Street Fair Weekend). BENEFICIARY APPLICATION 2
Please visit http://www.realbad.org for more information. The Foundation also supports the renowned Flagging in the Park events, a monthly event over the summer where friends gather in the National AIDS Memorial Grove in San Francisco s Golden Gate Park. These magical afternoon picnic events feature music, food, dancing, music spun by local DJs and feature flagging and other flow arts such as poi spinning and fan dancing performed by all attendees. The Foundation is proud to partner with the organizers of Flagging in the Park and match funds raised at the events to be donated to various local charities selected by the DJs. Please visit http://www.flaggercentral.com for more information. TYPES OF GRANT FUNDING The Foundation provides to its Tier 1 and 2 beneficiaries financial support in the form of core support, unrestricted funds over a two- year period. In 2015, Grass Roots Gay Rights Foundation will fund four new beneficiaries in the following tiers: TIER 1 GRANTS LOCAL LARGE ORGANIZATIONS: Each year a large community or health organization is selected for a two- year grant. A large organization is one having an annual budget of more than $1,000,000. Each of the two large organizations (one selected this year and one selected in the prior year) receives 35% of the funds raised after payment of the two $10,000 grants described below. TIER 2 GRANTS LOCAL SMALL ORGANIZATIONS: Each year a small community or health organization is selected for a two- year grant. A small organization is one having a budget of less than $1,000,000. Each of the two small organizations (one selected this year and one selected in the prior year) receives 15% of the funds raised after payment of the two $10,000 grants described below. TIER 3 GRANTS - LOCAL: One local organization is selected to receive a one- time $10,000 grant. TIER 4 GRANTS NATIONAL: One national organization is selected to receive a one- time $10,000 grant. BENEFICIARY APPLICATION 3
GRANT SELECTION PROCESS Applications checklists and information is available below to guide applicants through the application process. Applications are accepted by the Beneficiary Selection Committee only between Tuesday, April 7, 2015 to Monday, May 4, 2015. The Beneficiary Selection Committee selects three finalists for each grant tier. The finalists for Tier 1 and Tier 2 grants are invited to make in- person verbal presentations to the Events Working Group on June 6 th ; the finalists for Tier 3 and Tier 4 grants will be selected by REAL BAD hosts at our annual Margarita Party on June 21 st. Tier 1 and Tier 2 beneficiaries are announced at the annual Host Margarita Party. Tier 3 and Tier 4 are announced the week following the Margarita Party. Your organization MUST: Be a recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization. Be able to demonstrate (if a local grantee) how the agency s programs/services create local impact, sustainable results and/or measurable change for diverse LGBT populations in the Bay Area. Demonstrate the fiscal health and financial sustainability of your organization. Be willing and able to provide volunteers to work at our main dance events (Tier 1 and 2 grantees only). Be willing to able promote our dance events in cooperation with the Foundation. Have regular access to email, the web, and the ability to read and print PDF files. Provide all information listed on the Grant Application. Your organization MAY NOT: Have been a Tier 1 or Tier 2 grantee within the last four years. Have been a Tier 3 or Tier 4 grantee within the last two years. Be an applicant or current grantee of more than one tier in a current year. Be part of a political campaign to elect a specific candidate or pass a specific ballot issue. Be a government agency. Be a for- profit entity. Reporting Requirements for Tier 1 & Tier 2 Beneficiaries: Provide updated financial information prior to the payment of the second year of your grant. Present a verbal progress update to the Working Group and Board at the end of grant year one and year two. Dates and Deadlines: Application submission deadline: Monday, May 4, 2015 Notification of finalists: Monday, May 18, 2015 20- minute oral presentation to REAL BAD Working Group: Saturday, June 6, 2015 Host Voting on Local Restricted Grant: Sunday, June 21, 2015 Host Margarita Kick- Off Party: Sunday, June 21, 2015 REAL BAD XXVII: Sunday, September 27, 2015 BENEFICIARY APPLICATION 4
REAL BAD XXVII Beneficiary Check Presentation: Thursday, November 5, 2015 Partnering with Grass Roots Gay Rights Foundation: Tier 1 and Tier 2 organizations selected for funding are required to: Have senior leadership team members attend the Host Margarita Kick- Off Party on June 21 st. Promote REAL BAD, REACH and RECOVERY in their publications and provide a link from their web site. Provide volunteers for the REAL BAD, REACH and RECOVERY party, including set- up, during the event, and strike. Our volunteer needs are only for the event day, and our volunteer needs total less than 80. Each organization will be asked to recruit and provide volunteers in proportion to the size of their grant. BENEFICIARY APPLICATION 5
GRANT APPLICATION Please provide all of the following information. SECTION A ORGANIZATION DETAILS A1. Organization name A2. Organization address A3. Organization website address A4. Primary contact person s name and title and contact info (full time staff - the person who will act as the liaison to the Foundation) A5. Organization Mission Statement A6. How many full- time and part- time paid staff are currently employed FOR TIER 1 & TIER 2 APPLICANTS: SECTION B FUNDING, REACH AND IMPACT B1. What type of grant funding are you requesting from the Foundation? Tier 1, Tier 2? B2. Briefly describe the population(s) your organization serves. [Up to 200 words] B3. Describe to the best of your organization s currently available information how your organization creates sustainable impact and measurable change for LGBT populations in the Bay Area in the following ways: What do you do? Describe what programs, activities and/or services that your organization provides to that population. How many people do you serve? What has the reach of your programs been annually for the last three years and how do you measure your reach? (Example: Our unit of measurement is one person or client who accesses our services at least once in a calendar year. We served 1654 unique clients in 2014 who accessed our program services on average of 2.3 times per month, compared to 1247 unique clients in 2013 who accessed our services on average 1.7 times per month... ) What is it like to be one of your clients? Describe a typical service experience of a sample client who engages with your organization. (Example: Sarah B. a 56 year old trans- woman arrived in San Francisco in May 2014 without sufficient contacts, knowledge or resources to find a suitable job and avoid returning to the homelessness she suffered in San Diego. She initially accessed our website from a public library computer and then came in once, then weekly, to meet with our job placement counselors and review our job listings. After 5 weeks, Sarah was able to ) What is the impact of your programs? What are the measurable quantitative and qualitative outcomes of your work for your clients? How do you measure and track your impact? (Example: 83% of our clients found full- time work through our job training and referral program in 2014 compared to 79% in BENEFICIARY APPLICATION 6
2013 and 80% in 2012. Sarah B wrote to us, without your help and I support I would never have. ). o How have your impact results changed over the last three years? What do your services cost per client/beneficiary? If you calculate cost of service/per unique client please provide that data. Up to 1000 words for this section. B4. While the Foundation provides core support unrestricted funds, we find it valuable to understand how you plan to use our funds. If granted to you, how will our funds be used or earmarked or will they go to general operating expenses? How will you continue the work supported by our funds after the grant period is over (two years for Tier 1 & 2). [Up to 200 words] FOR TIER 3 & TIER 4 APPLICANTS: BRIEF SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES AND IMACT B1. As Tier 3 & Tier 4 grants are $10,000, we want to minimize your efforts in applying. Please provide 1-2 pages of currently available information, such as an impact report or annual report, that summarizes your mission, program areas, reach and impact. We will circulate this information to our hosts who vote on the recipient of each Tier 3 & 4 grant. [2 pages max please] SECTION C FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS C1. Attach a copy of current fiscal year budget. (Please be sure your revenue is broken down by source. For example, revenue earned from paid services, grants from foundations, grants from government, etc.) C2. Attach copy of most recent IRS Form 990 or link to your Form 990 on Guidestar.com. C3. Attach copy of most recent financial audit, including balance sheet (if audited). If your organization is not audited, attach copies of your financial statements for the 12- month period ending 12/31/14. C4. Does your organization have a reserve fund? If so, what is it currently funded at? Note: A no answer does not prejudice your eligibility for Foundation funding. BENEFICIARY APPLICATION 7
APPLICATION SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS 1. SECTION A/SECTION B of your application must be submitted on organizational letterhead. 2. SECTION A/SECTION B of your application must not exceed three (3) 8.5x11, single- sided pages, with font size no smaller than 11 points. Section C (other than the Form 990) should be as few pages as possible. 3. Your Executive Director or Board President must sign the application. 4. Applications with omitted answers will be returned with instructions. Revised applications must be received by the original application deadline. 5. Include one complete copy of your application. 6. Applications must be received electronically by the submission deadline (May 4, 2015) to joanna@realbad.org Note: Applications received after the deadline will NOT be considered. 7. Important Dates a. Monday, May 4, 2015: Application submission deadline b. Monday, May 18, 2015: Notification of finalists c. Saturday, June 6, 2015: 20- minute oral presentation to REAL BAD Working Group d. Sunday, June 21, 2015: Host Margarita Kick- Off Party Host voting on Tier 3 and Tier 4 grants e. Sunday, September 27, 2015: REAL BAD XXVII f. Thursday, November 5, 2015: REAL BAD XXVII Beneficiary Check Presentation: QUESTIONS Questions regarding this application process are welcomed and should be directed (preferably via email) to: Joanna Parks Beneficiary Chair, 2015 joanna@realbad.org (415) 309-4198 BENEFICIARY APPLICATION 8