United Way of Central Maryland United Way of Central Maryland FY2018 Community Operating Grant Application Instructions Introduction United Way of Central Maryland s Community Operating Grant application is an opportunity for non-profit health and human service organizations that serve individuals and families in central Maryland to request general operating or programmatic support from the United Way. Community Operating Grants are awarded once annually. The application deadline is January 31 st, 2017 at 5:00 pm (EST). Community Partners identified through this application process will receive one-year funding for the period of July 1, 2017 June 30, 2018. Applications must be submitted through our on-line grant application portal. The application will be available on our portal on or about Tuesday, January 10 th. It can be accessed through our website s Grant Information Page: http://www.uwcm.org/main/nonprofit-funding/ Agencies wishing to apply are strongly encouraged to attend the United Way s Bidder s Conference, scheduled for Tuesday, January 17 th, 2017 from 1:00 2:30 pm at Montgomery Park, 1 st Floor Auditorium, 1800 Washington Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21230. For more information on the bidder s conference and to register, please go to http://www.uwcm.org/main/nonprofit-funding/ General Application Information For over 90 years, United Way of Central Maryland has been a human service leader for the region, encouraging all central Marylanders to give, advocate and volunteer. Our mission is to unite and engage the community to improve people s lives. United Way envisions a caring community where all people attain a quality education, stable employment, affordable housing and good health the building blocks for a better life. We achieve this through grantmaking, special initiatives, collaborations, providing service, promoting volunteerism and advocacy, all while mobilizing more resources for the nonprofit community by serving as a highly efficient, effective and trusted fundraiser. United Way s grantmaking supports programs and initiatives in Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, and Howard Counties. This is done with the guidance of our Community Partnership Boards, which are made up of local leaders from public agencies, service providers, businesses and community-based organization in each of these jurisdictions. Community Operating Grants provide United Way and our Community Partnership Boards an opportunity to invest in organizations that are helping low-income individuals and families build better lives through education, housing, employment, and health.
Applicant Eligibility United Way of Central Maryland will accept applications from 501(c)(3) health and human service nonprofit agencies, and other organizations that align with the IRS tax law (an agency that may not be a 501(c)(3), but may have other nonprofit IRS designations). For example, churches, public and charter schools (pre-k through 12) and not-for-profit hospitals may apply. University and college programs or public and private schools are also eligible to apply. United Way of Central Maryland s Community Partnership Boards will award Community Operating Grants in each of the six jurisdictions in central Maryland: Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Carroll County, Harford County, and Howard County. The maximum award amount per grant is $30,000. Applicants may submit a maximum of one application per jurisdiction. Multiple applications submitted by an agency in the same jurisdiction will not be reviewed. Organizations may submit applications to more than one jurisdiction. If an organization is applying in multiple jurisdictions, a separate application is required for each request. Organizations that currently receive Community Response Grants or other funding from United Way are eligible to apply for a Community Operating Grant. Purpose of Funding Community Operating Grants will support organizations and programs that are changing outcomes for lowincome individuals and/or families (those at or below 300 percent of poverty) through effective strategies that support quality education, affordable housing, stable employment that brings in sufficient income, and/or good health, the building blocks of a successful life. Ineligible Activities United Way will not provide funding to organizations that discriminate with regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity / expression, age, ancestry, marital status or disability. In addition, applications requesting support for these activities will not be considered: Capital improvement costs Religious activities (religious organizations may apply for funding for non-sectarian activities) Lobbying activities Individuals Application Process Community Operating Grants are awarded once annually. Applications for Community Operating Grants must be submitted by the established due date, through the United Way of Central Maryland application portal. Only complete applications that include all required information and attachments will be considered for funding. Organizations will be notified via email of funding decisions. 2
FY2018 Community Operating Grant Timeline December 2016 On or about January 10, 2017 January 17, 2017, 1:00 2:30 pm January 19, 2017 @ 5:00 pm EST January 24, 2017 January 31, 2017 @ 5:00 pm EST By June 2017 July 1, 2017 June 30, 2018 Application Guidelines Released Application Available through Grant Portal Bidders Conference (details provided below) Deadline to Submit Programmatic Questions Final Question & Answer Document Posted (application portal) Application Submission Deadline Grant Award Notification Funding Period Bidder s Conference Agencies wishing to apply are strongly encouraged to attend the United Way s Bidder s Conference. Following this bidder s conference, United Way will post the PowerPoint presentation, as well as questions raised and answers provided at the event. Applicants will not have the opportunity to attend this bidder s conference remotely and a recording of the bidder s conference will not be available. Date and Time: Location: Parking: RSVP: In case of bad weather: January 17 h, 2017 from 1:00 2:30 pm Montgomery Park Business Center, 1 st Floor Auditorium, 1800 Washington Blvd, Baltimore 21230 Park in the BLUE LOT ONLY. Enter the parking lot off of Washington Blvd. Follow signs to the pedestrian tunnel. Please allow extra time to walk from the parking lot to the Bidder s Conference (10 minutes). Please RSVP if you will be attending: https://epledge.uwcm.org/epledge/servlet/eandar.article/2183/uwcm-bidder's- Conference. Due to limited space, we ask that no more than 2 persons attend from any organization. Those who have registered will receive an email notification if the event has been postponed due to inclement weather. RFP Content Questions Questions about the application may be submitted up until January 19, 2017 @ 5:00 pm EST. Please submit questions via e-mail to grantquestions@uwcm.org. Answers to all questions will be posted on our grant portal by January 24, 2017. Technical Questions Submit technical questions and technical assistance requests specific to the Application Portal via e-mail to grantquestions@uwcm.org. We will make every attempt to answer questions about our new CommunityForce Application Portal up to the submission deadline. 3
Application Organizational Information 1. Name of Organization 2. Organization s Main Address 3. Organization s Phone Number 4. EIN Tax ID # 5. Website 6. Executive Director/CEO Information Name Title Email address Phone Number 7. Central Maryland Jurisdictions Served by the Organization (select all that apply): Anne Arundel County Baltimore City Baltimore County Carroll County Harford County Howard County General Application Information 1. Name of Organization 2. Local Program Name (if applicable) 3. Local Jurisdiction Program Address 4. Application Contact 5. Total organizational budget for your current fiscal year 6. Year of your most recently filed IRS Form 990 7. Dates of your current fiscal year 8. Select the central Maryland jurisdiction for which you are applying for funding (select one): Anne Arundel County Baltimore City Baltimore County Carroll County Harford County Howard County 9. Select the primary focus of program activities that will be supported by this funding (select one): Education Health Housing Workforce Development / Income 4
Application Narrative 1. Purpose of Grant Request (100 words max) Please summarize, in one paragraph, the purpose of your grant request. 2. Organizational History, Activities and Results (500 words max) Include the following: Brief history of your organization and its mission. Brief overview of your organization s main programs and/or services, including information on any research-based/evidence-based practices implemented. Information on measurable outcomes achieved by your organization over the past 2 years. 3. Needs Addressed / Population Served (500 words max) Include the following: Describe the needs you address in the jurisdiction for which you are seeking funding (cite data sources as appropriate) and how you identified those needs. Describe the population that you serve in the jurisdiction for which you are seeking funding (demographics, specific neighborhoods, special needs, etc.). Include the number of clients you serve and provide data to demonstrate that your organization is serving individuals/families that are at or below 300% of the federal poverty level. 4. Impact of Community Operating Grant Are you requesting grant funds to support a specific project/program or general operating expenses? (Choose one and provide information requested) Request for General Operating Expenses Request for Specific Program or Initiative General Operating Expense Requests Provide overall organization information below. Only include # served and $ budgeted in the jurisdiction for which you are applying. a. Describe the activities that will be conducted and/or services provided by your organization and who they will serve. Include data and/or research/evidence that these activities will be successful. (500 words max) b. How many individuals or families will your organization serve in FY18? c. What does the above number represent? (choose one) Specific Program or Initiative Request Provide program / initiative information below. Only include # served and $ budgeted in the jurisdiction for which you are applying. a. Name of the program b. Describe the program and who it will serve. Include program data and/or research/evidence that this program will be successful. (500 words max) c. How many individuals or families will this program serve in FY18? d. What does the above number represent? (choose one) Individuals Families Individuals Families d. How will you measure success and what are your expected outcomes for the clients you will serve? (300 words max) e. How will you measure success and what are your expected outcomes for the clients you will serve? (300 words max) e. What is your total FY18 organizational budget? f. What is your total FY18 overall program budget? f. What % of the total organizational budget does your COG grant request represent? Calculate as follows: Your total COG grant request / your total organizational budget. Enter % as a g. What % of the overall program budget does your COG grant request represent? Calculate as follows: Your total COG grant request / the total program budget. Enter % as a decimal (For 5
decimal (For example: for 15%, enter 0.15) example: for 15%, enter 0.15) g. Estimated (proportional) number of individuals / families that will be supported by COG funds? Calculate as follows: COG % of your organizational budget (your answer to question 4f above) multiplied by total # to be served by the organization (your answer to question 4b above). h. Estimated (proportional) number of individuals / families that will be supported by COG funds? Calculate as follows: COG % of program budget (your answer to question 4g above) multiplied by total # to be served by the organization (your answer to question 4c above). 5. Partnerships / Jurisdictional Alignment (500 words max) Include the following: e. Describe the partnerships you have with other organizations in the jurisdiction and how you work together to identify needs, improve efficiency and/or improve the impact of services provided. Include information, if applicable, on how you partner with/support other United Way program investments in the jurisdiction. f. Describe how your organization/program aligns with and supports one or more jurisdictionlevel initiatives. Application Budget Provide budget information using the categories outlined below. For each line item cost you include, you are required to provide a narrative description of the cost. After entering costs, click on the calculate button to sum your costs for the Budget Total. Please note: If you make any budget modifications, you must click the calculate button again to re-calculate your total. When complete, make sure costs outlined in this budget match your total grant request. Personnel - Salary and benefit costs are automatically populated from the Salary and Benefits Schedule section of your application. 1. Salaries (from Salary and Benefits Schedule) 2. Fringe Benefits (from Salary and Benefits Schedule) Supplies and Equipment 3. Office Supplies 4. Program Supplies 5. Major Property/Equipment Purchase (e.g., computer) 6. Equipment Lease /Rental 7. Equipment Maintenance /Repair Other 8. Contracts/Consultants 9. Professional/Membership Fees 10. Travel 11. Conference/Training 12. Printing 13. Postage/Shipping 14. Client Assistance 15. Miscellaneous 16. Administration (must not exceed 8% of total budget request) Total Request (calculate) 6
Salary Schedule for Application Budget 1. Does your budget request include personnel costs (salaries and/or benefits)? Yes No If you selected yes, enter personnel information and costs below. You have the opportunity to add additional staff positions to your budget below. You may include up to four staff positions. Staff Position Title Staff Member Name (enter Vacant or New as appropriate) Annual Salary of Staff Position Annual Fringe Benefits of Staff Position Percentage (%) of time to be covered by this grant Salary Costs to be included in application budget Fringe Benefit Costs to be included in application budget 2. Would you like to add another staff position to the budget? Yes No 3. Total Salary Costs to be included in application budget 4. Total Fringe Benefit Costs to be included in application budget Attachments The following documents are required at the time of your application submission. Please upload the documents into the grant portal below (PDF version of documents only). 1. Copy of your IRS Determination Letter 2. Most recent copy (within the last two fiscal years) of one of the following financial documents: a. Financial audit of your organization (preferred for all organizations, and required for organizations with annual revenues of $500,000 or more). b. Financial statement reviewed by an independent auditor (only acceptable for organizations with annual revenues of less than $500,000). 3. Good Standing Certificate of Status - From Maryland s State Department of Assessments & Taxation (SDAT) Official Certificates of Status from SDAT are available by submitting a request to the State Comptroller s office. Same day Internet Expedited Certificates are available for $40. This option allows you to print from your printer an official certificate. They can also be mailed to you via the same SDAT website for the same fee. SDAT Certificate of Status System Link - https://certificate.dat.maryland.gov/pages/default.aspx 4. Current roster of your organization s Board of Directors 5. 2-1-1 Maryland United Way Helpline - Program Information Form 7
Electronic Signature 1. I certify that the information contained in this grant application and its attachments are complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge: Yes 2. Signature (Type the name of the Executive Director/CEO or other person authorized to submit applications on behalf of your organization) 8