Community Innovation Grants - Bush Foundation Headwaters Foundation, in partnership with the Bush Foundation, offers Community Innovation Grants to support communities to use problem-solving processes that lead to more effective, equitable and sustainable solutions. We think of this as civic research and development, allowing communities to develop and test new solutions to community challenges. Funding Level: $500 - $10,000. The deadline is 5:00 pm on Wednesday, June 15. Guidelines & Criteria Program Basics: Headwaters is proud to partner with the Bush Foundation on the Community Innovation Grants, which support communities to use problem solving processes that lead to more effective, equitable, and sustainable solutions. This partnership is an important part of Headwaters mission to amplify the power of community to amplify the power of community to advance equity and justice. This grant opportunity allows communities to increase collective understanding of an issue, generate ideas, and/or test and implement solutions. Grants range from $500 to $10,000. The Bush Foundation offers Community Innovation Grants from $10,000 to $200,000. We look to you to identify and define your community. This could be a geographic community (e.g. neighborhood, town, state, or Native nation) and it could be a community of common interest or racial/cultural identity. We are not prioritizing any specific issues and instead are open to projects that address all sorts of community needs. In addition, projects can be at various stages of the problem-solving process including identifying the need, increasing collective understanding of the issue, generating ideas, or testing and implementing solutions. Proposals can focus on one area or span multiple stages. Community Innovation Grant Criteria: The proposal must be for a new project or process The project must be completed within one year. The project can be a one year phase of a multi-year initiative. 1 P a g e
Fit with Community Innovation Grants Program Does the project use inclusive, collaborative, and resourceful processes? Inclusive: meaningfully engaging key stakeholders thoughtfully identifying those needed to create the intended change and including those directly affected by the problem Collaborative: a true joint effort, with partners willing to share ownership and decision-making as they pursue an innovation together Resourceful: using existing resources and assets creatively to make the most of what a community already has Innovative: leads to a community innovation - breakthrough in addressing a community need or opportunity that is more effective, equitable, or sustainable than existing approaches? Implementation Is the project plan thoughtful and realistic? Does it address the identified community need? Does the applicant have the capacity to execute the work effectively or have a plan to meet the needed capacity? Impact Is the project likely to make a significant, sustainable difference, now or in the future? Will the project inspire or inform others? Portfolio At least 50% of Community Innovation Grants will be projects that address racial and economic disparities. For the purpose of this grant program, we define this as proposals that seek to actively reduce structural and/or systemic gaps in access, outcomes, opportunities, or treatment based on race/ethnicity or economic standing. 2 P a g e
Theory of Change Please refer to the Bush Foundation visual below. Community Innovation Grant Eligibility To be selected for funding, organizations must be a legally incorporated entity with 501(c)(3) status. Organizations with a fiscal agent are also eligible to apply. Headwaters does not fund individuals. Organizations must carry out their work in Minnesota. Headwaters support cannot be used for partisan efforts. If you are a current Community Innovation Grantee through Headwaters Foundation for Justice, your organization needs to have all reports submitted prior to re-applying for the next round of Community Innovation Grants. Headwaters Foundation encourages emerging organizations to apply for funding. 3 P a g e
Proposal Must Include: All proposals and attachments must be submitted through Headwaters online web portal and must include: Answers to all application questions Organization Budget and Program Budget If 501(c)(3) Organization: o 1 copy of IRS Letter of Determination or 1 copy of Certificate of Incorporation (only if you don't have an IRS Letter of Determination) If you have a fiscal agent: o A letter from the fiscal agent's Executive Director verifying your fiscal relationship, dated within the last six months; o 1 copy of the fiscal agent's IRS Letter of Determination; o The fiscal agent's most recent audited financials; o Your project's year-end income and expense report; and o Your project's year-end balance sheet. Staff and Board List Include a description of how the staff and board reflect the community with whom you work If you have received a Community Innovation Grant from Headwaters Foundation in the past and have not yet submitted your final report, you will be required to submit a final report along with your current application. Amount Grants range from $500 to $10,000. Applicants will request the amount needed for their Community Innovation project, within the $500- $10,000 range. The Bush Foundation s Community Innovation Grants An organization can apply for and receive funding if selected for both a Headwaters Community Innovation Grant and a Bush Community Innovation Grant so long as the funding is for different projects or a different phase of the same project. Click here if you have read the Community Innovation Grants program basics and eligibility criteria. 4 P a g e
ORGANIZATION INFORMATION Organization Name: Executive Directors Name: Executive Director s E-Mail Number: Executive Director s Phone Number Address City State Zip Code Website CONTACT PERSON IF DIFFERENT THAN ABOVE Contact Name: Contact Title: Contact E-Mail: Contact Phone: Organization s mission statement (750 character limit, including spaces) When was your organization founded (750 character limit, including spaces) Organization Status (please pick one) 501(c)(3) Has Fiscal Agent Tribal Organization Additional information required for organizations with a 501c3 status EIN Number Additional information required for organizations with a fiscal agent Fiscal Agent Name Fiscal Agent EIN Fiscal Agent Address 5 P a g e
Fiscal Agent Contact Name Fiscal Agent E-Mail Fiscal Agent Phone Number Additional information required for Tribal Organizations Tribal Number DOCUMENTATION (if 501(c) (3)) Please provide 1 copy of your IRS Letter of Determination or 1 copy of Certificate of Incorporation (only if you don t have an IRS Letter of Determination). Please provide a Staff/Board List Include description of how the staff and board reflect the community that you work with. DOCUMENTATION (Has Fiscal Agent) Please provide 1 copy of your fiscal agent s IRS Letter of Determination or 1 copy of Certificate of Incorporation (only if you don t have an IRS Letter of Determination). Please provide a Staff/Board List Include description of how the staff and board reflect the community that you work with. Please provide letter from the fiscal agent s Executive Director verifying your fiscal relationship, dated within the last six months DOCUMENTATION (If Tribal Organization) Please provide a Staff/Board List Include description of how the staff and board reflect the community that you work with. Funding Level Requested ($500 - $10,000): PPROJECT DETAILS 1. A. Have you applied and/or received a Bush Foundation Community Innovation Grant in the past year? (Yes or no) 1. B. If yes, how is the program in the proposal different than the work for the Bush Community Innovation Grant? (750 characters, including spaces) 2. Summarize your project (750 characters, including spaces) 3. How does the process lead to a community innovation a breakthrough in addressing a community need or opportunity that is more effective, equitable, or sustainable than existing approaches? Note: projects can be at various stages of the 6 P a g e
innovation process including identifying the need, increasing collective understanding of the issue, generating ideas, or testing and implementing solutions. (750 characters, including spaces) 4. Where on the Theory of Change does your work fall? Refer to the Guidelines and Criteria page of the application. a. Increase collective understanding of the problem (Yes or no) b. Generate ideas (Yes or no) c. Test and implement solutions (Yes or no) 5. What outcome do you hope to achieve from this project or process? (1250 characters, including spaces) 6. What is the timeline of this program? (Please note: the length of the program cannot be greater than one year). How is this project or process different from the ongoing work of your organization does? (750 characters, including spaces) 7. Who is the constituency that are most affected by the community need, issue, or solution? (2000 characters, including spaces) 8a. How does the project use inclusive processes? Inclusive: Meaningfully engaging key stakeholders thoughtfully identifying those needed to create the intended change and including those directly affected by the problem. (750 characters, including spaces) 8b. How does the project sue collaborative processes? Collaborative: a true joint effort, with partners willing to share ownership and decisionmaking as they pursue an innovation together. (750 characters, including spaces) 8c. How does this project use resourceful processes? Resourceful: using existing resources and assets creatively to make the most of what a community already has. (750 characters, including spaces) 9. What is your capacity to execute the work effectively or what plan do you create to meet the needed capacity? (Capacity can include volunteers, partnerships, reputation, finances, etc.). (750 characters, including spaces) 7 P a g e
PROJECT BUDGET Project budget for the period of (enter date) to (enter date) Project Revenue Amount Requesting from headwaters (between $500 - $10,000): Other Foundations* Government Grants & Contracts* Corporations* United Way or other federated campaigns* Individual contributions Fundraising events & products Membership income In-kind support Other (specify) Total Project Revenue (please provide total) Project Expenses Salaries/Wages Payroll Taxes & Benefits Consultants & Professional Fees Travel Equipment Supplies Training Printing & Copying 8 P a g e
Telephone & Fax Postage & Delivery Rent & Utilities In-kind expenses Other (Please specify) Total Project Expenses * Revenue detail from above: Name of Funder Amount Status (Planned, pending or confirmed) NOTE: You are required to enter a project budget (using the form above) and attach an organization budget (attached below). Applications that do not include both budgets will be incomplete, and therefore will not be considered for funding. Total Organization Budget 9 P a g e
DOCUMENTATION (all applicants) Please attach your organization s budget file: Additional documentation (if your organization has a fiscal agent) Please attach the fiscal agent s most recent audited financials Please attach your project s year-end income and expense report Please attach your project s year-end balance sheet Yes, Headwaters may share my proposal with other funding sources 10 P a g e