Grant Guidelines Fall 2011 Our Mission and Purpose The Women s Fund s mission is to broaden awareness of and response to issues affecting women through the power of collective philanthropy. The Women s Fund will fulfill its mission by: Educating donors and the community about philanthropy and issues affecting women, girls and their families; Raising money and awarding grants to organizations that address those issues pertinent to women, girls and their families; and Adopting methods that will promote inclusiveness and diversity in both giving and grant making. Our work is informed by these values: We believe that positive social change will come about only when barriers of class, ethnicity, race, educational background, sexual orientation, economic status, and faith traditions are overcome. Participation at the broadest level is the beacon of our work. Enduring progress will be made by focusing on assets unique to the lives and work of women. We strive to create a climate of empowerment in a community where many voices can contribute to the shaping of will and attitudes. In our society, gender powerfully affects experience and opportunity. Through collaborations, The Women s Fund of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities will honor traditional attributes of women and at the same time pave new paths. All voices will be heard, including those outside the mainstream and those silent voices within the mainstream. Our Priorities All successful applicants must be able to affirm that their project incorporates the following strategic priorities of The Women s Fund. Does your project incorporate one or more of the following priorities? ( ) Advance the lives of girls and women by providing opportunities to develop economic self-sufficiency. ( ) Provide health programs for women, or ( ) Promote the education of women. The Basics Grant eligibility: The Fund will make grants to programs/initiatives that serve women in South Central PA counties Dauphin, Cumberland, Perry, Lebanon and Franklin. All money must be distributed through non-profit organizations federally determined as 501(c)(3) entities. Applicants without 501(c)(3) status may engage a fiscal agent to administer their grant funds. Please include the 501(c)(3) ruling of your fiscal agent with a cover letter from them acknowledging that they will act as your agent. Size of grants and distribution of funds: We anticipate approximately $12,000.00 will be available to grant for 2011. Grants will be awarded for one year. Funds will be released within fifteen days following receipt of an executed grant agreement. Grant Deadline: The Women s Fund will review applications once in each fiscal year. Requests Due: October 14, 2011 Use of funds: Funds are to be used to carry out the program effort or initiative as defined in the grant proposal. The Women s Fund considers support for program/initiative operating costs and supports start-up as well as established programs.
Funds May Not Be Used For: political campaigns or promotion of candidates for public office, anti-reproductive rights activities, promotion of religious beliefs, advancement of capital or endowment campaigns, event sponsorship, scholarships that fund individual students, co-educational programs that do not clearly communicate the specific and unique aspects for women Proposal Criteria The Women s Fund will evaluate grant applications using the following criteria: Program/Initiative Design. The narrative specifically describes the who, what, where, when, and how of the proposed program/initiative. Gender Lens. If the program is coeducational, the program design should communicate the specific and unique aspects for girls/women. Evaluation and Pass It On Plan. The application describes how this project will be evaluated internally and what will determine its success. The application describes how the skills and understanding gained through this project will be communicated to a larger community and/or ways that an organization can build on the success of the program/initiative. Volunteer Opportunities. The application suggests ways that Women s Fund members can serve in a volunteer capacity to support the program or project. Budget. The application presents a clear understanding of the use of funds requested and the relationship of those funds to the overall budget of the organization. Technical/Procedural. The application is complete and readable. Grant review process: The Women s Fund has a Grant Review Committee made up of a diverse group of women. This committee reviews grant applications according to our selection criteria and makes valuable suggestions to ensure that The Women s Fund s work in the community will make a difference. The Grant Review Committee, prior to a decision on the grant, may request additional information about the grant proposal either via a conference call or site visit if necessary. Award Notifications and Reporting Requirements All applicants will be notified in writing of funding decisions within two weeks after grant award decisions are made. Unsuccessful applicants will be provided with feedback about their grant proposals. Serve women living in low income areas and/or communities with unmet needs. Support programs that have limited access to other funding sources or are emerging, community based organizations with small budgets. Address the root causes of problems and issues Have an impact that extends beyond the women immediately involved in the project Grantees are required to submit 6-month and 12-month reports on the progress and outcomes of the funded program.
How to Apply Proposal requirements (please read carefully): All sections of the grant application must be submitted by the deadline and in the format requested. Please provide one original and eight copies of all materials. The narrative section of the proposal should not exceed 5 pages in length. No more than 3 letters of support may be included in your application. Materials such as brochures, photos, newspaper articles and the like should NOT be included in the application packet. Proposals should be stapled and not submitted in individual folders or binders of any sort. PDF versions of our grant application and guidelines are available on our website at. These documents can also be obtained in Microsoft Word format by contacting your Program Officer at The Foundation. Applications should be mailed or hand delivered to: Rosemary Browne, Director of Programs and Community Investment The Foundation for Enhancing Communities 200 N. 3 rd Street, 8 th Floor PO Box 678 Harrisburg, PA 17108-0678 Questions? Contact: Rosemary Browne Email: rosemary@tfec.org Phone: 717-236-5040
Grant Cycle: October 14, 2011 Grant Summary Name of Organization Organization Web site Contact Person/Title E-mail Address City State Zip Phone Fax Title of Project Project Start Date Total Cost of Project Amount Requested from Foundation Total Organizational Budget Does your organization have tax exempt 501(c)(3) status: Yes No If not, which organization will serve as your fiscal agent for this project?* Chief Executive of Fiscal Agent Phone *If this applies, then the application must contain a letter of confirmation from Fiscal Agent. Demographic Information What populations will be served by the proposed project? (Please check all that apply) Race/Ethnicity/Nationality: Age Group: African American/Black Caucasian/White (non-hispanic) 0-5 years 18-25 years Hispanic/Latino Asian 6-11 years 26-66 years Multi-Racial/Multi-Ethnic Other 12-17 years 67+ years What is the average annual household income of those served by your project? $0 - $10,000 $10,000 - $25,000 $25,000 - $50,000 $50,000 + What geographical areas will be served by the project? Cumberland County Dauphin County Franklin County Lebanon County Perry County Northern York County, Dillsburg Area Additional populations specifically targeted by your project: Homeless Unemployed Disabled (includes mental illness, cognitive, emotional, physical or hidden) Immigrant, undocumented, and refugee Incarcerated/ex-offenders Non-English speakers Other: The undersigned hereby certify that all information contained in and submitted with this proposal is correct, and that this proposal is submitted with the approval of the Board of Directors, and that this organization will execute a grant agreement if a grant is awarded to us. Printed Name of Board President (or designee) Printed Name of Agency CEO Board President (or designee) Signature Date Agency CEO Signature Date
Proposal Narrative Note: Please attach narrative responses to this form. Narrative must be a maximum of 5 pages, written in 12 point font with 1 inch margins on all sides. 1. Brief Description of Applicant Organization Please provide a brief description of the history of your organization and the programs and/or services that you provide. 2. Project Description Describe the proposed project including information on the target population to be served. Explain the documented need for the project. State the goals (the outcome you desire) and objectives (the series of steps you will take to accomplish each major goal of your project). Collaborations and/or cooperative efforts with other organizations. 3. Methods of Measurement Outcome and Evaluation Describe how you will measure project success, for example, how the project aligns with the mission of the organization, the benefits for participants before and after program activities, and how you plan to document your outcomes. This section is critical to your proposal. 4. Request for Funds and Sustainability State the amount you are seeking from The Women s Fund as well as other funders involved and other pending or committed sources of funding. Detailed plan that includes sustainability of the project after funding cycle has been completed. The Women s Fund is unable to fund 100% of any project. Brief written statement indicating if the organization ended it s most recent fiscal year with a budget surplus or deficit. 5. Timeline for Project Implementation Projects should begin a minimum of 12 weeks after date of grant submission and should not exceed 12 months in duration.
potential of women Sample Budget Worksheet Items (Sample expense items include: personnel, equipment, supplies and contracted services. List your own as appropriate.) Description of Requested Items Request to The Women s Fund Outside Funding Sources (please indicate what the outside funding source is and the amount) Anticipated, Committed or Received (A, C or R) Project Total Consultant For four $500.00 training sessions $2,000.00 $5,000.00 Stewart Foundation C $7,000.00 Program supplies Incentives for staff to come to trainings Updated technology Program supplies Supplies for above trainings (binders, note paper, pens, copying for handouts for binders, lunch for staff) Gift cards, movie passes, etc. not to exceed $50/staff member 3 new laptops to take into the field Resource manual for teachers (will include information from above trainings) $1,000.00 $1,000.00 $1,500.00 $1,500.00 $3,000.00 $2,500.00 $7,000.00 Bill Gates Foundation $2,500.00 Target R $10,000.00 A $5,000.00 Manuals cost $200 each Rent To cover rent and utilities in shared office space for staff $25,000.00 Kellogg Foundation A $25,000.00 Total $10,000.00 $39,500.00 $49,500.00
potential of women Budget Worksheet Items (Sample expense items include: personnel, equipment, supplies and contracted services. List your own as appropriate.) Description of Requested Items Request to The Women s Fund Outside Funding Sources (please indicate what the outside funding source is and the amount) Anticipated, Committed or Received (A, C or R) Project Total Total