Revised as of 10.01.17 A GUIDE TO CLUB GRANTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Club grant requirements Ideal projects and ineligible activities 2 4 5 KIWANIS IMPACT Community needs assessment 6 7 APPLY FOR A CLUB GRANT Letter of Inquiry Grant application Grant application cycle 9 10 11 12 RESOURCES & SUPPORT Quick tips for navigating Foundant 13 14
INTRODUCTION Since 1940, the Kiwanis Children s Fund has helped Kiwanians extend their impact in their own hometowns and in communities around the world. Our mission at the Kiwanis Children s Fund is to develop resources that transform the goodwill and vision of Kiwanians into programs that serve the children of the world. 2
We partner with Kiwanians to focus funds on five primary areas: Club and district grants Service Leadership Programs Disaster relief grants The Eliminate Project Iodine Deficiency Disorders sustainability In this guide, we ll provide an overview of the Club Grant program and the application process. A club grant helps address an unmet need that affects children in your community or elsewhere by supporting a project that provides long-term benefits sustained by the club. For the Kiwanis Children s Fund, a grant is a form of collaboration. When a Kiwanis club has a gap in its funding for a service project, a club grant is our way of helping to fill it. Not all Kiwanis projects are eligible for a grant through our Club Grant program. Read on to determine if your project is eligible. 3
Club grant requirements Kiwanis clubs must be actively involved in grant-funded projects. When you initiate and lead a project as a Kiwanian, you invest your time in development, coordination, fundraising and implementation the kind of engagement that deepens your impact. Such engagement also raises the Kiwanis identity in your community. Your project must: Be Kiwanis-led. Recur at least once a year. Have at least 50% of the work performed by Kiwanis-family members. Receive at least 25% of total funding from your club. Require no more than 40% of total funding from the Children s Fund. Have at least one additional funding partner besides the Children s Fund. This can come from club member donations, fundraisers, the club s bank account or a club s foundation. Diversified funding sources increase the viability of long-term projects. Spend the grant funds during the 12 months following the awarding of the funds. Funding breakdown at least from clubs no more than from Kiwanis Children s Fund at least 25% 40% 35% remaining from other sources or club 4
Ideal projects are: Widely familiar. A service project that your club is known for or intends to be known for throughout the community. Sustainable. Includes community support, with financial commitment beyond your club and the Children s Fund. Recurring. A project that can be done multiple times, over a long-term period. Capable of being duplicated. The kind of project that other clubs and districts can do, too. Children- and community-focused. Dedicated to improving kids lives and the community around them. High-impact. Makes a significant difference in many lives. We will not consider requests for: Projects without a strong Kiwanis identity or significant hands-on involvement. Funding more appropriately provided by a local government or other institution. Completed projects or expenses that have already been paid. Operating expenses or salaries of established programs and institutions. Grants intended to repay loans, establish financial reserves or provide reimbursement. Individual assistance, one-time events, sponsorships, scholarships or fellowships. Scientific research projects or medical studies. Training expenses, travel or lodging. Capital construction projects or land/building purchase. 5
KIWANIS IMPACT All grants from the Kiwanis Children s Fund are intended to improve or increase the reach of the Kiwanis family s service. The Club Grant program is no different. A club grant helps Kiwanians complete or expand a service initiative whether it s in your own hometown or a world away. 6
Where we help make an impact Club grants support activities within at least one of these Children s Fund cause areas: Health Education Youth leadership development Community needs assessment You re a Kiwanian. You want to serve your community. But to do it effectively, you must learn what your community needs. Conducting a community needs assessment will help you measure the needs of the community and what is already being done to address those needs. When you re ready, check out the community needs assessment resource for additional information on how to implement an assessment in your community. As you complete your assessment, remember you want a project that: Doesn t compete with work another organization is already doing. If someone else is working on a need you feel especially motivated to meet, explore partnering with them. Remains within your club s capacity to create and maintain. It does the community no good if you build something you cannot sustain. 7
The data you gather in your community needs assessment gives your project credibility and provides these benefits: Your club better understands the community s needs, why they exist and why they should be addressed. People from various parts of the community are included in discussions about needs, assets and community response increasing community engagement overall. Asset gaps are identified, and community members get a better idea of how they can contribute to their community s assets. An inventory of the resources available within the community helps people address their needs and improve the quality of life more efficiently. Community organizations can use the information to assess their service priorities. Community members can use the data to make decisions about addressing community needs and using available assets to inform strategic planning, priority-setting, program outcomes and program improvements. The data that is gathered can demonstrate your community s needs to other potential funders. 8
APPLY FOR A CLUB GRANT Review & Approval Letter of Inquiry Grant Application 9
Letter of Inquiry Applying for funding through the Club Grant program is a multi-step process that begins with a Letter of Inquiry (LOI). The LOI provides the Kiwanis Children s Fund with an overview of how your club plans to meet a community need in one of our cause areas. It also offers an unusual feature in the philanthropic world an opportunity for the grant seeker to get feedback from a potential funder. You can improve the effectiveness of the LOI process by giving yourself time to prepare and gather information. Using our online grant making system, Foundant, you will provide the following information about your club s project: The LOI was implemented in 2017. This requirement streamlines the overall process. It initiates discussion, giving an early indication of a project s potential for funding before the club invests the time and energy required for the more extensive grant application. And by making the whole process quicker, it allows us to increase our grant cycles to three each year. Project overview Timeline Impact chart Budget Community needs overview LOIs are reviewed on an ongoing basis. You will be contacted by a staff member of the Children s Fund program services team to discuss the information you provided, typically within two weeks. Please note, response times may take longer during high-volume periods, scheduled office closures, etc. How it works: The LOI prompts a phone call from a Children s Fund staff member. This discussion helps our staff determine whether the project meets eligibility requirements and is a good fit for funding. During the call, the club s representative is notified whether the project has been approved to move forward in the process and apply for a grant. Clubs invited to complete a grant application will receive access to the full online application in Foundant. Clubs not invited to complete an application will be informed why the proposed project did not meet funding/eligibility criteria. 10
Grant application The grant application is an extensive document and provides essential information so the grants committee can make a knowledgeable decision based on a thoroughly considered club request. The grant application consists of: Project overview Timeline Impact chart Budget Community needs overview Good news! The information you provided in the LOI will be autofilled here. That way, you can simply provide any updates to your responses and move on to the additional sections required on the application. Partnerships and collaborations Impact of your project Member engagement Kiwanis image Financial sustainability Review and approval process Once your club s application has been submitted to the Children s Fund, it is reviewed according to the same criteria used for all applications. Funding recommendations are based on scores from the evaluation guidelines and shared with the grants committee, which makes final funding decisions. The awarded grant amount will be equal to or less than the original requested amount. Applications are scored according to whether the project will: Focus on service that also helps the Kiwanis club build membership. Increase the value of the member experience through direct service to children. Build a strong network of partners that supports service projects. Address a defined, important community need. Provide long-term benefits to children in the community. Involve Kiwanians in the development and delivery of service. Identify Kiwanis as a key participant in the project. 11
Grant application cycle You can submit an LOI at any time during the year. Use these dates to determine the cycle that best fits your project s timeline. For June 1 funding decisions: Submit LOI any time before February 1 If approved, submit full application by April 1 For October 1 funding decisions: Submit LOI any time before June 1 If approved, submit full application by August 1 For January 1 funding decisions: Submit LOI any time before September 1 If approved, submit full application by November 1 12
RESOURCES & SUPPORT The Kiwanis Children s Fund is ready to support your club throughout the grant-seeking process with these helpful resources: Funding opportunities How to use Foundant How to complete a budget Community needs assessment Club Grant program FAQs Evaluation tool Video Guide: How to use Foundant (English only) 13
Quick tips for navigating Foundant You will be automatically logged out of the system after 90 minutes of inactivity. To avoid being logged out, remember to regularly save your work. Working on a form without saving it does not count as activity. The system will auto-save every 20 minutes, but you must actively save for the system to register activity. If you need a password reminder, the system provides a prompt for retrieving it. Do not create a second, new user account. Acceptable file types for uploading are Microsoft Excel and Adobe (PDF). If you have only a paper copy of a document, use a scanner to scan and save it, then include it as an attachment. You can stop and save what you ve completed and then return to resume and/or finish later. Once your application has been submitted, it is no longer available for editing. For more information, check out: How to use Foundant Video Guide: How to use Foundant (English only) Our glossary of terms frequently used in the nonprofit sector, specifically regarding grant funding. Examples of previous projects the Children s Fund has supported. Of course, our team is also available throughout the process. Contact us at grants@kiwanis.org. You can also call 1-800-KIWANIS, ext. 225 (U.S. and Canada), or +1-317-217-6225 (worldwide). 14