TRIDENT UNITED WAY 2019-2022 COMMUNITY IMPACT INVESTMENTS LIVE UNITED Investment Framework FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 1. WHAT FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES ARE AVAILABLE IN THE 2019-2022 INVESTMENT CYCLE? There are four funding pools for the 2019-2022 Investment Cycle: (1) Collective Impact Accelerator Funding invitation only; informed by Collective Impact networks, work groups and strategic plans; (2) Program Investments three year funding, open and competitive; Fall 2018 application process; (3) Basic Needs three year funding, open and competitive; Fall 2018 application process; and (4) Community Engagement Grants annual open and competitive grant process; the next round of funding will take place Spring 2019. 2. WHAT IS THE FUNDING TIMELINE FOR THE 2019-2022 FUNDING CYCLE? Chosen applicants will receive three years of funding for Program Investments and Basic Needs. The investment timeline is July 1, 2019 June 30, 2022. Funding each year is contingent upon the partner s alignment with TUW s priority areas, ability to demonstrate outcomes, quality of services provided and compliance with the Funded Partner Standards and Policies. The Community Engagement grants will operate on an annual schedule for grant funds. 3. IF TUW DOES NOT REACH ITS CAMPAIGN GOALS, HOW SPECIFICALLY WOULD IT IMPACT FUNDING? WOULD THERE BE A CHANGE IN THE FUNDING PRIORITIES? TUW has never reduced funding due to an unmet campaign goal. If this were to occur, TUW and the Community Impact Committee would work to develop a strategy to address the situation and mitigate impact to funded partners. 4. IF OUR PROGRAM EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS AFTER THE FIRST YEAR, CAN WE APPLY FOR AN INCREASE IN FUNDING IN YEAR 2 AND 3? TUW does not plan to provide increased funding for programs exceeding goals in the first year. 5. WHAT IS THE CURRENT LEVEL OF FUNDING FOR THE 2019-2022 INVESTMENT CYCLE? The total pool of funding has not yet been determined and is based on fundraising for the Trident United Way Campaign 6. HOW MANY GRANT AWARDS WILL BE FUNDED IN EACH FUNDING POOL? Because the application process is open and competitive for all organizations that qualify to apply within a funding pool, there is no set number of applications that will be awarded in each pool. Awards depend on the number of applicants and dollar requests, as well as rubric scores. Application Requirements & Process 1. HOW DO I KNOW IF MY ORGANIZATION QUALIFIES FOR TUW FUNDING? Please review the Agency and Program Funding Eligibility & Requirements listed in the Community Investments Information Guide at www.tuw.org/funding to determine if your program(s) qualify for funding. Interested agencies must complete the prescreening survey before moving forward in the application process. 2. WHERE CAN I FIND THE REQUIRED APPLICATION DOCUMENTS? Please visit www.tuw.org/funding for resources, information guides, rubric, examples of required documents,
etc. All relevant documents will be posted on the webpage following the information sessions, as well as the link the pre-screening form. 3. MY ORGANIZATION OPERATES USING A FISCAL AGENT. IS OUR ORGANIZATION ELIGIBILE AND HOW DO WE APPLY? Organizations operating with a different 501(c)(3) agency as their fiscal agent are welcome to apply if they meet the eligibility and can provide the required documentation. If applying, organizations using a fiscal agent should submit the IRS 501(c)(3) letter of the fiscal agent. Organizations with a fiscal agent are encouraged to include 4. DOES TRIDENT UNITED WAY PROVIDE SUPPORT OR HAVE VOLUNTEERS THAT CAN OFFER ASSISTANCE TO SMALLER NONPROFITS THAT NEED ASSISTANCE WITH WRITING GRANTS OR DEVELOPING BUDGETS, DATA SYSTEMS, ETC. TO HELP THE APPLICATION BE MORE COMPETITIVE? As part of technical assistance, Trident United Way staff and volunteers do not assist with grant writing or the development of budgets, data reports, agreements, etc. 5. WHAT IS ENCOMPASSED (PROHIBITED) IN THE REQUIREMENTS OF ORGANIZATIONS NOT ENGAGING IN POLITICAL ACTIVITIES AS DEFINED BY THE IRS? Under the Internal Revenue Code, all 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office (source). Non-partisan activities and issue advocacy are not prohibited. 6. DOES THE NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY NEED TO BE BOARD APPROVED? The Funded Partner Standards and Policies states the following, Documentation of the Board-approved Non- Discrimination Policy that meets at least the minimum requirements established by federal and state law. The Policy submitted should include the date in which the policy was adopted. 7. WHAT IS REQUIRED TO SHOW 50% OF CLIENTS ARE BELOW 200% OF THE POVERTY LEVEL? Trident United Way does not require applicants to provide proof of 50% of clients served below 200% of poverty. TUW trusts the integrity and judgement of applicants to track and collect this data based on their client population and provide the most accurate percentage. 8. HOW DO I SUBMIT MY APPLICATION? Qualified organizational applications that pass the prescreening and attend a required applicant information session (Oct 9 & 11) will be provided with login credentials for the online grant management applicant system. All applicant materials and questions will be completed and submitted online. The online system is compatible with PC and MAC (the Chrome browser works best). 9. CAN MY ORGANIZATION APPLY FOR A NEW PROGRAM OR ONLY FOR AN EXISTING ONE? For both Program Investments and Basic Needs you may apply for either a new program or the expansion or development of an existing program or service. However, the organization itself must have been operating as a certified 501(c)(3) for at least one year and must also demonstrate its capacity to execute a new program. 10. HOW MANY PROGRAMS CAN I SUBMIT AN APPLICATION FOR? Current 2016-2019 Program Investment funded partners are invited to submit one application in Program Investments and Basic Needs. New partners are limited to submitting only one application in either Basic Needs or Program Investments. 11. CAN I SUBMIT MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS IN THE PROGRAM INVESTMENT FUNDING POOL FOR MULTIPLE FOCUS AREAS AND MULTIPLE PRIOIRITY AREAS? Agencies applying in the Program Investments funding pool may submit one application aligned with one focus areas and one priority area. 12. FOR ORGANIZATIONS APPLYING IN BOTH PROGRAM INVESTMENTS AND BASIC NEEDS (CURRENT 2016-2019 FUNDED PARTNERS), CAN ONLY ONE APPLICATION BE FUNDED OR CAN ORGANIZATIONS RECEIVE BOTH PROGRAM INVESTMENT AND BASIC NEEDS FUNDING?
Organizations that are eligible and apply in both Program Investments and Basic Needs must be current funded partners in the 2016-2019 Program Investments and can apply and have the potential to be funded in both funding pools. 13. IF AN ORGANIZATION RECEIVED COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FUNDS DURING THE LAST FUNDING CYCLE, DOES THAT COUNT AS A CURRENT FUNDED PARTNER? For this application process, current funded partners refers to 2016-2019 Program Investment Funded Partners. These partners receive three-year funding from TUW s Program Investment grants. Organizations awarded with Community Engagement grants are not considered current funded partners. Budget 1. DO I HAVE TO USE THE BUDGET TEMPLATE PROVIDED BY TUW? All applicants, Program Investments and Basic Needs, will be required to submit their program budget(s) using the standard template provided by TUW. Your application will be considered incomplete and your budget will not be reviewed if it is submitted in any other format. 2. IN THE PROGRAM BUDGET, ARE SALARLIES AN ALLOWABLE EXPENSE FOR PROGRAM INVESTMNETS AND BASIC NEEDS? Yes, organizations may include salary expenses as part of the comprehensive budget submission. Programs are encouraged to use the Notes section of the budget to provide as much detail as possible. 3. WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT A PROGRAM CAN REQUEST? In Program Investments the minimum request for funds is $50,000 and the maximum is $100,000. In Basic Needs the minimum request for funds is $10,000 and the maximum is $50,000. 4. DO I NEED TO SUBMIT A BUDGET FOR EACH PROGRAM APPLICATION, OR DO I SUBMIT A COMBINED BUDGET FOR ALL THE PROGRAMS? TUW requires applicants to use the budget template for each program application (one for Program Investment application and one for Basic Needs, only if you are a current 2016-2019 funded partner) that will be submitted during the grant process. The program budget should be included as one of the required documents for each application. In addition, if the organization is applying under a fiscal agent, both the fiscal agent and the organization applying must submit the required organization financial documents. Review and Decision-Making 1. HOW DOES THE REVIEW AND DECISION-MAKING PROCESS CONDISER SUPPORT OF CURRENT FUNDED PROGRAMS VS. NEW PROGRAM APPLICANTS? SHOULD NEW PROGRAMS EXPECT TO RECEIVE SMALLER AMOUNTS OF FUNDING THAN PROGRAMS PREVISOULY FUNDED? TUW s process for Basic Needs and Program Investment funding pools are open and competitive. Therefore, all organizations (current and new) applying in the 2019-2022 cycle are considered equally in the review and decision-making process based on a standard rubric for each funding pool. 2. ARE CURRENT 2016-2019 PROGRAM INVESTMENT FUNDED PARTNERS GUARANTEED FUNDING? While all current Program Investment funded partners are welcome and invited to seek funding in the 2018 application, funding awards are not guaranteed, and may not be at the same level previously awarded. 3. HOW CAN INVESTMENT REVIEW VOUNTEERS GET THE FULL PICTURE OF A PROGRAM WITHOUT A SITE VISIT? WHY WON T SITE VISITS BE INCLUDED IN THE APPLICATION REVIEW PROCESS? Organizations that apply in the Program Investment pool for which there are
application questions, will be invited to answer those questions by the Program Investment Review Council members. The application process levels the playing field by focusing on the rubric elements that demonstrate a program s ability to successfully execute the program and achieve the goals for which they are applying for funding. 4. WHAT IF TUW DECIDES TO FUND MY PROGRAM AT A LOWER AMOUNT THAN FOR WHAT WAS REQUESTED IN THE APPLICATION BUDGET? If TUW offers to fund a program at a lower level than requested in the application, TUW will work with the partner to adjust goals and targets realistic to the amount awarded. Program Investments Funding 1. CAN I SUBMIT MORE THAN ONE PROGRAM APPLICATION [FOR EXAMPLE, ONE IN EDUCATION AND ONE IN FINANCIAL STABILITY]? Within the Program Investments, applicants can only submit one program application aligned to one of the impact areas of education, financial stability or health. 2. IS THERE A FUNDING RANGE FOR PROGRAM INVESTMENTS? Yes. The range for Program Investments funding is $50,000-$100,000. TUW does not fund more than 50% of program costs for any one program. 3. WHAT ARE THE FUNDING PRIORITIES FOR PROGRAM INVESTMENTS? Trident United Way has identified priority areas under each of the EFSH (education, financial stability and health) focus areas. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit applications for programs that align with one or more of the priority areas listed below. To learn more about each of the priority areas refer to the Investment Information Guide. Education: Early Language, Literacy and Numeracy Skills; Social Emotional Development; and Family Engagement Financial Stability: Workforce Development Health: Access to Care; Behavioral Health; Clinical Preventative Services; Maternal, Infant and Child Health; and Obesity, Nutrition and Physical Activity 4. DO APPLICANTS HAVE TO SELECT ONE PRIORITY AREA OR CAN A PROGRAM CUT ACROSS MULTIPLE INVESTMENT PRIORITY AREAS? TUW recognizes that programs are often inclusive of more than one of the priority areas. For this grant, applicants will be required to pick only one priority area to align with. If awarded, programs will then only be required to report on the outcomes identified with the priority area. 5. EDUCATION: IS THERE AN AGE/DEVELOPMENT STAGE FOCUS FOR THE EDUCATION PRIORITIES? Trident United Way Education efforts and initiatives focus on ages 0-8, but for the Program Investment grants the education priorities age range can include 0-18. 6. HEALTH: BEYOND THE MATERNAL, INFANT & CHILD HEALTH CATEGORY, ARE HEALTH PROGRAMS LIMITED TO THOSE TARGETING ADULTS? No. Health programs can be targeted to any age group, ranging from infants to adults. Basic Needs Grants 1. HOW DO I KNOW IF I SHOULD APPLY FOR A BASIC NEEDS APPLICATION IF I PREVIOUSLY RECEIVED PROGRAM INVESTMENTS FUNDING FROM TUW? In the 2016-2019 funding cycle Program Investments is the only open and competitive three-year grant cycle. Traditional outcome-based programs and basic needs services were all grouped in Program Investments. For the 2019-2022 funding cycle, Program Investments is for programs with long-term, outcome-
based programs; whereas, Basic Needs funding is for output-based services, providing short-term temporary assistance. Agencies should determine which funding pool is the best fit for their program prior to applying in the 2019-2022 investment cycle. 2. DO BASIC NEEDS GRANT APPLICANTS HAVE TO FOCUS IN ON ONE PROGRAM AREA OR CAN THE APPLICATION BE BROADER IF AN ORGANIZATION OFFERS MULTIPLE BASIC NEED SERVICES? The Basic Needs focus areas are: food, transportation, basic health services, prescriptions, emergency financial assistance, shelter and legal aid assistance. Basic Needs applicants are required to select at least one of the focus areas and are welcome to pick more than one if the organization s programming is broader and inclusive of a variety of basic needs services. If applicants pick more than one Basic Needs focus areas, recipients will be required to report on 3. IS THERE A FUNDING RANGE FOR BASIC NEEDS GRANTS? The funding range for Basic Needs Grants is $10,000-$50,000. Programs can request a minimum of $10,000 and a maximum of $50,000. The area three funding ranges and grants will be awarded in each of the three ranges (a) $10,000-$14,999; (b) $15,000-$24,999; and (c) $25,000-$50,000.