Community
Enhancement Grants Program Guidelines
What
We Will Fund
The
ACF awards grants up to $10,000 to charitable organizations through
the Community Enhancement grants program. Grant applications are accepted
in several broad areas: Arts and Humanities; Children & Families;
Community Improvement; Health; Housing/Homeless & Hunger; Legal;
Social Services; Senior Enrichment; and other services to Arlington.
The 2007 grant cycle includes specific proposals for programs that promote
successful aging, to be funded by the Senior Adult Recreation Endowment
Fund. Nonprofits serving Arlington may submit one application
and must identify whether they are seeking support for General Operating,
a specific Project, or Capacity Building. Organizations applying to
the Senior Adult Recreation Endowment Fund for a program for Senior
Enrichment may submit up to two applications in this grant cycle.
Capacity
Building Grants
Capacity
Building grants are new this year, reflecting the Foundation’s growing
interest in helping nonprofits become more efficient and effective
in their programs and services. While there are no restrictions on
which organizations may request Capacity Building grants, the effort
must benefit programs offered in Arlington. Capacity Building grants
may include support for any of the following, but is not limited to
these possibilities:
- Board
Governance. Board assessment, training, restructuring, or strengthening.
- Human
Resources. Volunteer management, staff training and professional
development.
- Planning.
Strategic planning, program outcome/evaluation planning, succession
planning, fundraising planning, alternative revenue planning.
- Information
technology. Management information system, web site design, organizational
assessment of technology needs.
Project
Grants
The
ACF supports grants to nonprofits serving Arlington for specific projects
to include events, trainings, programs or services. Projects must
meet a well-defined community need.
General
Operating Grants
The
ACF supports grants to nonprofits serving Arlington for their general
operations. While there are no restrictions on which organizations
may request General Operating grants, historically, the Foundation’s
priority has been to fund organizations with modest annual revenues
(less than $1 million) and whose work is focused solely on Arlington.
What
We Do Not Fund
The
Community Enhancement grants are not for endowments, capital campaigns,
religious purposes, individual debts, or political lobbying; nor do
we fund individuals.
The
Grant Application
The
Community
Enhancement Grant Application includes an Executive Summary and
seven questions set forth in a four-page form and attachments. The
application may be downloaded and saved to the applicant’s workstation.
The application is a form that guides the applicant on how much space
to allocate for each response.
Submit
a Successful Grant Application
In
reviewing requests for funding, the ACF looks for a clear identification
of what the grant’s funding will support, how
the work will be completed, how success
will be measured, and whether the organization has the capacity
to complete its intended work. This is relevant to all three
types of funding requests.
The
Arlington Community Foundation will host a workshop that may be especially
helpful to organizations not previously funded by the ACF or who may
have a new grant writer on staff. The date for this workshop is Wednesday,
May 16 from 9:30 to 10:30 am in the auditorium at Arlington
Education Center (1426 N. Quincy St.) in Room 101. The workshop will
review the grant application, share helpful grant submission tips, and
answer questions about the grant process. If you would like to attend,
send an RSVP email to: grants@arlcf.org.
Grant
Application & Review Process
Proposals
must be received at the ACF by 5:00
pm on Friday, June 29, 2007.
Please
submit two copies of the application and one set of attachments. Electronic
copies of the four-page application are welcome, and may be emailed
to grants@arlcf.org, with attachments
being mailed separately if necessary. Proposals may NOT be submitted
via facsimile.
Upon
submission, applications and accompanying material become the property
of the Foundation, and will be used as deemed appropriate by the Foundation.
A grants review committee will carefully consider all applications and
make recommendations to the ACF’s Board of Trustees. Applicants will
be notified in writing of the decision no later than September 28, 2007.
Reporting
The
Foundation requires grant recipients to submit a final written report
to the Foundation within 30 days of completion of the funded project.
An interim report may be required if additional funding is requested
before a final report is submitted. This form is available at www.arlcf.org/grants.
Publicity
The
Foundation expects grant recipients to provide appropriate acknowledgment
of the Arlington Community Foundation’s support in their publications,
press announcements, and other activities.
