FAQ

Typically, we do two rounds of grants annually.  The Spring round of grants is typically released in late February or early March with applications due the Thursday before Good Friday.  A second Fall round of grants is typically released in late June or July with applications being due in August.  These are general dates, and the grant cycles can vary depending on when we get funding from the State.

The highest-ranking official is typically the official who has the authority to bind the organization to spending funds and doing projects.  Some typical organizations and who their highest-ranking official are as follows:

School District	Superintendent, School Board Chair
City or City Department	Mayor, City Administrator/Manager
Private Not-for-Profit	Chair of the Board, Board President, Executive Director

The current plans do NOT include doing another in person or virtual grant writer’s workshop in the near future.  In the past, these workshops have seen very small numbers of potential grantees and with the lack of interest, we have decided to not offer this opportunity in the future.

Instead, we have tried to strengthen the training resources here on our website as well as on our Facebook page.  We encourage potential applicants to review our FAQ documents and current and past posts on our Facebook page to help gain knowledge about how to apply for funding.

Good attachments are ones that will add to the clarification and justification for your project.  Remember that you are only allowed six additional pages (single-sided) and so it is critical to utilize those pages in a wise manner.  Good attachments may include the following:

• Cost estimate for the project – help verify and show that the project is feasible for the estimated project cost.
• Pictures of the current situation or facility, showing the need.  If your project could be seen as maintenance, pictures may help show that it is not maintenance-related.
• Concept drawings.
• Maps showing the project location or related elements.
• Additional narrative.  Remember that the narrative space in the application is limited, if you need more space you can utilize your additional pages to place additional narratives.

A few other notes regarding additional pages:

• If you are using pictures, think about if your pictures need to be full-page size or if it may make sense to include two or three pictures on one page.
• We commonly see the inclusion of a general organizational brochure, these are typically not relevant to the application and generally not helpful to the application.  A tri-fold brochure counts as two of the six-page limit.
• Remember that all seven sets of applications are reviewed.  If you don’t include all the attachments with all seven sets then you hurting your chances at funding.  Similarly, if only the original copy includes color copies then the majority of the reviewers will not see the color photos.

Without consideration for the actual project the top five things that we see that often result in the application not being funded are as follows:

1. Failure to submit one original application plus six originals.  We see 1-2 of these annually.
2. Signature issues.  Included here are signatures not being in red or blue ink (something other than black), the same signature for both the highest authorized official and the project manager, and not getting the highest authorized signer to sign.
3. Submitting a grant for operational needs.  The Foundation does not award funds for operational needs.  All projects must be of a capital nature.  Operational needs include fundraising and regular routine capital campaigns.
4. A balanced budget.  We have a simple budget form that is part of the application and we ask that the budget be balanced, i.e. revenues equal expenses.  If your budget has more revenue than expense why do you need grant funds?  If your budget shows more expenses than revenues why should we assume the project will be completed?
5. Unclear.  Similar to item number one above we see one to two applications a year that once we read the application we really don’t have an idea what the project is or what will be accomplished.

Generally, we would not recommend that you include a general brochure in your application.  Typically, the information is not helpful in the review and may not even be reviewed, especially if it is general.  It may also come off as lazy, especially if you neglect to include good concise information in the narrative sections of the application.

If you choose to include a brochure a couple of things to remember:

1. It must be provided single-sided in the application (do not provide a double-sided document).
2. Do not fold the brochure; maintain it as a standard 8.5 by 11 sheet of paper.
3. Remember that it counts toward the maximum number of additional pages you can include in the application.  You are limited to six (6) single-sided pages that can be added to the application.

Yes.  In many cases, they can be very helpful.  However, be careful because, in some circumstances, they can also be detrimental.  Here are some helpful tips:

• If using pictures, ensure they are in color in the original application and the six application copies submitted.
• Do NOT submit actual photographs glued, taped, or stapled to a sheet of paper.  Copy them or print them on a regular sheet of paper and add the page to the packet.
• Remember that you can include more than one photo on a single page.
• Pictures with captions are better than pictures.
• Make sure the picture shows what you need it to.  Be careful of pictures that are too broad or show a large scope than needed.  Be careful of pictures that are not specific and too specific.

Yes, each grant is allowed up to six (6) single-sided pages to be added to the application.  Including the 501.C.3 document does NOT count toward the six (6) page limit.

All extra pages should be included at the end of the application.  DO NOT INSERT ADDITIONAL PAGES IN THE FIRST FIVE PAGES OF THE APPLICATION.

These pages can be used to provide the following:

• Map(s)
• Photo(s)
• Drawings(s)
• Quotes and Estimates
• Letters of Support
• Additional Narrative
• A more detailed timeline.  Recommended for some large projects.

Please remember the following:

• All grants are limited to six (6) pages, regardless of size.  Exceeding the six-page limit will result in a penalty in the Phase 1 score.
• All pages must be single-sided (do not duplex).
• Include all of the extra pages at the end of the application.