For Organizations

• Discretionary Grants
• SummerTime Kids
• The Women's Fund

Grant Area	Deadline Date	Decision Month
**Discretionary Grants	January 04, 2013	*March 2013
**Discretionary Grants	August 02, 2013	*October 2013

*Decisions may be extended beyond the decision month.
**Organizations who received a discretionary grant award in the last cycle must wait one-year before reapplying for a discretionary grant.

 

Guidelines

Generally the Foundation awards charitable grants to help launch new programs, initiatives, or capital needs not addressed by existing organizations. The Foundation requires year-end evaluative reports for all charitable grants, and collects specific data to track outcomes of our Board directed Impact Areas: Afterschool, Affordable Housing and Economic Development, and Neighborhood Capacity Building.

In order to make the best use of available funds, Stark Community Foundation looks for one or more of the following conditions when reviewing proposal requests:

• Emphasis on sustainability - We encourage organizations to present an outline of their long-range plans, building sustainability into their programs initial design.
• Entrepreneurial ideas - We believe that social innovation should arise from a healthy milieu of community life from people closest to the problem (grass-roots).
• Best practices of social change in our community - We use new knowledge to inform policy makers and to help public officials have a clearer understanding of what approaches have been most efficient & effective.
• Capacity building, personal and team growth within non-profit organizations-
• This includes technical assistance in areas such as management, human resources, fundraising, finance and board development to help ensure long-term growth.
• Organizational ability to leverage ideas and resources - We realize partnerships achieve more together around a common cause and eliminate duplication of services.

 

Policies

Stark Community Foundation normally does not approve grants to support:

• operating expenses of well-established organizations
• deficit financing for programs or capital expenditures
• endowment funds
• religious organizations for religious purposes
• annual appeals and membership contributions
• conferences and recognition events

 

Discretionary Grant Application-Program

(For capital requests that might include: Building Renovation, Technology, Furnishings/HVAC System, etc. skip to the capital grant application below.)

Please provide 1 original of the complete proposal without binders, notebooks or folders.

Required Material

• Proposal coversheet
• Cover letter signed by the Board President and the executive director stating the purpose, the amount of the request, and board endorsement of the request
• Introduction to your organization (short history), your mission and a short overview of current programs and activities
• Summary of the project/program, including problem or need statement plus program goals, objectives, and strategies for implementation. Optional: brief discussion of alternative approaches considered
• Appropriate plan for evaluation procedures, criteria and outcomes collected
• Complete Proposed Project Budget Worksheet which includes a documented line-item expense budget, and revenue budget, showing all projected sources of funds for the proposed grant request
• List other foundations or funding sources contacted for the project
• Long range sustainability plans for continuing the program or project once Foundation funding ends

Additional Required Material

• Determination Letter from IRS confirming the organization's tax-exempt status 501(c)(3)
• Board of Directors list, including the primary professional/civic affiliation of each member
• Copy of your latest audited financial statement or copy of your latest 990
• Copy of the organizational budget
• Endorsement letters should be sent directly to Stark Community Foundation

 

Discretionary Grant Application-Capital

Possible capital requests might include: Building Renovation, Technology, or Furnishings/HVAC System.

Please provide one original of the complete proposal without binders, notebooks or folders.

Required Material

• Proposal coversheet
• Cover letter signed by the Board President and the executive director stating the purpose, the amount of the request, and board endorsement of the request. Additionally, for capital requests, how much the organization is contributing from their operating budget and/or reserve funds
• Mission of Your Organization
• Purpose of Capital Grant: Provide a concise statement of what the grant will help you do to complete or enhance your mission
• List outcomes of your capital improvement that will enhance your organizations mission
• List funding requested from public appeals, state, local, federal funding or other diverse funding
• Complete Proposed Project Budget Worksheet which includes a documented line-item expense budget, and revenue budget, showing all projected sources of funds for the proposed grant request
• List of other foundations to which you have submitted this proposal and status of request
• Impact that capital project will have on the current operating budget
• Income and expense statement for your current fiscal year budget
• Copies of three estimates received from different businesses to complete your capital purchase/project

Additional Required Material

• Determination Letter from IRS confirming the organization's tax-exempt status 501(c)(3)
• Board of Directors list, including the primary professional/civic affiliation of each member
• Copy of your latest audited financial statement or copy of your latest 990
• Copy of the organizational budget
• Endorsement letters should be sent directly to Stark Community Foundation

 

Final Report

All grant recipients are required to submit a final report.