The Community Trust Grant Cycle: Request for Concept Letters
Deadline: 5 pm, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2008

Introduction to The Community Trust
The Community Trust is the most responsive fund of The Community Foundation and provides grants to Boulder County nonprofit organizations, through a competitive proposal process driven by community input and guided by staff expertise. A gift to the Community Trust is a visionary gift, because it is a gift impacting current and future needs of Boulder County and a statement of confidence in current and future residents to look after the community’s needs. Gifts are needed to build this important endowment, and community volunteers are needed to serve on grant committees.

How a Proposal Becomes a Grant
The Community Foundation often describes itself as a Foundation created by the community for the community. Nothing better illustrates this spirit than our Community Trust Grants selection process.

Every fall approximately sixty county residents volunteer across eight committees to review grant requests from Boulder County non-profit organizations. Community Foundation staff facilitate the committee meetings, coordinate site visits for committee members to visit potential grantee organizations, and present The Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees with the committees’ grant recommendations.

“I believe that being a member of the Boulder community requires a personal commitment to participation in the workings of that community,” said Art Polner, Community Trust Grant Committee volunteer. “Reviewing grant proposals at the Community Foundation allows me to participate twice.  First, reviewing the proposals and second, watching the grant being put to work!”

Eligibility and Application Process

The Community Foundation accepts proposals for specific projects as well as for unrestricted expenses, capital campaigns, start-ups endowments and technical assistance. Our five primary funding areas include: the Arts, Civic Engagement, Education, the Environment, and Health and Human Services.

Non-profit, governmental or other public groups interested in applying for grants from The Community Foundation are invited to submit a concept paper describing the proposed project. The Community Foundation's Grant Committees will review the concept letters and, as necessary, ask for additional information from applicants.

• Organizations that received a grant in last year's grant cycle must return their Grant Report Form BY SEPT. 1, 2008. Failure to respond will have a negative impact on our consideration of your proposal.
  
• We only fund organizations that have received 501(c)(3) or other nonprofit status from the IRS.
  
• We primarily fund activities or projects in Boulder County.
  
• The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County does not make grants to organizations where grant money from our unrestricted or field of interest funds would be used to further a particular political or religious doctrine.

Application Components, Deadlines, and Instructions for Submission

1. Organization Summary – please print out or request from The Community Foundation (303-442-0436, toll free: 1-877-744-7239 ).
   
   Note: This Organization Summary is also available for download in Microsoft Word format; you can download it and fill it in on your own computer.
   
   
2. A concept letter, no more than 2 pages, which briefly discusses the following:
   1. Description of goals and objectives for the purposes of this grant;
   2. Description of activities planned to accomplish these goals;
   3. Description of the constituency served (include number served) and how they will benefit;
   4. Timetable for implementation;
   5. Other organizations, if any, participating in the activity;
   6. Long-term sources/strategies for funding at the end of the grant period; and
   7. Strategy for evaluating the program/organizational outcomes.
      
      
3. Budget The budget of the organization and the project budget (as applicable).
   

If you have not already applied for another grant to The Community Foundation earlier in the year, please also attach these three items:

1. Diversity Chart Assessment
   Each organization applying for funding through any grant cycles of The Community Foundation will be required to submit a Diversity Chart as part of its funding application. This information will be used to track changes in demographics within Boulder County organizations. Only aggregate information will be available to the public; individual organization reporting will be kept internal at The Community Foundation.
   
   The Diversity Chart is available as a Microsoft Excel (.xls) file. You should download it, fill it in on your computer, and submit it (online as an attachment to your e-mailed concept letter or in printed form) along with your concept letter. Click here to download the Diversity Chart.
   
   
2. Proof of your tax exempt status.
   
   
3. Anti-discrimination policy - Our requirement for the anti-discrimination policy is as follows: Organizations that agree to act in accordance with The Community Foundation’s policy will not need to submit an anti-discrimination policy. However, groups also have the choice of submitting their own anti-discrimination policies.
   
   Note: The Community Foundation's Anti-Discrimination Policy (PDF; 81KB) is also available in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), a more printer-friendly format. You must have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to use this feature. You can download the free Adobe Reader software here.

Timeline
September 30, 2008 - Concept Letters Due
January 2009 - Grants awarded.

Preferred Method -- Instructions for Submitting
E-Mail Applications

Send ONE copy of your concept letter and accompanying materials to
You will receive a return e-mail confirming that your materials have been received.

If you have proof of tax exempt status only in paper form, you can still e-mail your other materials and mail us a paper copy of your tax exempt document.

Instructions for Submitting Paper Copies of Applications

Please do not bind proposals.

Mail or bring ONE copy of each document listed below by 5 p.m. Sept. 30, 2008, to:

The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County
1123 Spruce Street
Boulder, CO 80302

The Community Foundation
1123 Spruce Street
Boulder, CO 80302

Sorry, we cannot accept faxes.

For more information, please contact Carly Hare at The Community Foundation, 303-442-0436
or email

Requirements after receiving a grant

Grantees must complete a Grant Report Form which is due one year after the grant start date.

1. The grantee is currently recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as an entity described in Section 501(c)(3) or 170(c)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 ("the Code").
2. There is no substantial return benefit to the donor from payment of membership, tickets or tables for fund raising events.
3. No goods or services were received in exchange for this grant.