The Community Trust 2012 Request for Proposals

Deadline: 5 pm, Thursday, November 1, 2012.

Overview

The Community Trust is the permanent grant making fund of The Community Foundation and  addresses needs throughout Boulder County in the arts, health and human services, the environment, education, basic needs,and youth. It's the most flexible and responsive of the Foundation’s funds, and is driven by members of the community who evaluate proposals and conduct site visits during a competitive process of application.

Every fall more than sixty County residents volunteer to serve on one of eight committees to review grant requests from Boulder County non-profit organizations. Community Foundation staff facilitate the committee meetings and manage the review process, and present The Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees with the committees’ grant recommendations.

If you are interested in serving on a Community Trust Grant Advisory Committee, please contact Elvira Ramos, Director of Programs,

Community Trust Grant Timeline

September 21, 2012 RFP Available
November 1, 2012 Proposals Due
November – January Advisory Committee review and recommendations
February 2013 Grants announcements & reception

Eligibility and Application

Non-profit, governmental or other public groups interested in applying for grants from The Community Trust Fund are invited to submit an application describing the proposed project.

  • The Community Foundation accepts proposals for specific projects and programs as well as for unrestricted expensse (general operating), capital campaigns, start-ups endowments and technical assistance.

  • Primary funding areas for the Community Trust Fund are: basic needs, arts and culture, education, environment, health and human services, and youth. Grants for civic engagement projects will be considered in a separate grant process in early spring 2013.

  • Applicants can be any non-profit organization with an IRS 501(c)(3) designation or any governmental or public entity. (Groups or organizations that do not have IRS 501(c)(3) designation may only apply in partnership with one of the nonprofit designations listed above.)

  • The group or organization applying must provide services or conduct the proposed activities within Boulder County for the benefit of Boulder County residents.

  • 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

The Community Foundation uses the Colorado Common Grant Application (CGA) for its Community Trustgrants process. The application consists of the following components, which should be submitted in the order listed below.  The checked items below are required for applying for funding from The Community Foundation. Unchecked items maybe submitted but will be considered supplemental. Information about the Colorado Common Grants Application, Template, and Users' Guide can be found at
www.coloradocommongrantforms.org/CGA/default.htm.

X in Box  Section I: Cover Letter (one page)
Include the purpose of the grant request and a brief description of how the request fits with the The Community Foundation’s mission.

X in Box  Section II: Summary Sheet Form
Please use the Colorado Common Grant Application template.

X in Box  Section III: Narrative

Formatting: Use 12-point font with 1-inch margins and include the HEADING provided for each question. It is not necessary to repeat the text of the questions. 

Page Limit:
General Operating Requests: 4-page limit; answer questions 1–3 and 5–11.
Program or Capital Requests: 5-page limit; answer all the questions.

Narrative Questions

X in Box  1.  Organization Background
X in Box  2.  Goals
X in Box  3.  Current Programs
X in Box  4.  Program and Capital Requests Only
X in Box  5.  Evaluation
X in Box  6.  Collaboration
X in Box  7.  Inclusiveness
X in Box  8.  Board/Governance
X in Box  9.  Volunteers
X in Box  10. Planning
Box without X  11. Optional

X in Box  Section IV: Attachments

Financial Attachments
X in Box  1(a).  Organization budget
X in Box  1(b).  Program or capital budget, if applicable
X in Box  2.  Current (year-to-date) financial statements
Box without X  3.  Year-end financial statements, audit and
          Sources of Income Table
Box without X  4.  Major contributors
Box without X  5.  In-kind contributions
Box without X  6.  Explanation of items in financial attachments, if applicable

Other Attachments
X in Box  7.  Board of directors list
X in Box  8.  Proof of IRS federal tax-exempt status, dated within the last five years
X in Box  9.  Anti-discrimination statement adopted by the board of directors
X in Box  10.  Key staff
Box without X  11. Annual report, if available
Box without X  12. Evaluation results (optional): Provide the organization’s most recent evaluation results, relevant to this request. 

Additional Attachments for Organizations Using a Fiscal Agent/Fiscal Sponsor
 X in Box  1. The memorandum of understanding or the contract between the organization and the fiscal agent/fiscal sponsor.
X in Box  2. Proof of IRS federal tax-exempt status for the fiscal agent/fiscal sponsor, dated within the last five years.

X in Box  Section V: Community Foundation Additional Attachments

X in Box Diversity Chart Assessment
The Community Foundation of Boulder County values inclusive and transformational leadership and has embedded and institutionalized diversity and inclusivity at many levels within our organization, including grant making. Thus, we've recently increased the weight of inclusiveness in our proposal review. Organizations applying for funding through any grant cycles of The Community Foundation are required to submit a Diversity Chart as part of the funding application. In addition, this information will be used to track changes in demographics within Boulder County organizations. A copy of the Diversity Chart matrix is available at www.commfound.org/communityleadership/eli/diversitychart.xls

X in Box Progress Report - If you received Community Foundation funding in the past 12 months, please submit a one-page report of your progress to date.  Without it, your proposal will not be considered. www.commfound.org/nonprof/grantreportform.php

Application Submission
Please submit your proposal electronically in pdf format to .
Please submit your diversity matrix to us in its original Excel format. You will receive a return e-mail confirming that your materials have been received. If electronic PDF submission is not possible for you, or if you have any questions regarding your proposal, please contact:

Elvira Ramos, Director of Programs


or

Lyn Monica, Staff Accountant


Thank you for your time and effort in completing this application!

The Community Trust 2012 Request for Proposalis is also available in pdf format for downloading and printing.