Guidelines
The
Blair Area Community Foundation has established the following grant guidelines.
1.
Applications will only be accepted from organizations that
either have an official 501(c)(3) designation,
are entities of government
requesting funds for public purposes, or are churches/synagogues
providing social services to the community.
2.
The Foundation does not finance annual appeals or payment of regular,
ongoing operational
expenses for applicant organizations.
3.
The Foundation will not purchase supplies or provide funding for annually
recurring events or
programs.
However, the BACF will consider assisting in the first year start-up
costs of new programs
that
will benefit the community in new ways, serving needs not currently being
met.
4.
The Foundation does not fund scholarships through this program.
5.
The Foundation does not make contributions that attempt to influence
legislation nor does it
intervene in any way in political
campaigns.
6.
The Foundation prefers to fund requests that provide ongoing benefit to
the community.
7.
The Foundation looks favorably on grant requests where a portion of the
funds needed for a project
have already been raised.
8.
Requests for funding for large projects need to show existing financial
support from the community.
The BACF grant program can help fund the
final needs of a large fundraising campaign, but will not
fund
the initial needs without significant evidence of other sources of income
committed to the project.
9.
Funds may not be diverted from their original purpose by the recipient.
If, after receipt of a grant from
the BACF, the non-profit organization feels
there is a need to modify or change the usage of the funds,
that change request must be submitted to
the BACF in writing, and approved in advance of
implementation of the project by the Blair
Area Community Foundation, or the funds must be returned.
10. The
Foundation reserves the right to request a return of grant monies not expended
within one year
of the grant allocation, unless otherwise
specified at the time of grant allocation.
Mission
The
Blair Area Community Foundation's mission is to support activities that enrich
the community and
support the values of the families that live in Washington County, Nebraska. Areas of support include
education, fine arts, community betterment, parks and recreation, public
facility development and
improvements, health and welfare, and other charitable purposes.
proceed to the
Application section Below if your organization, and specific
funding request, complies with the guidelines and mission statement above.
Grant Application
The following organization requests a grant from the Blair
Area Community Foundation:
Name of Organization:
Mailing Address:
Contact Person:
Telephone:
E-mail address:
_______ 501(c)(3) Org.
_______
Government
_______Church
or Synagogue
If a 501(c)(3) organization, include a copy of your IRS
letter of determination.
Amount of Grant Request: $ ______________
Grant Proposal
In evaluating the
merits of an application the following criteria are considered.
Please respond to each
item. Responses should be type
written on a separate piece of paper with the question, followed by your
response. Please limit your grant
proposal to a maximum of four pages in length, plus any applicable
attachments.
1.
Describe what the grant will be used for. Please
be specific (i.e. what items will be purchased and
their cost, what construction or repairs
will be done, what program will be implemented, etc.)
It is
critical that you provide enough
information to enable the Foundation to give your request full
consideration.
2.
Describe how the proposed activity fits the Foundation's mission?
(See "Mission" section)
3.
Describe how the proposed
activity benefits the Foundation's service area of Washington County,
Nebraska.
Please be specific.
4.
How much of the community will the activity benefit?
5.
What personnel, resources, and experience does your organization have
available to ensure that the
project will be carried out according
to plan? In
addition, tell how many years your organization has
been active in
Washington
County
; give the names, titles, and phone numbers of the officers of your
organization; and list recent
projects your organization has completed in
Washington
County
with a
brief description and pertinent
dates.
6.
Please complete the chart below:
A. Total Project Cost
_______
B. Funds
Available
(cash/pledges
raised for the project/program to date)
_______
C.
Balance Needed (The amount needed to be raised before
receipt of a
grant from the BACF. Subtract line
B from line A.)
_______
7.
Historically, grants given through the BACF grant program have ranged
from $400 to $3,500.
If
the grant allocation given by the BACF were to be less than the amount requested
would the
project be able to proceed?
_______ Yes
_______ No
If "yes," describe how the balance would be raised?
8.
What is the time period of the project and when will the grant funds be spent?
9.
If your proposal is for the benefit of another organization (i.e.: a
parents' organization making a
purchase for the school system) please
document their agreement that there is a need and that they
are in support of your efforts by including
a letter from that organization. For
public property projects
(community buildings, public parks, etc.)
provide a letter of support from the appropriate governmental
body (i.e.: city administrator or city
council, school administrator or school board, etc.)
10.
If the project will continue after the initial grant period, describe the
plan to continue funding and/or
maintenance in future years.
Acknowledgement
Agreement
The recipient agrees to indicate the assistance of the
Blair Area Community Foundation in press releases,
publications, and other public activities associated with the project.
______________________________________________________________________________
Applicant's
Signature
Date
All applications received by the deadline of
October 1
will be reviewed and final notification will be given to
applicants by December 1.
Mailing
Information
Applications should be sent to:
Blair Area Community Foundation
c/o Mary Jean Rahlfs
P.O. Box 390
Blair, NE 68008
or delivered to the Blair Area Chamber of Commerce,
1526 Washington St.,
Blair, NE 68008
If you have questions please contact Mary Jean
Rahlfs at (402)426-4144 or mjrahlfs@rvrco.net.
