Responsive Grant Guidelines

Deadlines: 5:00pm on April 15th and October 1st

Purpose
The Community Foundation of Central Georgia aims to further the ability of community-based charitable organizations to meet the needs of the residents of this region. Through its Responsive Grant Program, CFCG will consider applications for projects designed to improve the quality of life in central Georgia.

Funding Priority
Priority will be given to projects that demonstrate a majority of the following:

address needs not currently being met by an existing organization
reach a broad segment of the community
improve organizational efficiency
encourage self-help and/or self-sufficiency on the part of disadvantaged or disabled individuals
promote matching gifts and/or enhance fundraising capabilities
collaborate with other non-profit groups to provide innovative, more efficient approaches to solving community issues

PLEASE NOTE:
- Ongoing operational expenses are unlikely to be funded.
- The Foundation will consider applications from faith-based organizations for non-sectarian, community outreach programs.

Geographic Restrictions
Grant applications must have a direct relevance to the Central Georgia region. At donors’ request, most award money is currently restricted to Bibb County. There is limited funding available for other counties in Central Georgia including: Baldwin, Butts, Coffee, Crawford, Houston, Jones, Lamar, Laurens, Monroe, Peach, Taylor, Twiggs, Upson, and Wilkinson.

Funding Cycles
CFCG will consider only one proposal from any one non-profit organization during a twelve-month period. In addition, any organization with two years of consecutive funding from the Community Foundation will be required to wait two years before submitting an additional application. For example, if an organization is funded in the Spring 2006 and Spring 2007 cycles, that organization will be ineligible to apply again until Spring 2009. Any organization that has received prior funding from the Community Foundation must have a final report on file at CFCG prior to the submission of a new grant application.

Maximum Grant Amount
The maximum grant awarded by the Community Foundation of Central Georgia through this program is $15,000.

Notification of Grants
Applicants will be notified of the Board’s decision in late January for the October deadline and in late July for the April deadline.

HOW TO APPLY

You will need a User ID and Password for CFCG's website to access the online application. Click here to register. Then, complete the online CFCG Responsive Grant application form, which will require attaching the following documents in electronic format. You may click on the attachments below to see a sample.

Proposal Narrative - should not exceed three (3) typed pages, and must be double spaced, 12-point or larger font, and have 1” margins. The narrative should:
(a) State the issues to be addressed including a description of the target population and how it will benefit.
(b) Describe the project goals and measurable objectives and state whether this is a new or ongoing project for the organization.
(c) Provide a timetable for implementation.
(d) List the other partners and collaborations in the project and their roles.
(e) Acknowledge similar existing projects or agencies, if any, and explain how this agency or proposal differs, and what effort will be made to work cooperatively.
(f) Describe strategies for sustained funding for this project (if needed) at the end of the grant period.
(g) State applicant organization’s definition of success. How will it know when success has been achieved for this project? Midway through the project, how will the organization know there is enough time and money left to achieve its goal(s)?
Project Budget Summary – should include all revenue sources (requested, pending & received) and expenses for the specific project.
Board Authorization Letter – should be a statement from the organization’s Board of Directors authorizing the request and agreeing to complete the project if funded.
Board of Directors/Trustees List – should include directors/trustees individual terms of office and their individual percentage of participation in the organization’s Board meetings.
Organization’s Current Annual Operating Budget – should be a report of the organization’s planned budget indicating projected revenue and expenses for the current fiscal year.
Current IRS Determination Letter – should indicate 501(c)3 tax-exempt status. If no designation, a statement detailing the status of an application with the Federal government or future application plans may be submitted, along with a statement of charitable purpose.
Most Recent Financial Audit Report or Most Recent IRS Form 990 (If your organization has both, please submit the Financial Audit Report.)

Late, hardcopy, or incomplete applications will not considered for funding. Please do not include any other forms or information other than what is required as outlined above. Applicants will be contacted if more information is needed.

Please contact the Foundation at grants@cfcga.org or (478) 750-9338 if you have any questions.

The Community Foundation of Central Georgia believes that equal opportunity is important for the continuing success of our organization. In accordance with state, federal, and municipal laws, this Foundation intends to comply with these laws which preclude discrimination because of race, disability, creed, religion, gender, age, national origin or any other protected classification.

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