35th Anniversary Celebration Grant

Application Guidelines

Grant Purpose
The mission of the Foundation for the Tri-State Community, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as the “Foundation”) is to improve the quality of life in our community by raising, encouraging, administering and distributing gifts for charitable, cultural, educational and scientific purposes.  In honor of our 35^th anniversary, the Foundation will award one grant of $35,000 to an interstate collaboration of tri-state organizations that develops a project or program to improve the quality of life in the tri-state.

Eligible Applicants
Eligible applicants include nonprofit charitable organizations with 501(c)(3) status, educational institutions, or governmental units that serve all or a portion of the tri-state area eligible for the Foundation’s discretionary grants program, which includes Boyd and Greenup Counties in Kentucky; Cabell and Wayne Counties in West Virginia; and Lawrence County, Ohio.  To be eligible, applicants must initiate an interstate collaboration with at least one other nonprofit, educational or governmental organization serving all or a portion of the tri-state area.

Application Process
A consortium wishing to submit a proposal for this grant should first submit a letter of intent to apply, which must be mailed to the following address and postmarked by February 1, 2008.
           Foundation for the Tri-State Community, Inc.
           PO Box 2096
           Ashland, KY 41105-2096

One member of the consortium should be designated as the fiscal agent for the project or program.  The letter of intent should be written on this organization’s letterhead and include the following information:

• a description of the interstate collaboration, listing the partnering organizations;
• a summary of the project or program, including who it will serve and the measurable outcomes you expect to achieve;
• preliminary project/program budget, including, if applicable, plans for securing additional funding;
• name, title, address, email address, and phone number of contact person for the consortium

 The selection panel will review the letters of intent received by the Foundation to determine finalists.  Each consortium submitting its intent to apply will be notified of its application’s status by mid-February 2008.  The finalists chosen by the selection panel will be asked to submit proposals to the Foundation no later than July 1, 2008, with announcement of the grant recipient in mid-August 2008.

Project Proposal Components
Proposals should include each of the following components, organized in the following order:

• Cover page, which should include a contact for the consortium and his or her contact information, a list of partnering organizations, and a one-paragraph description of the project or program
• Description of the project or program  (Responses to the following questions should not exceed a total of five single-spaced pages.)
• What community needs will this project or program address?   Please be specific, including supporting data and its source.
• What are the goals and objectives of this project/program?
• What specific activities will be undertaken with the proposed grant?
• Describe the interstate collaboration initiated by this project or program and the roles and responsibilities of all organizations involved.
• What are the expected outcomes, and what indicators would demonstrate that the project or program had achieved its goals?
• Will this project or program continue at the end of the grant period?  If so, how will it be funded
• Detailed work plan for project or program, including timeline and oversight responsibilities
• Proposed budget and budget narrative, including, if applicable, plans for securing additional funding for the project or program and a list of any financial commitments already secured
• Letters of support (minimum of three)
• Résumés of key personnel
• Information about each consortium member
• Organization’s background, history and current mission
• List of board members and their affiliations
• Copy of IRS determination letter
• Organization’s current year’s budget
• Financial statement for last accounting period

Evaluation of Project Proposals
The proposals will be considered on, but not limited to, the following criteria:

• impact on the quality of life in the tri-state;
• strength of collaboration among organizations and across state borders;
• innovation and creativity; and
• strength of plan to secure additional funding, if needed, for the project or program.

Grantee Responsibilities
The consortium receiving this grant must agree to provide six month project/program and financial reports in a timely fashion and submit a final report upon completion of its project or program.

Submission of Proposal

• Proposals will be accepted only from the finalists selected in the preliminary round of the grant competition.
• Please submit seven copies of all requested materials.
• Proposals must be received by the Foundation on or before July 1, 2008.
• For regular mail:
  Foundation for the Tri-State Community
  PO Box 2096
  Ashland, KY 41105-2096
• For overnight and hand-delivery:
  Foundation for the Tri-State Community
  1999 Winchester Ave.
  Second Floor
  Ashland, KY  41101
• For more information, call the Foundation office at (606) 324-3888.