| Harrison County Community Foundation Grant Making Policy and Procedures Amended April 7, 2008
Click here to download the policies to a disk
Grant Applications
The screening and decision-making process of an increasing number of grant applications to the Harrison County Community Foundation (HCCF) is a difficult and time-consuming process. Non-compliance with any application policy or guidelines may result in the rejection of an application.
Grant applications must be completed in accordance with the approved publicly published application. Applications are available from our web site www.hccfindiana.org or from the HCCF office. HCCF staff will also download the application to a disk provided by applicants.
Grant applications and all attachments become the property of the HCCF. Information contained in the grant application package will be considered confidential. No copies will be made or returned to the applicant or released to other persons unless required by law. We recommend all applicants make an additional copy to be retained in your files.
The HCCF Grants Committee and Board of Directors may, from time to time, consider exceptions to this policy. Approval of the majority of the Board of Directors, under existing By-Laws, will be required to approve such exceptions.
The grant application and all attachments or enclosures should be submitted on unfolded 8½” x 11” white bond paper. Do not use staples in the application. Please use binder clips to assemble the application and each copy. Folders or binding covers should not be used.
Applicants are reminded of the importance of Part I. Item E. of the Grant Application. This item requires declaration of other successful applications and sources of funding to support your project and provides an opportunity to demonstrate additional efforts in obtaining funding. Non-disclosure of other sources of funding for the project may result in the disqualification of the application or grant.
Eligibility
All not-for-profit agencies providing services to residents of Harrison County, Indiana are eligible to apply. Applicants are required to submit the IRS Letter of Determination LOD indicating their status as a 501(c)3 not-for-profit. Entities eligible to apply, but excluded from the 501(c)3 requirement include schools, religious organizations, and local governmental units.
HCCF will consider applications from organizations that have applied for, but have not yet received the IRS Letter of Determination (LOD). If the Grants Committee agrees to fund the proposal, the grant will be considered “endorsed for approval”, however, the grant must be formally approved by our Board of Directors after the LOD is delivered to HCCF. If an LOD is not provided within ninety (90) days from the date of the HCCF letter announcing the grant, the grant will be considered “not approved”.
The Harrison County Community Foundation does not award grants to:
Additionally, grants to religious organizations will be limited to projects that benefit the community at large, preserve a historical site (typically 100 years or older), or respond to an immediate health or safety related problem. Traditional equipment, routine maintenance, or facility improvements will not be funded.
Grants to Fire Departments
Grants to Fire Departments will only be made through a single joint application filed during a regular grant cycle by the Harrison County Fire Chief’s Association (FCA) and signed by the current president of the FCA. Grants to Fire Departments are defined as funding to purchase any service, equipment, or furnishings with the primary purpose of supporting fire-fighting apparatus, facilities, or fire-fighters. This definition applies to facilities that may have a joint purpose such as community centers, emergency shelters or disaster command posts. A letter to the Grants Committee should be sufficient to describe the amount requested and how the funds will be utilized.
It is the desire of the Foundation to support all fire departments equally, however, an application submitted on behalf of individual fire departments will be considered if: a) there are substantial needs of the individual departments identified and b) the application is signed by the FCA President based on a majority vote of the FCA. A request of this nature will require the affected fire department to complete the regular HCCF grant application to include an endorsement from the current FCA president.
HCCF will entertain “special requests” from individual fire departments on a monthly basis for local matching funds that will leverage external state or federal grant funding. These requests require a one or two page letter explaining the need and must include a completed copy of the external agency grant application. HCCF will only award one of these grants per fire department per calendar year.
All FCA generated grant applications should include contact data for all department fire chiefs and HCCF Grant Agreements will be signed with all affected fire departments. Each fire department will be responsible for all reporting requirements to include periodic Report Forms and receipts or invoices, or copies of training certificates.
Grants to Providers:
Providers are defined as agencies that provide programs or services to the clients or students of other agencies (supported organizations) in Harrison County. To ensure the benefits of the grant meet the needs and expectations of the supported organization, Provider applicants must ensure appropriate Endorsement Letters from the leadership of the supported organization are included with the application. Defining the number of individuals to be served and a per-participant cost basis aids our Grants Committee in determining the value of your project. Other partnering sources of funding for these programs are encouraged and should be clearly identified in the application.
Grants to Schools:
It is the policy of the HCCF that grant requests from school corporations, public or private, or employees thereof, shall be defined, and limited as follows:
A. Capital Projects:
Capital Projects are requests for funding for the purchase of, or costs related to, the procurement of assets which are for the long term benefit of the corporation, staff, or students. Such assets will be considered Capital if they have a useful life of three or more years, or are depreciated on a scheduled basis. Items may be determined to be Capital items at the discretion of the HCCF Grants Committee and include the following:
Buildings Playground Equipment Vehicles Desks/furnishings Computer/Technology Lab Equipment Textbooks Athletic facility improvements Activity uniforms Library Books
The Foundation will entertain applications for Capital Projects only as a match to other funding sources of up to fifty percent (50 %) of the total Capital Project cost and for an amount not to exceed $250,000. Other sources may include any other grant providing resource, private individuals or businesses, or the applicant corporation. Successful applicants will be expected to provide written proof that matching funds are committed before any HCCF funds will be released.
B. Program Projects
Program Projects are requests for funding for the purchase of, or costs related to, the procurement of assets or services which are for the short term benefit of the school corporation, staff, or students. Items may be determined to be Program Projects at the discretion of the HCCF Grants Committee and include the following:
Field trips Periodicals Activity trips In-School programs Educational projects Program Books
The Foundation will entertain applications requesting 100 % funding for Program Projects, however, securing other funding to offset costs is recommended. Any applicable student activity fees must be declared and applied toward the program. Other partnering sources of funding for Program Projects are encouraged and should be clearly identified in the application. The requirement of Part I. Item E. of the application also applies.
Grants for real estate purchases:
HCCF will consider grants for the purchase of real estate. These applications must include a current (within six months) appraisal of the property to be purchased. An accepted offer, purchase option, or purchase contract should also be included if available.
Grant Application Content
Continuity of all applications expedites the grant reviewing process. An original and five copies must be provided. Only one copy of your agency annual audit is required and should be attached to the original. We encourage you to send us an annual audit when obtained which we will hold on file. If you have previously sent your most recent audit, write “on file” in the blank on the checklist and do not include another copy with your application.
The following index should be strictly followed:
(Requires addresses, phone numbers and email addresses if available)
Grant Applications from Providers must include Endorsement Letters signed by the organization providing the students or clients for the service being offered by the Provider. These letters should not be general supportive letters but declare a firm commitment that clients or students have been (or will be) scheduled to participate in the referenced program or activity. Additional information indicating the ages, grade level, or number of clients scheduled to participate is preferred.
Grant Application Delivery
Grant applications are to be completed and mailed or delivered to the HCCF office no later than published deadlines; typically by the end of the workday on January 15 and July 15. To allow possible changes, applications for the Spring and Fall grant cycles will not be accepted prior to December 1 and June 1, respectively.
Applicants may call the HCCF office to ensure the application was received or complete, however, no approval status of the grant application will be provided prior to the formal written announcement.
Additional policies for application delivery are:
Signatures:
HCCF Grant Applications (and Grant Agreements) require two signatures of the organization, preferably at two levels. At least one signature must be from the governing body and the other may be of a staff or supervisory level. Grant Applications or Grant Agreements with only one signature will not be accepted.
Application Assistance
Applications that do not contain all of the required information may not be considered. To facilitate the preparation of complete grant applications, applicants are encouraged to utilize Foundation staff assistance. This service is provided to assist you and does not reduce or replace the applicant's responsibility for the content of the package. Contact the Foundation office at (812) 738-6668 or staff@hccfindiana.org if you have any questions or desire assistance. Once the application package is submitted, no additions or corrections to the application will be allowed.
Mini-grants
The HCCF has established a method to award mini-grants during any monthly meeting. Mini-grants are restricted to one-time, unplanned, or emergency situations such as unexpected equipment purchase or repair, imminent safety issues, or special event support. The following guidelines are hereby established:
office or Grants Committee Chairperson to discuss your need and determine additional information the board may require.
Grant Application Solicitation and Conflict of Interest
Personal solicitations to Grants Committee members or HCCF Board of Directors are strongly discouraged and may result in the disqualification of the application. All HCCF board members are required to declare any personal interest in any grant applicant. This declaration eliminates their participation in voting on the grant application and will be recorded in the Minutes as an abstention. Board members who violate the Conflict of Interest Policy or fail to report a solicitation may be forced to resign from the board of directors.
HCCF employees do not participate in the grant making process with the exception of clerical assistance and providing any board member with requested factual information on a project or agency.
Special Grant Applications
A vast majority of grant applications should be planned ahead and submitted during our Spring or Fall Grant Cycles, however, the HCCF is aware that some state or federal grants requiring local matching funds are announced on short notice. To support Harrison County serving not-for-profits with local matching funds, we will consider certain grant requests anytime. The following guidelines apply:
Grant Application Training and Workshops
HCCF staff will provide training to all eligible not-for-profits serving our community on the proper completion of our grant application. All applicants are strongly encouraged to attend formal training sessions as announced (typically in May and November). In some cases, the staff may be able to provide individualized training at our facility.
Grant Application Announcements
The HCCF Board of Directors has the final authority and responsibility for approving or rejecting and announcing all grant applications. Typically, granting decisions will be made at the regular monthly meetings in March and September and publicized by the middle of those months.
HCCF is not responsible for any grant award announcements except by formal letter from our staff.
HCCF staff or board members are not authorized to release any information on the status of a grant application prior to final board approval. Annual High School Scholarship Grants
Each Spring, HCCF will provide a grant for graduating high school senior scholarships. These funds will be distributed among our four high schools based on senior class size as formally reported by an authorized high school official. The high schools are not required to apply for these funds.
Ten percent (10%) of these scholarship funds will be restricted to students attending non-traditional post-secondary schools or certified vocational training. The minimum scholarship amount that will be awarded to any student is $1,000.
Geographic DistributionExcept where limited by the applications presented, the HCCF Board of Directors will strive to achieve equitable grant awards distribution throughout the geographic regions of the county.
Grant Categories
HCCF supports grant awards that improve the quality of life throughout Harrison County. Grant applications are considered under the following primary categories:
Arts & Culture Government Education Human Services Historical Preservation Health & Safety Recreation Community Projects Environment
Grant Making Process
Properly completed grant applications are recorded, catalogued and separated by category. The Grants Committee Chairperson will assign sub-committees and sub-chairpersons. Each sub-committee will receive a similar number of applications for review and scoring. Individuals score the applications and the sub-committee convenes as a group to determine a final ranking of their group’s applications.
Once the sub-committees have concluded their work, the Grants Committee meets as a whole to again review, score and/or rank all applications. The final assessment and evaluation of the Grants Committee is presented to the entire Board of Directors as a motion for approval.
The Board of Directors will make a final determination of the grant applications and formally approve the amount to be awarded to each successful applicant. The Board of Director’s decision is final and will be announced via formal letter to each applicant agency and publicly in local media.
Grant applicants requesting to make a presentation to HCCF should do so in writing and attach the letter to a completed Grant Application package. The Grants Committee will review the application and if warranted, will recommend to the Board that a presentation by the applicant is appropriate.
Grant Agreement
Each successful grant applicant will be assigned a Grant Number and two officials of the agency must sign a Grant Agreement. Failure to sign the Agreement or comply with any provision of the content therein may result in forfeiture of the grant award. The properly signed grant agreement must be returned within 60 days from the date of the agreement.
Any grantee with overdue reports (6-month evaluation, 12-month evaluation, or Final Report Form) will not be eligible to apply for future grants until in compliance and will be prohibited from applying for any funding (including Mini-Grants or Special Grants) for the six-month period beginning the day after any report was overdue.
Distribution of Funds
Disbursements are made only to the applicant agency and no other assignment is authorized. Funds are typically provided within fifteen days after a copy of a paid receipt, purchase order, or an accepted bid/quote is delivered to the HCCF office. In some cases, funds may be released to a successful applicant upon receipt of documentation supporting an unusual need.
For capital grant expenditures above $10,000, at least two (but not more than four) bids/quotes may be required before funds will be released. If bids/quotes are required, this will be stipulated in the Grant Agreement. The grantee must provide a written explanation if you do not want to use the lowest bid/quote. The Foundation reserves the right to question or refuse payment to bids/quotes deemed questionable or inappropriate.
Grant Period and Extensions Unless otherwise stated in the Grant Agreement, HCCF grants must be completed within twelve months of the award date. Extensions for a period not to exceed six months may be requested in writing and may be approved by the Executive Director. Additional extensions may be requested in writing but will require approval by the Board of Directors.
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