DEADLINE: 5 pm NOVEMBER 8, 2011
Appalachian Community Fund
507 South Gay Street, Suite 1120
Knoxville, TN 37902
865.523.5783
www.appalachiancommunityfund.org
Online and paper proposals must be received in the ACF office by
5:00 pm Tuesday, November 8, 2011. Postmarks do not apply.
2011 - 2012 General Program Guidelines and Application
ABOUT THE APPALACHIAN COMMUNITY FUND
The Appalachian Community Fund (ACF) was founded in 1987 to bring new resources and provide grants to groups for community organizing and social change in Central Appalachia (East Tennessee, Eastern Kentucky, Southwest Virginia and all of West Virginia). Grants are given to community-based organizations that address underlying causes of the economic and social distress of the region. ACF seeks to build a long-term resource base and expand community philanthropy in the region. In 20 years, ACF has given away over $5 million to community organizations. In 2010-2011, ACF distributed $204,000 in funds.
REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS
The board of directors of the Appalachian Community Fund is made up of activists from the four Central Appalachian states. Proposal applications are read by members of the ACF Board who review and discuss proposals and make decisions on the final grant awards. The average grant award last year was $4,100. The reading and review process takes several months. Notices will be sent as soon as decisions are final, usually in May. To avoid potential conflict of interest, please indicate if anyone in your organization is a board member of ACF.
We use the Appalachian Regional Commission designation for Appalachian counties. A list of the counties where we fund can be found on our website --www.appalachiancommunityfund.org/html/wherewefund.html. If your organization is based outside the region, you may be funded only for work in Appalachian counties and your proposal must include a work plan for the Appalachian portion of the work.
Alexander Fund - New York Community Trust
The Appalachian Community Fund has been given the unique opportunity to manage the grantmaking program of the Alexander Fund of the New York Community Trust. The Alexander Fund is a long standing philanthropic commitment by the late Oakey Logan and Ethel Witherspoon Alexander to benefit workers in the coal industry, their families and their communities in Central Appalachia. The fund’s commitment to the Appalachian region has been evidenced over the last several years with its generous support to many groups working for change in the coalfields of Central Appalachia. The Alexander Fund sets an excellent example of stewardship by believing in the self-development and self-determination of Appalachians working to preserve their culture and improve the conditions around them.
GENERAL ELIGIBILITY AND CRITERIA FOR FUNDING
Organizations must have a 501(c)3 tax exempt status, or a 501(c)3 fiscal sponsor, in order to receive ACF funding.
The organization or project must be in Appalachian counties of Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, or West Virginia. The organization or project must show evidence of working for social change through one or more of the following:
1. Organizing and action led by people working to control their own lives.
2. Educating communities about the root causes of oppression and injustice.
3. Eliminating barriers to full participation in society (i.e. racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, ageism, able-ism, and exclusion from decision-making processes).
4. Focusing on efforts to change cultural, social, political, and economic systems and institutions that accommodate and perpetuate social injustice.
5. Creating and modeling democratic cultural, social, political and economic systems.
6. Connecting local issues with national and global concerns.
7. Networking, collaborating, and cooperating with other change agents working toward similar goals.
Definition of Social Change
Additionally, proposals will be evaluated on:
§ An understanding and analysis of structural racism and other types of oppression and efforts to address them.
§ A clear strategy aimed at an equitable distribution of power and wealth.
§ Strong local community leadership representative of and accountable to the organization’s constituency.
§ Efforts to build new leadership from the community served.
§ A commitment to building the organization and involving people who are new to social justice movements.
§ The organizational capacity to plan and implement work and to raise and manage funds.
§ A plan or project with specific goals.
SUBMISSION AND FORMATTING GUIDELINES
Your proposal may be disqualified if it is late, incomplete, or otherwise does not meet these guidelines. Please review these carefully before submitting your proposal.
Although you may submit your proposal either online or on paper, all proposals must include these documents:
o Cover sheet, using the form on page 5.
o Narrative of no more than six (6) pages in a readable 12-point font or type with answers to each item or question on the list beginning on page 6. You may use one extra page to tell us anything you want us to know that was not covered in your narrative. Number each page.
o Current fiscal year organizational budget (projected income and expenses)
o Project budget if requesting project funding
o A statement of actual income and expenses (sometimes called a “budget activity report” or “profit and loss”) for your most recently completed fiscal year
o Balance sheet or financial statement for the most recently completed fiscal year.
o Description of the organization’s plans for future fundraising.
o Brief explanation of any restricted income or endowments or assets.
o Brief description of any process and policies the organization has for handling monies coming in to the organization, i.e., the budget approval process, who write and signs checks, who keeps the books.
o A list of board and staff with information including name, gender, race, ethnicity, occupation, location, sexual orientation, and any other helpful information. If you need to honor confidentiality, you can indicate by numbers or percentage.
o Your most recent audit, if you have one. If you have never had an audit, instead include a statement to that effect.
o Your newsletter or other supporting material. Do not send more than one copy.
o Your IRS letter stating 501(c)3 status, OR, a letter from your fiscal sponsor stating their willingness to be your agent with a copy of their IRS letter
Additional Information
§ We will acknowledge receipt of your application.
§ Final reports from previous ACF grants must be submitted before any future grant monies are released.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION ONLINE
Email your complete application to , attaching each document labeled with your organization’s name plus an additional identifier, for example, “Mountain Climbers, board list.” The narrative must be in a Word document. Financial documents may be submitted using Excel. You may also use .pdf files for attachments. All attachments must be formatted to print on 8-1/2 by 11 inch paper.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION ON PAPER
Delivery may be by U.S. mail, commercial delivery service, or your hand delivery. If hand delivering, please remember our office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Please do not use any fasteners except paper clips. Paper applications must include multiple copies as follows:
o Fifteen (15) additional copies of the cover sheet.
o Seven (7) copies of the complete proposal narrative (plus, if using, the extra page of additional information).
o Seven (7) copies of board and staff information.
o Seven (7) copies of each budget and financial report.
o One copy of a newsletter or one copy of other supporting material.
o Your most recent audit, if you have one done. If you have never had an audit, instead include a statement to that effect.
o Your IRS letter stating 501c3 status, OR, a letter from your fiscal sponsor stating their willingness to be your agent and a copy of their IRS letter.
APPALACHIAN COMMUNITY FUND
GRANT APPLICATION COVER SHEET
Date of application: ______
Contact person(s) and title: ______
Organization name and year founded: ______
Address: ______
Phone______Email and website ______
Requested amount $______Total organizational budget $ ______
If project funding is requested, project budget amount ______
project title ______
How many years have you received ACF Funding? ______
Through which ACF programs? ______
______
Please give a brief statement of your organization’s mission, a summary of the project or grant request, and two accomplishments of your organization in the last three years in this space provided.
PROPOSAL NARRATIVE: Six (6) pages for narrative. (Financial reports and board list are not included in this six page maximum.) Please include the following information in your narrative, being as specific as possible and respond completely to all parts of the question. In order to help with reporting to our donors, please indicate to what extent your work directly or indirectly relates to coal mining or the coal industry. (Being related is not a criterion for funding).
1. History and purpose of the organization. Organizational Background: Please briefly describe the organization’s history, social justice vision, and recent achievements and challenges
2. Funding request. Describe the request, including: a. The problems, needs or issues the work will address. What are the underlying or “root” causes of these problems? What systemic or institutional change is the organization trying to achieve? b. Provide a timeline and the specific goals, objectives and activities/strategies for the one year duration of the grant. c. How will your organization know whether it is successful? (Please tell us about the measures for success that are most important to your organization.)
(If the organization is based outside Central Appalachia, please also describe how ACF funding will be used by and for Appalachian people. If your work is related to health care, economic development, or education or takes place in this context, please be specific about the context.)
3. Movement building and social change. How does the organization see its work as part of a larger movement for social change? Describe the most important coalitions, collaborations or networks that you participate in as part of social change work. Include why the organization is active in these collaborations and your organization’s role.
4. Constituency, accountability and leadership development: Describe the organization’s core constituency -- being specific about race, gender, income level, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, and ability -- how they are involved in the leadership of your organization, and how you support leadership development. Include how your group’s leadership is selected and how the organization is accountable to the community and constituency.
5. Organizational structure and process. Briefly describe how your organization works. Who decides
what kind of work the organization will do? How are decisions made? How is the organization structured,
what is the decision-making process, and what are the responsibilities of board, staff and volunteers?
6. Anti-racism values and practice. The board of the Appalachian Community Fund values anti-racism and believe it has to be a component of social change work, no matter what issue you work on or what community you are in. A. Please tell us how your organization incorporates anti-racism values and vision into your thinking. B. What is your organization doing to put its anti-racism values into practice?
You may use one additional page of narrative to tell us anything you want us to know that wasn’t asked for in your proposal narrative.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
o Project budget if requesting project funding.
o Current fiscal year organizational budget (projected income and expenses).
o Statement of actual income and expenses (sometimes called a budget activity report or profit and loss) for your most recently completed fiscal year.
o Balance sheet or financial statement for the most recently completed fiscal year.
o Description of the organization’s plans for future fundraising.
o Brief explanation of any restricted income or endowments or assets.
o Brief description of any process and policies the organization has for handling monies coming in to the organization, i.e., the budget approval process, who writes and signs checks, who keeps the books.
BOARD AND STAFF LIST
Please provide a description of the roles and demographics (race, gender, class, age, sexual orientation, ability) of the members of your current board of directors (or the leadership body who governs your work) and your staff. For any demographic information you need to keep confidential, please provide numbers or percentages.
TAX EXEMPT INFORMATION
A copy of the organization’s or the fiscal sponsor’s 501(c)3 letter. If you are using a fiscal sponsor, provide a letter of agreement from them as well.
Proposals must be received in the ACF office by 5:00 pm on Tuesday, November 8, 2011.
Postmarks do not apply.
Proposals submitted online should be sent to
Questions should be sent to or telephone the ACF office at 865-523-5783.
1
Checklist for Paper Applications:
Please attach a signed copy of this checklist with your application.
o Original, plus fifteen (15) copies of the cover sheet, using the form on page 5.
o Seven (7) copies of the complete proposal narrative, including one extra page for additional information if needed.
o Seven (7) copies of a current fiscal year organizational budget (projected income and expenses)
o Seven (7) copies of a project budget if requesting project funding
o Seven (7) copies of a statement of actual income and expenses (sometimes called a “budget activity report” or “profit and loss”) for your most recently completed fiscal year
o Seven (7) copies of a balance sheet or financial statement for the most recently completed fiscal year.
o Seven (7) copies of a description of the organization’s plans for future fundraising.
o Seven (7) copies of a brief explanation of any restricted income or endowments or assets.
o Seven (7) copies of a brief description of any process and policies the organization has for handling monies coming in to the organization, i.e., the budget approval process, who writes and signs checks, who keeps the books.
o Seven (7) copies of a list of board and staff with information including name, gender, race, ethnicity, occupation, location, sexual orientation, and any other helpful information. If you need to honor confidentiality, you can indicate by numbers or percentage.
o One (1) copy of your most recent audit, if you have one. If you have never had an audit, instead include a statement to that effect.