Dear Agency:
Congratulations! You are invited to submit an application to United Way of Hays County for 2017 Community Investment Allocation funding. The following is information on how to prepare and submit your application, as well as forms for you to complete.
With the increased need for services by all agencies, we are being increasingly strategic in our community investments and the impact they have on our community and its residents. In the application, we are asking you to provide detail on the Outcome and Impact of the program for which you are seeking funding. We must measure results of the invested dollars and provide optimum value of service delivery to our community. In general, we are asking for less information about your agency, but more about the specific project/program for which you are seeking funding.
If you are applying for more than one project or program, you must fill out the Application Form (section B-E) and the program budget worksheet for each program for which you are seeking funding. Agencies may only apply for 2 programs for 2017 funding.
Resources Available:
We realize that our request for you to measure the impact of your programs may present challenges to you. We understand that you are a small agency with limited resources and are not asking you for professional program evaluations. However, we ask you to be as specific as you can on the outcome of the program for which you seek funding. We can provide advice on developing outcome measures and indicators.
Process and Timeline:
· This application and all required documentation are due in our office by 5pm, Thursday, June 9. See following instructions for more detail.
· The applications will be reviewed and you will be contacted to schedule a mandatory presentation in front of our Funds Distribution Committee. These 30 minute presentations and Q & A sessions will take place on June 25.
· The Funds Distribution Committee reviews the requests for funding, hears the presentations, seeks additional information, and makes recommendations to the United Way Board of Directors.
· We will offer the Funds Distribution Committee members an opportunity to make a (optional) site visit to the applicants. They will schedule these at a mutually-convenient time.
· The Board of Directors will meet in July to consider the recommendations of the Committee and to make funding decisions.
· Agencies will be notified of the allocation decisions by the end of July.
Please note that neither past support from United Way, nor this invitation to apply, is a guarantee that you will receive a Community Investment Allocation in 2017.
If you have questions, please feel free to contact me. Thank you again for your interest in being a United Way funded partner and for all you do to make our community a better place.
Michelle Harper
President/CEO
UWHC Application 2017 – Letter
United Way of Hays County
2017 APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS & FAQ
Thank you for your interest in applying for funding from United Way of Hays County. Please follow the instructions carefully. Our volunteers need clear, concise and complete information to enable them to review your request. United Way staff is available to answer technical questions about the application. For more information call: 512.353.1420 or email: .
1. Applications must be received in the United Way office by Thursday, June 9, 2016, 5pm.
Mail to: PO Box 1728, San Marcos TX 78667 or
Hand deliver to: 174 S. Guadalupe Street, Suite 105, San Marcos, TX 78666.
2. REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICATION PACKET: ALL copies must be typed on three-hole punched paper. Please do not bind or staple any documents. Please provide 2 copies of the following complete application in the order listed below.
a) Application form sections A-F (should be no more than 6 pages total)
1. Please be clear, concise and complete and answer questions in the order given.
2. If you are applying for more than one program, Application form B-E must be filled out for EACH program for which you are applying
b) Proposed program/project budget for current and next fiscal year (if applying for a new program, no current budget is needed) Please use the attached Total Program Budget Worksheet for both years.
c) Complete copy of latest IRS Form 990.
d) Financial statements (balance sheet and profit/loss statements) for the last 2 full fiscal years
e) Organizational budgets for previous and current fiscal years
f) Copy of Internal Revenue Service letter of determination of tax-exempt status. (needed only if applicant was not funded in 2015 or 2016)
g) Copy of audit or CPA review. (should match year of latest 990)
h) Two human-interest stories that can be used for publicity (can be on the same sheet of paper).
i) Year End Program Report Form (needed only if applicant was funded in 2015)
j) Anti-Terrorism Compliance statement.
k) Non-discrimination policy statement (NOT affirmative action policy).
l) Roster containing the contact information of current Board of Directors.
m) Agency Agreement
ADDITIONAL ABBREVIATED COPY - Instructions:
Please submit ten (10) abbreviated copies of the following separate parts of your full application, on three-hole punched paper, numbered in the order listed below (use of 2-sided paper is recommended):
a) Application form sections A-F (should be no more than 6 pages total)
1. Please be clear, concise and complete and answer questions in the order given.
2. If you are applying for more than one program, Application Form B-E must be filled out for each program for which you are applying.
b) Proposed program/project budget current and next fiscal year (if applying for a new program, no current budget is needed) Please use the attached Total Program Budget Worksheet for both years.
c) IRS 990, pages 1 and 2 only
d) Financial statements (balance sheet and profit/loss statements) for previous full fiscal year
e) Organizational budget for current fiscal year
f) Human Interest Stories (2)
3. You may also include supplemental information such as agency and/or program brochures. Please keep this to a minimum, however, and include 10 sets.
EVALUATION CRITERIA
Funds Distribution Committee members will use the following criteria for reviewing proposals.
40% COMMUNITY NEED Does the program address a recognized health and human service need in our community? Is the need consistent with UWHC mission and Funding Priorities? How serious is the problem?
30% IMPACT How well does the program demonstrate a meaningful linkage between community needs, program activities and outcomes? Will the program provide a meaningful volume of services and/or people served? Will United Way funding make a difference?
20% ABILITY AND EVALUATION Does the agency have a history of reliability? Are there adequate staff and resources to conduct this program? Does the program plan seem sound? Are clear goals and objectives written? Are measurable outcomes evident? How well does the agency/program demonstrate the ability to deliver and measure proposed outcomes?
10% FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT Is the financial information presented clearly & accurately? Does the agency have a balanced budget? Does the agency have adequate reserves? Is there diversified funding? Is other funding available? Will funds requested from UWHC support direct client services? Are overhead expenses a reasonable % of total?
TRACK RECORD (For 2013 Funded Partners only) Grade: A, B, C, D, E, F Is there year round commitment to work in partnership with the United Way? Did the agency accomplish its goals and objectives last year? Did the agency make a difference with last year’s United Way funds?
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: There has been talk of a “model change” taking place within the United Way of Hays County. What does this mean? Has the focus of UWHC been narrowed?
A: We are in the middle of a significant transition. United Way of Hays County is moving to a new Community Impact model, which is an exciting shift from the way our United Way has served our community in the past. We are transforming from the historic “community chest” model with its broad charitable mission, into a results-based, change agent model aimed at mobilizing the caring power of the community to achieve three compelling goals affirmed by our volunteer board of directors after considerable research, discussion and study. The focus has not narrowed—for the past five years, Education, Income and Health have been the goal areas of UWHC. The model change is helping us better target shared outcomes, provide more support, and engage more community members in our activities.
Q: Globally, United Way Worldwide focuses on Education, Income and Health. How do the United Way of Hays County goals relate or connect?
A: What the United Way has learned from having conversations in communities, not just here, but around the globe, is that Education, Income and Health are the basic building blocks of a good life. These are universally agreed-upon goals that resonate with people. What’s great about the global United Way framework is that these three overarching goals can be drilled down to meet the needs of individual communities. The United Way of Hays County is studying the demographic trends of our community, exploring local data about who is facing the greatest challenges in terms of these basic building blocks of life, and pursing conversations with community partners and leaders to learn more about these needs and populations. As a result, our United Way has adopted three Community Goals that keep education, income and health in mind, while providing the sharpened focus necessary for creating the kind of strategic investments and actions that can make a bigger difference in the lives of our community members.
Q: The Community Impact model has been implemented in other parts of the country, and even in our surrounding area. Financially, how has the model change affected United Ways in terms of dollars raised?
A: According to national research, those United Ways that have embraced the Community Engagement and Impact Model have seen their donation dollars rise over time. The primary reason for these increases has been because donors (corporate partners, individual donors, leadership givers and affinity groups) have recognized the merit in working toward solving targeted issues and concerns that are taking place in their communities. And, because of the collaborative nature of the model, many United Ways are able to leverage dollars received from donors with money from foundations, grants and their state and local governments -- to have an even greater financial impact on their targeted areas of concern.
Q: Who makes up the Funds Distribution Committee and what is this group’s role in the new investment process? How are UWHC funding amounts determined?
A: The Funds Distribution Committee is a group of volunteers convened to guide United Way of Hays County’s overall investment policy and process in order to maximize impact on our three Community Goals. These key stakeholders come from business, education, human services, government, foundations, the community-at-large and the United Way of Hays County Board. This team has a significant advisory role, making recommendations to the Board of Directors who give final approval of investment policy, investment plans, and actual investment awards. The committee reviews all applications and makes a recommendation of a percentage amount of the total collected each year to be awarded to each agency. The board of directors reviews and considers the recommendations, and adopts the budget.
Q: How can I support the efforts of the United Way of Hays County as you begin to focus on your three targeted community goals?
A: The beauty of the new model is that there are so many ways to support our efforts. Ultimately you can GIVE, ADVOCATE and/or VOLUNTEER. Currently you can GIVE to the United Way Community Fund through a workplace campaign donation, or via our website (www.unitedwayhaysco), or by calling 512.353.1420. You can VOLUNTEER your time, talents and expertise by contacting Michelle Harper, at . Keep checking our website, follow us on Twitter and join our Facebook page to keep up to date on opportunities to help influence others.
Q. Why do funding amounts change?
A. Each year, UWHC accepts a different number of applications. The amount of funding has not been decreased, but increased over the years. The level of funding has changed due to increased number of agencies requesting funds and scores awarded and percentages recommended for distribution by the Funds Distribution committee.
Q. Why is UWHC competing for funds that some local agencies compete for?
A. United Way of Hays County has requested (but not received) local support to support Success By Six, a program to promote literacy, good parenting, quality Pre-K and other Early Childhood initiatives. This funding would be used in collaborative indicatives with UWHC partner agencies and other organizations, not independently in competition with other agencies.
Q. What has been done to decrease the difficulty in preparing the applications?
A. The process has been amended twice in the past five years to reduce the burden on applying agencies. For 2014, the application is much shorter and more aligned with other funding applications. Application workshops, as well as one-on-one sessions with applicants, help agencies understand and successfully complete the process.
Q. Why does United Way have black-out dates?
A. While black-out dates are necessary so that UWHC can successfully conduct workplace campaigns to raise as much money as possible, the board has twice in the past four years reduced the blackout period to support agency’s efforts to fundraise. Currently, the blackout period is August 15 to September 30.
Q. What is the letter of intent?
A. Interested programs are evaluated for their alignment with the strategies and goals for Education, Income and Health; ability to show measurable results; and the resources it takes to obtain those results before the application period begins.
Q. Who is eligible to apply?
A. Any 501(c)3 or equivalent non-profit organization that has programs which align with the strategies under Education, Income and Health, operating in Hays County for at least two years can apply.
Q. Why wasn't my favorite agency funded?
A. Opening up the process made it an incredibly competitive environment, with nearly double the number of applicants compared to previous years. The Funds Distribution Committee evaluates the programs against the goals and to identify those that aligned best with the goals and metrics for Education, Income and Health. Agencies that do not receive funding in 2013-2014 may apply for funding for 2014-2015.
Q. Does a non-profit that was not selected for funding this year have the opportunity to receive funding in the future?