General Operating Support Grants are funds that are unrestricted for use by high-performing organizations able to demonstrate that they meet certain infrastructure benchmarks. These funds may be used for allmission-related activities, including contributions to capital campaigns and endowments. Grant amounts are calculated based on an organization’s application score and operating budget. Scoring is directly linked to the extent to which the organization demonstrates that it is meeting each benchmark listed in the application.
Basic Eligibility for General Operating Support
- Operating budget must be at least $100K.
- Must show evidence of sound financial condition for three years or more.
- Cannot have deficits greater that 10% of operating budget for one year out of three years. (The Foundation screens for deficits primarily – though not exclusively – at the Unrestricted Income & Expense line of an organization’s Audited Statement of Activities.)
- Cannot have more than two years of deficits during the prior three-year period.
Application Process
Nonprofits that meet the basic eligibility requirements are asked to complete the General Operating Support Full Application at the appropriate life-cycle stage. You will then upload the completed application and supporting documents to the General Operating Services Drop Box. If you have questions about the life-cycle stage of your organization, call a program officer prior to applying.
Applications cannot be considered until the following supplemental documents have been submitted:
- 501(c)(3) IRS determination letter
- List of Board of Directors and their affiliations
- Three years of audits (if your organization does not have audits, we will accept your IRS 990)
- Current PA Bureau of Charitable Organizations Certificate
- Executive Summary of current strategic plan
- Organizational Budget
- Board-approved Nondiscrimination Policy
All applications delivered successfully will receive an automatic response. If you do not receive an automatic response, please call the Philanthropic Services Department to ensure that your materials are received. Applicants can anticipate an initial response to their request within two weeks after the completed application was submitted (including all of the financial documentation). If selected to move on to the next stage, a Program Officer will schedule a site visit with the Executive Director and a member of the organization’s board. Applicants who are not awarded General Operating Support may be invited to submit an application through The Philadelphia Foundation’s Organizational Effectiveness Grants.
Important Considerations
- 100% of the board members must be making financial contributions to the organization.
- The Executive Director must have been in place for at least three months.
- The Philadelphia Foundation exercises discretion when reviewing requests wherein there are familial relationships across the board and staff of an organization. If family relations do exist, The Foundation must be comfortable with the controls put in place to ensure accountability and integrity but not limited to having conflict of interest policies in place.
- Grants to organizations who are national or state-wide will be pro-rated based upon their work in our region.
- The Foundation looks closely at all Form 990s submitted to the IRS. In order to be considered in good standing for General Operating Support, organizations are expected to have the following policies in place, as indicated in the Part VI, Section B of the Form 990.
- Conflict of Interest Policies
- Whistleblower Policy
- Independent process with comparability data for determining compensation
- Providing copy of the 990 to board members prior to filing
Organization: / Counties Served:
Date: / Date incorporated:
Executive Director: / Tax ID #:
Address: / City, State, ZIP:
Phone No. / Website URL:
Email address:
Fiscal Sponsor (if applicable) / Fiscal Sponsor's Tax ID #:
FS Address: / City, State, ZIP:
FS Phone No. / FS Website URL:
FS Fax No. / FS Email address:
YES / NO
Your organization MUST complete the online Eligibility Wizard in order to submit an application. Have you completed the Eligibility Wizard on The Philadelphia Foundation's website? Click in the appropriate box to the right.
Request Amount: / $$ / Up to 7% of the organizations' budget (up to no more than $35,000) may be supported. Awards are then based on budget size and overall application score.
Has your organization incurred any deficits in the past three years? / Yes / If YES, Please briefly explain in the box provided below.
No
Explain:
Financial Information for Fiscal Years Beginning & Ending. ( ex. July 1 to June 30)
Organizational Budget* / REVENUE / EXPENSE / Surplus/(Deficit)
Current year
Previous year
2 years prior
3 years prior
*Refer to organization’s audited financials or completed 990 in reflecting revenue and expense in previous years. Current year’s figures can be based on budget forecast.Use unrestricted totals.
BOARD of DIRECTORS: Check any that apply and indicate what percentage of your Board, where appropriate.
Women % LGBTI % Immigrants% Differently Abled %
Caucasian %
Black or African American%
Latino or Hispanic %
Asian or Asian American % / Native American %
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Isl. %
Other: ______%
SENIOR MANAGEMENT: Check any that apply and indicate what percentage of your senior management, where appropriate.
Women % LGBTI % Immigrants% Differently Abled %
Caucasian %
Black or African American%
Latino or Hispanic %
Asian or Asian American % / Native American %
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Isl. %
Other: ______%
POPULATIONS SERVED: Check any that apply and indicate what percentage of your client population, where appropriate.
Terminal Illness %
Incarcerated
Immigrants %
Blind/Visually Impaired%
Mental Illness %
History of Domestic Violence % / Substance Abuse%
Women %
LGBTI %
Differently abled%
Orphaned Children (Have lost one or more parents.) %
Infants (0-3) %
Children (3-12) %
Teenage Youth (13-19) % / Elderly %
Adults %
Caucasian %
Black or African American%
Latino or Hispanic %
Asian or Asian American % / Native American %
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Isl. %
Other: ______%
What is the total number of unduplicated individuals served or represented by your organization's programs and services in the past year?
LOW-INCOME POPULATIONS SERVED
What percentage of the constituency you serve or represent could be classified as low-income?
%
What is the methodology used to determine the figure quoted above?
Mission of organization:
Overview of organization's history, programs and activities:
Financial Information
Describe your business model: asset allocation, sources and types of income, cost centers, revenue generating activities (earned and contributed).
How is your capital structure related to your financial planning? (For instance, if you own or manage a building, do you maintain a building reserve fund?)
Describe the checks and balances used in ensuring segregation of financial responsibilities.
Briefly describe the role of your board in understanding and contributing to the financial condition of your organization.
Describe your current financial systems: your budget development process, budget forecasting, accounting systems, and systems for cash flow, investments, budget reviews; and staffing for this work. What is the role of volunteers?
Outcomes
Describe how your organization evaluates the success of its programs, include how data is collected and how often. If you evaluate your program, describe how the organization uses that evaluation to identify strengths and weaknesses in the program.
Please provide an explanation.
Leadership / Organizational practice?1. Organization retires some veteran board members who are not engaged and adds new board members who support the renewal effort. / YES / NO
Explain:
2. As part of the transition/renewal process, the organization affirms or revises its mission, vision, values, and theory of change; they are well understood by board, staff, and volunteers. / YES / NO
Explain:
3. The board plays a hands-on role during the renewal effort and ensures the financial viability of the organization. / YES / NO
Explain:
4. Leadership is adept at managing a turnaround process. / YES / NO
Explain:
5. Board determines if chief executive is able to renew the organization and, if necessary, hires a new chief executive who is more able to do so. / YES / NO
Explain:
In the space below, please add any other information relevantto the organization's leadership capacity.
Adaptive / Organizational practice?
1. Organization considers and plans for potential changes to connections among community leaders, funders, and constituents and reassesses needs among constituents. / YES / NO
Explain:
2. Organization conducts comprehensive needs assessments using market research methods. / YES / NO
Explain:
3. Organization candidly assesses itself, recognizes the need for organizational renewal, identifies critical areas for organizational improvement, and incorporates this thinking into a renewal process. / YES / NO
Explain:
4. Organization conducts program evaluation and uses the results to inform and revise programs as part of renewal effort. / YES / NO
Explain:
5. Staff and board revamp and improve systems for integrating and using data from needs assessment, organizational assessment, program evaluation, and other sources, and relateit to the organizational renewal effort. / YES / NO
Explain:
6. Organization creates a turnaround plan that has clear goals and objectives and creates an annual operating plan based on it. / YES / NO
Explain:
7. Organization maintains relationships with other organizations, develops new relationships, and considers collaborations, partnerships, affiliations, or mergers as a part of its renewal effort; / YES / NO
Explain:
In the space below, please add any other information relevant to the organization's adaptive capacity.
Management / Organizational practice?
1. Organizational leaders revise staff job descriptions and restructure staff to reflect plan to renew the organization. / YES / NO
Explain:
2. Organizational leaders freely share information with all staff about the organizational renewal efforts. / YES / NO
Explain:
3. Organizational leaders assess the financial situation frequently, strengthen financial controls, and ensure that the organization is living within its means. / YES / NO
Explain:
4. Organization continues to maintain a well-developed accrual accounting system and creates quarterly financial reports and annual audited financial statements. / YES / NO
Explain:
5. Organization has adequate human resources to handle the financial management function during the renewal effort and may considers hiring a new staff person to handle the financial management function and/or replacing the outside auditor. / YES / NO
Explain:
In the space below, please add any other information relevant to the organization's management capacity.
Operational / Organizational practice?
1. Organization has skills to revise programs to be responsive to needs as part of organizational renewal effort. / YES / NO
Explain:
2. Organization has skills to effectively maintain and develop strong connections with constituents, and revise outreach and advocacy efforts as part of organizational renewal effort. / YES / NO
Explain:
3. Organization has legal skills necessary for the organization, such as for renegotiating debt with creditors, restructuring, or terminating contracts. / YES / NO
Explain:
4. Organization has skills to reassure current funders and maintain their support, and enlist new ones to support the renewal effort. / YES / NO
Explain:
5. Organization has skills to manage, operate, and maintain its facilities, such as by consolidating space, selling property, or subletting, where appropriate. / YES / NO
Explain:
6. Organization has skills to use and manage technology to support the organization’s renewal efforts. / YES / NO
Explain:
In the space below, please add any other information relevant to the organization's operational capacity.
Does your organization require a PA Child Abuse History Clearance for all employees or volunteers working directly with children?
YES / NO
Please upload a copy of this form as well as a copy of the required supplemental material to: General Operating Support Drop Box
If you have any questions, please call 215-563-6417.