Program Overview: Since 2001, Resourceful Communities has awarded more than 400 small grants, funded by public and private organizations, to support innovative community projects across North Carolina. Please visit https://goo.gl/ZXONgH and scroll to Investing in Communities for general information about the Creating New Economies Fund (CNEF) or to download a list of supported projects.
Through the CNEF program, we aim to:
· Build the capacity of Resourceful Communities partners to plan and implement community-based projects that advance the triple bottom line.
· Strengthen and expand work already underway in Resourceful Communities’ partner organizations.
· Support Resourceful Communities partners’ pilot projects that use innovative approaches.
· Assist Resourceful Communities partners in securing other funds and resources for project initiatives.
· Demonstrate to decision-makers and funders that triple bottom line investments, combined with training and organizational assistance, can strengthen rural communities.
Please note that CNEF grants cannot support deficit financing, for-profit businesses, individuals or projects that do not include triple bottom line benefits.
Project must include triple bottom line results – environmental, social justice and economic benefits. Proposals receiving the highest consideration will:
· Be planned and implemented by a community organization that has participated in our network events (workshops, peer learning visits, convenings, etc.).
· Build on local assets (a community’s natural, historical, cultural and human resources) to address community challenges.
· Meaningfully engage those who benefit from the project, particularly people of color or low wealth.
· Address “root causes” of community challenges. Root causes often include, but are not limited to:
o Poverty/ need for local jobs
o Exclusion and inequities, especially among low-income communities and communities of color
o Environmental challenges such as flooding, poor drainage, land loss, toxins, etc. that disproportionately impact low-income communities and communities of color
· Focus on work in rural, Tier One counties.
Grant Amounts: Grants cannot exceed $15,000. There is no minimum amount that must be requested for a Creating New Economies Fund application to be considered, however, grants average $8,000-$12,000.
Applications: Please limit your application to six pages not including the cover sheet and budget. Use at least 11-point font. Use the form provided. ** Examples offered in this document and this page can be deleted from your final application. ** Submit via email to by 11:59 p.m. on December 15, 2016.
Questions? Please email or call (919)-951-0111.
Creating New Economies Fund
2017 Grant Application
Due December 15, 2016 by 11:59 p.m.
via email to
Contact Information
Organization:
Address:
Contact Person and Title:
Phone: Email:
Website and/or Facebook page:
Project Administrator/ Email:
Who prepared application: Email:
Organization Information
Type of organization: __ 501(c)(3) __ Government Agency __ Church __ Other (Please explain.)
Federal ID Number of applicant organization (or sponsor organization): ________________
[Please include a copy of your organization’s/ fiscal agent’s IRS tax exempt determination.]
If using a fiscal agent, please provide contact information and the fiscal agent’s IRS letter of determination:
Organization: Contact Person:
Phone: Email:
Address:
Year organization was founded: Organizational budget for current fiscal year: _________
Does your organization currently receive funding, or is awaiting a decision, from the following funders?
[ ] Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust [ ] Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation
Total Staff (including unpaid staff who support programming): Total volunteers:
Project Information
Amount of Funding Requested:
Project Name/ Brief Description:
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
Project location, including county: ________________
Project start date ________________ Completion date ________________
How do you or others from your organization participate in our network (at convenings, workshops, peer learning visits, technical assistance)? Participation in Resourceful Communities’ partner network is considered during review of Creating New Economies Fund applications.
Organization Overview and Project Description
1. Please provide a *brief* overview of your organization, including the focus of your work, what services you provide, a description of who benefits from your work, and the geographic area you serve.
2. Please provide a brief overview of your proposed project. What do you propose to do? How will your efforts increase access to healthy food or opportunities to be active?
Healthy Eating impacts might include: pounds of food grown/distributed to low-income individuals, changed/ improved eating habits, number of people who participated in nutrition classes, implementation of SNAP/EBT/WIC/voucher acceptance and number of consumers reached, etc.).
Active Living impacts might include number of people who engaged in outdoor fitness activities, improved health outcomes such as weight loss, number of miles walked by participants, etc.).
3. Why is your organization implementing this project? Why is this work important or needed?
4. Briefly describe the programming your organization currently offers, including how those you serve participate. How does your proposed project relate to the programming that you already have underway?
Preparing for a Successful Project
5. How have the people who will benefit from your proposed project been involved in planning, decision-making and implementation of this work?
6. Describe any current and/or potential collaboration or partnerships related to the proposed project. For partnerships already in place, please describe what project partners have committed to do, and whether agreements (either formal or informal) are in place defining their roles and responsibilities. For potential partnerships, please describe the steps you have taken/ are taking to build the partnership and proposed roles.
Current partners:
Potential partners:
Getting the Project Underway
7. Please provide a basic work plan that describes what you will do to carry out your project, including steps for preparation and implementation of your work. Include major activities and a timeline.
Activities that have already been completed:
Activities that you will carry out to prepare for project: (Please consider additional staff/ volunteers, qualified individuals who can deliver programming; supplies or equipment to be purchased; materials to be developed; access to additional space/ land, contract/ agreements needed.)
Activities you will perform once the project is underway: (Once everything is prepared and programming begins, what will your project look like on a day-to-day basis, including who you will serve, how many and how often.)
Examples:
Activities that have already been completed:
· We have hosted two community conversations with project participants.
· We have identified a trail specialist who will lead weekly outdoor activities for youth.
· We have identified lesson plans we will use during the afterschool program.
Activities that you will carry out to prepare for project:
· Secure meeting space for afterschool program. (By May 2017)
· Identify 5 guest speakers for youth program. (By May 2017)
· Develop liability waiver for youth program. (By April 2017)
Activities you will perform once the project is underway:
· Host youth program four times/ week for ten participants four hours each day. (June-August 2017)
· Deliver three weekly activities that increase outdoor activities. (June-August 2017)
8. Please attach your project budget and budget narrative. Please refer to sample budget and budget narrative. Be sure to include:
· Total project budget and sources, including in-kind contributions (refer to overview), volunteer hours, services, donated equipment, etc.
· How much money is being requested from the Creating New Economies Fund and how it will be spent
· What additional funds will be used and sources of those funds
Results, Assessment and Evaluation
9. Proposed CNEF projects must incorporate the “triple bottom line.” Please describe the environmental, economic and social justice benefits that you intend will happen as a result of your project.
Note: Resourceful Communities’ “triple bottom line” incorporates community economic development, social justice and environmental stewardship. Results of “triple bottom line” efforts might include, but are not limited to:
· Economic: Economic development can be direct (e.g., create jobs, generate additional income, create a business) or indirect (e.g., develop new job skills, reduce poverty, create new economic opportunities through agriculture, trail building or similar project).
· Social Justice: Meaningfully engage people of color or low wealth; educational improvement; overcome barriers to participation; address racism and injustices.
· Environmental: Protect land/water resources; reduce pesticide usage; improve water quality; plant trees; provide environmental education; improve energy efficiency.
Economic benefits:
Social Justice benefits:
Environmental benefits:
10. Explain what changes you hope to see when your project is successfully completed. Please list expected results of your project and key measures of success. (What do you hope will change because of your project? Who will benefit? How many will benefit? By when?) Please describe how and when you will collect this information. Please note that evaluation is ongoing. It does not begin after the project is completed.
Examples:
Expected Results: 20 low-income community members will learn new strategies to access and use local, healthy food by September 2017.
Key Measures:
o 20 low-income community members will attend three how-to demonstrations and market field trips to learn about farmers’ market incentives; market coordinator will count participants at presentations delivered pre-/ early-market season.
o Incentives, such as coupons and BOGOs, will increase low-income access to healthy food at the local farmers’ market; project coordinator will count number of low-income participants using incentives each week during the project.
o Participants will take a pre- and post-market survey about their knowledge of farmers’ market incentives, how to buy and use market produce and where they buy healthy foods; project coordinator will administer surveys at the beginning/ end of project and analyze results.
Expected Results:
Key Measures:
2017 Creating New Economies Fund Application