The Community Foundations 2010 Annual Grant Seeker Sessions were held Tuesday, April 20th, Tuesday, April 27th and Thursday, April 29th. Session dates and location will be published here for the 2011 sessions during the first quarter of 2011.

These sessions are free informative seminars for 501(c)(3) organizations (non-profits) wishing to apply for a grant from The Community Foundations Annual Unrestricted Grants Program.

To apply for a grant, the following criteria must be met: (1) must have certification as a 501 (c)(3) organization (individuals are not eligible); (2) program requesting funding for must serve at least one of the following six counties: Burke, Columbia, McDuffie or Richmond County in Georgia; Aiken or Edgefield County in South Carolina.

Grant Seeker Sessions are provided to give Grant Seekers an opportunity to review the Grant Guidelines for Unrestricted Grants and the Grant Application Form & Instructions with The Community Foundation staff and ask any questions they may have. The Grant Guidelines for Unrestricted Grants and the Grant Application Form & Instructions can be found by clicking on the links to the right of this web page. Links to other resourceful information for Grant Seekers can also be found to the right of this web page.

All sessions will begin at 10 a.m. in the Training Room of Serotta Maddocks Evans & Company, which is located in Suite 200 of 701 Greene Street (corner of 7th and Greene Street) in Augusta, Georgia. The sessions are expected to last about an hour. Please park in the parking lot behind the brick building, which can only be accessed via 7th Street. There is another parking lot to the side of the building, which can be accessed via Greene Street, please do not park in this parking lot.

These sessions will be identical; therefore it is unnecessary to attend all sessions. We encourage attendance but do request that not more than two individuals attend per organization. Reservations are made on a first-come, first-serve basis. Session dates and location will be posted here for the 2011 year in early 2011. Please note: These grants are NOT available for individuals.

Unrestricted Grant Applications may be submitted as early as May 1st, but not later than 11 a.m. July 31st. The 2010 Unrestricted Grant Guidelines are as follows:

Unrestricted Grant Guidelines

Print Unrestricted Grant Guidelines

The Community Foundation is a non-profit community fund. It is a creative, cost-effective and tax-efficient way for people to invest in their community. The Community Foundation 's resources come from gifts made by individuals, companies, foundations, and charitable organizations. These gifts are used to create charitable Funds, which provide resources for grant making and help make a positive difference in the community.

Unrestricted gifts from donors to The Community Foundation are distributed through the annual Unrestricted Grants Program, a competitive process designed to help nonprofit organizations meet changing needs in the CSRA Region.   Grant applications are accepted from January 1st thru July 31st. Following an evaluation process, The Community Foundation awards grants based on identified community issues and the relative merit of the proposals received.

1.  WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?

The Community Foundation considers grant applications from organizations that:

• Are determined as charitable under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, public entities or other charitable, educational or cultural organizations.

• Provide programs and services to the Greater Augusta area, including one or more of the following counties : Richmond, Columbia, McDuffie, Burke, Aiken and Edgefield.

• The Foundation will accept only one application per organization per year.

The Community Foundation does not set a minimum amount for grant awards. The Community Foundation requires that application requests do not exceed $15,000.00.

3. IS THERE A MATCH REQUIREMENT FOR FUNDS RECEIVED?

It is preferred that funds granted by The Community Foundation are to be matched by funding from other sources.  Organizations are to submit only one (1) grant application to The Community Foundation per calendar year.

4. WHAT DOES THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FUND?

Currently, The Community Foundation considers and funds applications in the following seven major program areas:

• Arts/Cultural
• Children/Youth/Family Services
• Civic Affairs
• Community Development
• Economic Development
• Education
• Environmental/Health/Human Services

5.   WHAT CRITERIA SHOULD APPLICATIONS EMPHASIZE?

The Community Foundation looks for proposals which:

• Has a program/project that will positively impact persons and/or the community.
• Develop competencies and skills enabling individuals to live fuller, more productive lives;
• Addresses a significant need affecting a broad segment of the region's population or special populations;
• The ability to leverage other funding through the use of matching grants;
• Promote the cooperation of two or more agencies to avoid duplication of services and to coordinate resources and programs;
• Demonstrate the capacity to provide the necessary services using good administrative and financial management;
• Demonstrate support from outside the organization to sustain programs with volunteers and in-kind resources;
• Promote systems or approaches which can prevent individual, family or community problems.

When evaluating requests, The Community Foundation also considers the balance of geography, needs and resources in the community.

6.     WHAT ACTIVITIES TYPICALLY DO NOT RECEIVE FUNDING?

The Community Foundation discourages applicants from submitting applications in support of the following:

• Computer/word processing hardware not directly related to project or services;
• Grants for individuals;
• Building campaigns;
• Deficit financing and debt retirement;
• Endowments;
• Fraternal organizations, societies or orders;
• Professional/association conferences or seminars (support for or attendance at);
• Political organization or campaigns;
• Lobbying legislators or influencing elections;
• Special fundraising events/celebration functions;
• Surveys, feasibility studies, marketing endeavors and personal research;
• Travel for individuals or groups such as bands, sports teams, and classes;
• Core operating expenses for public and private elementary and secondary schools and public and private colleges and universities;
• Projects that are typically the funding responsibility of federal, state or local governments;
• Fifteen passenger vans.

7.     ARE NEW ORGANIZATIONS AND OPERATING SUPPORT ELIGIBLE?

The Community Foundation will consider the funding of new organizations for start-up or operating support, and smaller organizations for operating support.   However, because The Community Foundation is interested in funding work that continues to address community needs long after the grant funds are depleted, these requests are reviewed carefully on a case-by-case basis and must make a convincing case that:

• The condition the proposal addresses is significant and can be measured;
• The applicant has the organizational ability to address the problem, is aware of other organizations that are working in the same area, and is the best organization to do this work;
• The organization and its program are likely to achieve the outcomes described in the proposal; and
• The organization has plans in place to ensure that its programs will continue to operate once grants funds are expended.

 8.     CAN ORGANIZATIONS APPLY FOR CONTINUED FUNDING?

Normally, The Community Foundation does not support organizations on an on-going basis, preferring to distribute its currently limited funds among many organizations.   When The Community Foundation receives a request for repeat funding, decision-makers carefully review proposals for other sources of funding and evidence of long-term financial strength.   Generally, a project receives funding for one year.   If an organization has received funding from The Community Foundation for the past two consecutive years, the organization 's request may be denied.   However, organizations are encouraged to apply for grants the following year.

9. HOW DOES AN ORGANIZATION APPLY FOR A GRANT?

Any 501(c)(3) organization interested in seeking grant support should follow these steps:

• Review the Guidelines for Unrestricted Grants and determine if your organization is eligible to compete for funds. You can contact The Community Foundation at 706-724-1314 to help you make that decision;
• Obtain the Application Form and Instructions from the link on The Community Foundation's website at www.cfcsra.org, or by writing or calling. Follow the directions carefully. Use the Grant Application Checklist (see the last page of the Grant Application) to make sure that your application is complete, (these forms are also available electronically via e-mail);
• Submit your application by 11:00 AM on July 31st. If the deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, proposals are due by 11:00 AM on the following business day. Final grant decisions are approved by The Community Foundation's Board of Directors in December.

If your proposal is approved, The Community Foundation will schedule a meeting with you to determine if the program identified in the application remains unchanged. It will also be a time to determine the appropriate distribution of the grant.

10. WHAT IS AN APPLICANT ORIENTATION SESSION?

The Community Foundation strongly encourages applicants to attend a group orientation session prior to each application deadline. The sessions are open to all 501(c)(3) organizations that intend to apply for funds.   Organizations must pre-register to attend by contacting The Community Foundation. The session(s) is/are typically held during the month of April. Information as to the dates of these sessions will be made via public service announcements and local newspapers, or by calling The Community Foundation office.

11.   HOW DO I DEVELOP OUTCOMES FOR PROGRAM EVALUATION?

Through outcome measures The Community Foundation wants to know how it's funding is stimulating positive concrete change, as well as identify promising practices. Outcome evaluation also helps organizations assess their programs as a step toward greater effectiveness. The Community Foundation asks organizations to identify target outcomes in their grant proposal, and if funded, to report on those target outcomes in their final report.

In the Grant Application form, each applicant must:

• identify a minimum of three (3) outcomes that will result from the proposed project, and
• indicate the method(s) the organization will use to measure the outcomes.

Outcomes are the benefits and/or changes that occur in individuals or groups as a result of their participation in a program or activity. Outcomes can involve knowledge, skills, attitudes, behavior, performance, status or condition.

Do not confuse outcomes with broad or vague statements or with counting program activities.   Statements such as "Young people will feel more empowered," are not adequate outcomes because they are vague and too broad.   Similarly, counting program activities (like the number of people attending a training session, or the number of meals served to families who are homeless) only describes the amount of services delivered. It does not indicate whether participants benefited from the program.

Remember that each outcome should have two parts (1) a prediction of results and (2) a measurement method to determine whether each outcome has been achieved. The outcomes presented by applicants will vary because they depend on the specific goals and activities of the particular program.

12. WHAT IS THE APPLICATION REVIEW PROCESS?

• The Community Foundation staff logs in all proposals received. Applications should be arranged in accordance to the Grant Application Check List.   Applications that do not adhere to the Grant Application Check List will be deemed INCOMPLETE and will not be considered for funding. The Community Foundation does not consider proposals received after the deadline of 11:00 AM July 31st.
• The Community Foundation staff may request additional information for more extensive evaluation by the Foundation 's Grants Committee. Applicants recommended for preliminary declination are notified in writing prior to the December award decision.

The Community Foundation staff and a Grants Panel made up of community leaders may conduct site visits or telephone interviews for proposals selected for more extensive evaluation. A summary of these proposals is prepared for review by the Foundation's

• Grants Committee.   Following its review, the Grants Committee makes funding recommendations to The Community Foundation 's Board of Directors at the December Board meeting.
• The Community Foundation's Board of Directors makes the final decision on grant awards at the December Board meeting. Written notification of grant decisions are sent to applicants within one week following the board meeting.
• A grant recipient has up to 12 months following the award notification date to request the funds. If funds are not requested within 12 months of the award date the grant will be rescinded.

13. WHAT ARE THE REPORTING REQUIREMENTS?

After receipt of the grant funds, grant recipients are required to submit a six (6) month interim report, and a final year-end report within 30 days of the anniversary of the final distribution of funds. The final report should detail how the funds were used along with the results of the outcomes submitted in the proposal.

14. WHERE DO I CALL IF I HAVE QUESTIONS?

The Community Foundation welcomes your questions and comments. Please call the Foundation's office at 706-724-1314.