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| Grants Program Frequently Asked Questions | |||
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Frequently Asked Small Grants Information & Forms Boston Grants Initiative
Information & Forms
Brochure and |
NEW
ENGLAND WIDE SMALL GRANTS - September 15th BOSTON
GRANTS INITIATIVE - JANUARY 15th Does
my group apply through the Small Grants Program or the Boston Grants
Initiative? What kinds of environmental issues does NEGEF fund? What kinds of projects does NEGEF fund? What are the application deadlines and when will the grant funds be distributed? What happens if the application deadline falls on a weekend or an official holiday? Does NEGEF provide time-sensitive or emergency funds? Q&A FOR APPLICANTS Does our group have to have 501c3 (non-profit public charity) status to receive NEGEF funding? How does our group open up a checking account? How does the fiscal agent process work? How many times can my group apply for funding? WRITING THE APPLICATION Can my group get help with writing the grant application? What should my group include in the budget part of the grant proposal? How should our group send the application to NEGEF? Can we apply on-line? NEGEF & GRANTMAKING Who decides which groups receive NEGEF funding? What are the steps in the funding process? Why does NEGEF sometimes give out partial funding rather than the full amount requested? Q&A FOR GRANTEES How many times can my group receive NEGEF funding? When is my group's Grant Report due? How should we send the Grant Report to NEGEF? Can we fill out the report on-line? What does NEGEF staff do with the Grant Reports? What should my group do about the Grant Report if we haven't used up our funding within a year? What should my group do if we don't use up our funding? |
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| THE BASICS | |||
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Does
my group apply through the Small Grants Program or the Boston Grants
Initiative? If you live in Boston, Chelsea, Cambridge, or Somerville you apply through the Boston Grants Initiative. If you live anywhere else in New England (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) you apply through the Small Grants Program. |
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| What kinds
of environmental issues does NEGEF fund? NEGEF funds groups working on all kinds of environmental issues. We have four general issue portals: 1) Land, Water, & Natural Resource Management; 2) Sustainable Behavior & Practices; 3) Energy & Climate Action; and 4) Environmental Health. If you aren't sure if your issue is something NEGEF would fund, contact NEGEF staff. | |||
| What kinds
of projects does NEGEF fund? NEGEF funds projects that have a strong community component. Typically this includes projects or programs centered on outreach and engagement that have on-going opportunities. If your group is requesting funds for an event or a mailing, be sure to emphasize how that event or mailing will contribute to ongoing outreach and engagement. Click here to read about our most current round of grantees and their projects. NEGEF funds cannot be used for lobbying purposes, curriculum-based projects, or large capital acquisitions. NEGEF funds are not available for individuals. | |||
| What are the application
deadlines and when will the grant funds be distributed? For the Small Grants Program: January 15th -- funds distributed in mid-April May 1st -- funds distributed in early July September 15th -- funds distributed in early December For the Boston Grants Initiative: January 15th -- funds distributed in late March June 15th -- funds distributed in late September It generally takes 8-12 weeks to process funding requests after the deadline. | |||
| What
happens if the application deadline falls on a weekend or an official
holiday? If it falls on a weekend, the deadline will be bumped to the following Monday. If it falls on an official holiday when post offices are closed, the deadline will be bumped to the next business day. | |||
| Does NEGEF
provide time-sensitive or emergency funds? Yes. Contact NEGEF staff first to discuss the situation and the project. | |||
| (back to top) Q&A FOR APPLICANTS | |||
| Does our
group have to have 501c3 (non-profit public charity) status to receive
NEGEF funding? No. NEGEF funds both informal groups (we call them "ad hoc") and formal (incorporated or 501c3 status) groups. The only requirement is that your group must have a checking account in the group's name or have a fiscal agent. This only needs to happen after a grant has been awarded -- your group can apply without having a checking account or a fiscal agent. The groups we fund are primarily volunteer-staffed -- we rarely fund groups that have more than 2 full-time equivalent staff. We also rarely fund groups with annual budgets over $100,000. If you aren't sure whether your group would qualify, contact NEGEF staff. Also, check out an article by Charlie Bernstein in NEGEF's December 2005 newsletter to think about whether or not the 501c(3) status is right for your group: C(3) or not C(3)? This is the Tax-Exempt Question... |
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| How does our group open up a checking account? To open a checking account your group simply needs an EIN (Employer Identification Number) and two members from your group to be signatories. NEGEF has only heard of a couple of instances of banks refusing to give an account to a group with an EIN - typically, there is no problem with this practice. To get an EIN, visit the IRS website here. Depending on your operating system's capabilities and your internet set-up (pop-up blockers, Java enablers, etc.) you may or may not be able to apply online. If you can't, they can mail the forms to you. If you are having any trouble, contact NEGEF staff. | |||
| How does the fiscal agent process work? Fiscal agents are 501c3 designated entitities that agree to "sponsor" your ad hoc informal group. This can include churches, towns, and other non-profit organizations. The main thing to consider in setting up a fiscal agent relationship is whether the missions of the two groups (the 501c3 and your informal group) are related. Since the 501c3 is "sponsoring" your group, your group must be furthering their mission in some way. These organizations can receive donations on your behalf. Sometimes there is a processing fee - be sure to ask! You can even talk to them about negotiating the fee down - ideally, a NEGEF grant goes entirely to the grantee. If you have any questions, contact NEGEF staff. | |||
| How
many times can my group apply for funding? There is no limit for applications. But a group can only be funded once a year. |
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| (back to top) WRITING THE APPLICATION | |||
| Can my
group get help with writing the grant application? NEGEF staff is available to review grant applications in advance and make minor suggestions. You are also welcome to contact us and we can connect you with other activists in your area who may be available to help you. For Boston Grants Initiative applicants, our partners Boston Natural Areas Network, Urban Ecology Institute, and Alternatives for Community and Environment are available to help. |
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| What should
my group include in the budget part of the grant proposal? The budget included in the grant proposal should cover any and all expenses and income for the project for which you are seeking funds. The expenses that would be covered by NEGEF funds should be marked in some way (bold font, underline, asterisks, or notes next to those expenses are all acceptable). In-kind income should also be recorded. This should include any donated or discounted labor or services, donations or discounts in materials, donations or discounts in sites or meeting spaces. This gives a clearer picture of the scope of the project, and also demonstrates whether your group has sought creative means of financing the project. The income sources listed should include all received income (e.g. grants), all anticipated income (e.g. membership dues you have not received yet), and all income possibilities (e.g. grants you plan to apply for or pending grant applications). Click here for an example of a clear and detailed budget. |
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| How should
our group send the application to NEGEF? Emailing the 5 page application to your program officer is fine. Please do not email lengthy applications and/or large attachments (i.e. materials such as photos or articles). Mailing hard copies is also fine -- this is a better option if you would like to include materials such as articles and photos with your application. If you mail the application, it needs to be postmarked by the application deadline. Please do not fax your application. Please do not FedEx the application or send it priority. First-class mail is fine! |
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| Can
we apply on-line? Not yet, but we're working on it! We hope to have on-line application and report capabilities up and running by the end of 2008. |
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| (back to top) NEGEF & GRANTMAKING | |||
| Who decides which groups receive
NEGEF funding? There are two NEGEF committees that approve NEGEF grant awards: the Small Grants Grantmaking Committee and the Boston Grants Initiative Steering Committee. Each committee is made up of activists and funders, and the Grantmaking Comittee has representatives from each New England state. There are 11 people on the Grantmaking Committee and 9 people on the Steering Committee. |
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| What
are the steps in the funding process? Funding decisions have three steps. First, NEGEF staff goes through the grant applications and contacts all of the applicants. If there are past applications and grant reports these are reviewed. Staff makes notes about: the feasibility of the project; the clarity and detail of the budget; the demonstrated links between the project and any outcomes; the group's capacity to meet their goals; and strong links to community-based engagement and action. Also, we try to fund a diverse set of groups and projects covering a range of issues across all parts of New England in rural, suburban, and urban areas. NEGEF staff then makes funding recommedations to the Committees - sometimes they agree with us, sometimes they don't! After staff sends their recommendations to the Committees, the Committees meet to decide on which groups will receive support. Lastly, the Committees' decisions are sent to the NEGEF Board of Directors for approval. |
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| Why
does NEGEF sometimes give out partial funding rather than the full
amount requested? There are three main reasons the Committees support only partial funds for a group. First, we believe that the validation a grant award offers to a community group is equally as important as the actual funds. Thus, when there are a lot of strong applications in one round NEGEF chooses to offer partial funding (and full validation!) so that as many groups as possible receive support. Second, the project budget does not seem clear and there isn't a compelling case for the use of the total requested funds. Third, you may have received multiple grants from NEGEF before and if there are many strong applications we prefer to give full funding to new groups. |
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| (back to top) Q&A FOR GRANTEES | |||
| How
many times can my group receive NEGEF funding? That depends. There is no set limit. However, NEGEF rarely provides grants to one group more than four times. Factors that go into this decision include: whether or not the group is changing and growing, or if it is applying for the same project; whether or not NEGEF is the only source of funding or if NEGEF is one of multiple sources; and whether or not any time has elapsed between applications. If you are unsure of whether or not you should apply again, contact your NEGEF program officer! |
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| When
is my group's Grant Report due? Approximately one year after receiving funding, or once the funds are used, whichever comes first (Small Grants and Boston Grants Initiative). If you are re-applying for funding, we need to have a grant report in before we can fund you again. |
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| How should we send the Grant
Report to NEGEF? Emailing the Grant Report to your program officer is fine. Please do not email lengthy reports and/or large attachments (i.e. materials such as photos or articles). Mailing hard copies is also fine -- this is a better option if you would like to include materials such as articles and photos with your report. Please do not fax your report. |
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| Can
we fill out the report on-line? Not yet, but we're working on it! We hope to have on-line application and report capabilities by the end of 2008. |
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| What
does NEGEF staff do with the Grant Reports? The Grant Reports help NEGEF staff better understand the challenges of community organizing. It also offers grantees a structured format to give staff feedback about the NEGEF grant programs. The detailed use of NEGEF funds is a critical part of the Grant Report. The Grant Reports are an integral part of NEGEF's accountability to our funding partners. It helps us prove that we are responsible grantmakers providing a valuable service to the New England grassroots community. |
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| What
should my group do about the Grant Report if we haven't used up our
funding within a year? You should fill out an interim report approximately one year after receiving the grant. Complete the Grant Report form (Small Grants or Boston Grants Initiative), noting that it is an interim report, and include whatever budget information is appropriate. Then, after the funding is used, submit the final Grant Report. This report should include a complete budget breakdown of use of NEGEF funds. |
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| What
should my group do if we don't use up our funding? You should fill out a final Grant Report and return the remaining money to NEGEF by check. Then we will use the funds to support other grassroots groups in New England! (back to top) |
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