GRANT APPLICATION, GUIDELINES and GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
St. Landry-Evangeline United Way is investing in our community, measuring results & changing lives.
I. INTRODUCTION
St. Landry-Evangeline United Way, Inc., a non-profit health and human service organization is seeking to fund programs that address the most critical human needs in St. Landry and Evangeline Parishes. The Community Impact Initiative identifies the major issues to be addressed as Education, Income, Health and Community Basic Needs.
II. ELIGIBLE APPLICATIONS
Partnership with the United Way is available to any qualified 501(c)3 non-profit organization or tax exempt school/government based program providing services to residents of St. Landry and/or Evangeline Parishes in at least one of the Community Impact focus areas. To achieve partner status, agencies must apply and be recommended by the Community Investment Committee and be approved by the United Way Board of Directors.
The ultimate goal of United Way is to set quality guidelines and encourage growth and development for organizations, as well as assure United Way donors that funds are allocated to high-quality, credible programs.
An application for funding does not guarantee funding.
No program should apply for funding that is in excess of 50% of their overall program budget.
III. FUNDING PRIORITIES
United Way funds programs that comprehensively focus on solving the priority needs identified by the United Way Community Impact Initiative as identified by United Way Worldwide. These are (and can include but are not limited to):
EDUCATION: Helping children achieve their potential by addressing the school dropout issue with provision and assurance for school readiness and academic achievement.
- Programs promoting academic achievement
- Programs boosting on-time HS graduation
- Mentoring/Counseling programs that teach/promote productivity & youth engagement to achieve their potential.
- After school programs that help children achieve their academic potential
- Programs addressing at-risk youth
- School readiness programs; including but not limited to early reading programs
- Adult education classes for high school completion
INCOME: Fostering financial stability by increasing income and savings. Promoting education that fosters financial assets, self-sufficiency and long-term stability.
- Job training skills and mentoring programs
- Educational programs that address financial stability & money management and budgeting
- Free Income tax assistance for EITC
- Increased income through advocacy, counseling & or vocational training
- Programs that offer education and skills needed to allow home ownership
- Programs that address long-term financial stability by gaining & sustaining assets and building savings
HEALTH: Promoting and assuring access to healthcare for families. Programs addressing school-based health care, health care coverage, preventative health care, and programs geared to the well-being and healthy lifestyle of elder citizens.
- Substance abuse prevention
- Rx assistance
- Medical, Dental or Mental Health Assistance
- Healthcare prevention programs that promote avoidance of risky behavior
- Providing nutritious, healthy prepared meals or food stocks for healthy meal preparation
- Providing support services for healthy, independent living
COMMUNITY BASIC NEEDS: Helping to meet the basic needs for food, clothing, shelter and emergency assistance.
- Crisis / Disaster relief
- Programs that address basic emergency needs for food and clothing
- Homelessness Assistance in securing safe housing
IV. SELECTION OF FUNDED PROGRAMS
United Way distributes its grant funds through the Community Investment Committee. This committee is comprised of a diverse group of volunteers from across the parish representing all walks of life. Within this process, volunteers seek to identify and fund the highest quality programs that will provide significant outcomes in addressing critical and priority needs identified by the United Way.
The United Way will award grant funds to selected programs annually. Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis and merit basis to those 501(c)3 entities that demonstrate a solid programmatic plan for meeting the unmet human service needs of the people of St. Landry and Evangeline Parishes. All awards are based on availability of funds and program outcomes.
Grant recipients shall publicly acknowledge program support through all reasonable mediums and vehicles as a stipulation of accepting the award. The following is the preferred language for press statements: “This project was made possible in part through a grant from the St. Landry-Evangeline United Way, Inc. “
All publications, advertising, promotional effort, and marketing materials must prominently display the St. Landry-Evangeline United Way logo, as shown herein and supplied by the St. Landry-Evangeline United Way, Inc. This includes but is not limited to: all items such as printed materials, Website(s), audio/visual materials, displays, banners, exhibits, specialty items, press kits, stationary, t-shirts, and other related promotional items or materials.
V. PROGRAM FUNDING CRITERIA
The United Way Board of Directors has established fundamental values that assist Community Investment volunteers in making funding determinations. The following describes the criteria that will guide investment panel members in making funding decisions:
United Way recognizes that prevention strategies that target the reduction of risk factors and/or strengthen resiliencies are both the most cost effective and potent way to address health and human service issues.
United Way believes services should be provided to either reduce clients’ levels of dependence or increase levels of independence. A program that demonstrates the ability to increase self-sufficiency of participants or their families will qualify for consideration.
United Way believes in empowering people to help themselves or help others. United Way also believes the answer to community challenges already exist in neighborhoods. United Way seeks to assist efforts that will help individuals, groups, organizations and neighborhoods find solutions to community problems and serve as a model for achieving positive results.
United Way encourages all funded programs to actively seek and utilize volunteers in an appropriate manner.
United Way supports inclusion. Our first concern is with strengthening the community through our partner agencies who provide the broadest spectrum of services in a nondiscriminatory way. Our program management policies require that programs and services are made available and accessible to the broadest spectrum of clients consistent with the partner agency’s mission and objectives, without regard to race, religion, nationality, gender, age, ability, disability, sexual orientation or country of origin.
United Way requires all funded programs to be planned, managed and implemented in a manner that embraces cultural competency. Funded programs must comply with all laws regarding equal opportunity. United Way encourages funded programs to recruit volunteers and staff who reflect the diversity in the community. Services should reach diverse populations, and be accessible and responsive to individuals with special needs.
United Way encourages all funded programs to be managed in a manner that clearly identifies customer/clients, provide formal feedback to decision-makers and measures customer satisfaction / client feedback, utilizing this information to make program improvements.
United Way seeks to invest contributed dollars in programs that have strategic or cost benefit advantages for United Way and the community.
United Way encourages and expects that all programs receiving funding, be managed in a manner that provides clear accountability of performance.
United Way supports indicator based decision-making. Indicators help to form a common language to measure success and help determine where we still need to “keep working.” United Way encourages non- profits to use data (indicators aligned with performance measures) as a basis for making better decisions.
VI. INELIGIBILITY
In the event an application is received and the program is deemed ineligible by committee or should the agency decide to pull the program before funding is allocated, no alternate may be submitted. Alternate program(s) can be submitted for consideration during the next funding cycle.
VII. GENERAL INFORMATION
Grants will be disbursed incrementally, on or about the 25th of each month, beginning in January of the grant year.
Applicant must have audited financial reports from their most recent fiscal year and must be provided when requested. In some circumstances, reports from the organizations most recent quarter must be provided when requested.
No grants / allocations will be provided for sectarian religious groups/purposes, non-human services, art projects, athletic teams, events, activities to which school credit is earned, political activities, building and land improvements, or to fund prior year deficits. St. Landry-Evangeline United Way does not grant start-up funds at this time.
The organization submitting the grant proposal must have a proven record of successfully serving the needs of the people of St. Landry or Evangeline Parishes.
Grants will be awarded on a one-year cycle.
It should not be presumed that any applicant will be awarded a grant on an annual basis, nor should the availability of these grants be considered an annual part of the applicant’s budget.
The Community Investment Committee has the option, but neither the duty nor responsibility, to grant requests for more than one year in duration, provided funds are available in the subsequent year. Organizations may receive grants on an annual basis based on program outcomes.
Grant amounts will derive from campaign funds raised and available from United Way Grant / Allocations Fund for any given fiscal year. No awards will be made if funding is not available nor any grants are disbursed based on speculation of future funds.
Grants will be awarded based on Community Investment RFP Guidelines and geared toward meeting the identified community impact issues of St. Landry and Evangeline Parishes. Priority will be given to those organizations that can provide documentation from past initiatives that clearly demonstrate successful program outcomes, a program linked to a well-developed purpose, mission and action plan.
Organizations, as a provision of accepting grant monies, must provide Quarterly Grant Summary Reports to the Community Investment Committee demonstrating that the funds were used for their intended purpose.
VIII. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
The Board Chair and Executive Director’s signatures are required in three (3) locations on the application: at the ends of Sections 1, 8 and 9. Verify that all appropriate blanks have been signed before submission of this application.
Only Sections 1 through 9, copy of most recent IRS 990 are to be submitted. The Guidelines and Instructions are to be retained in your files.
Six (6) copies (including the original) of the application must be received. Each set must be secured with a binder clip. DO NOT use staples, 3-ring binders or folders. All materials must be on standard 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper. DO NOT submit any materials other than those specifically requested at this time.
Original, signed applications are required at deadline. However, if an online application is available, it will be accepted requiring the same deadline. No faxes and/or emails will be accepted. Applications will be accepted at the St. Landry-Evangeline United Way office at 5367 I-49 S. Service Road, Opelousas, LA.