WOMEN TO WOMEN FUND
Illinois Prairie Community Foundation
GRANT PROGRAM
OVERVIEW, CALENDAR, AND APPLICATION PROCEDURE
OVERVIEW FOR 2012
The Women to Women Fund makes grants to programs and projects that encourage advancement and opportunities for women and children and/or girls. Each year, Founding Members of the Fund select a focus area for the grant round. There are two foci for 2012. The listings after each focus (below) are only examples of the types of programs that could fall into that focus; the lists are by no means exhaustive, and some programs could fit both focus areas.
Focus 1: Education
Programs and projects that specifically target women and children and/or girls, such as mentoring, tutoring, GED assistance, literacy, after-school programs, not-ready-for-college programs, early childhood/pre-K programs
Focus 2: Health and Wellness
Programs and projects that specifically target women and children and/or girls such as substance abuse/addictions, pre- and post-natal care, mammography assistance, disease detection/prevention, mental health, health literacy, healthy relationships
Grants may be awarded in either or both areas of focus.
Grant Amounts
- The Women to Women Fund has $30,000 available for grants for 2012.
- Grant applications between $3,000 and $15,000 will be considered.
Requirements to Apply
- The program or project must deal specifically with one or both of the grant foci
- Applicants must furnish evidence of having tax-exempt status under Section 501 (c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code, operate under a fiscal agent that is a 501 (c) 3 organization, or be a local unit of local, county, state or federal government.
- The program must be available to women residing in McLean, DeWitt, Logan or Livingston Counties; however, programs do not have to serve all four counties.
Criteria Given Greatest Consideration
- Programs that benefit larger rather than smaller numbers of women.
- Programs that have the potential to be on-going and self-sufficient beyond the time of funding.
- Programs that promote systemic change, increase the range of options for women, and foster self-sufficiency.
- Programs that offer creative and innovative solutions to address the focus issue by building upon proven practical methods.
- Programs that facilitate cooperation and collaboration among organizations so as to avoid duplication of services.
- Programs that utilize clear methods of measuring and reporting results.
- Programs that have the potential for obtaining matching funds or additional grant money (a bonus, but not an expectation).
What Is Not Funded
- Non program-related expenses
- Endowment campaigns
- Annual fund raising events and expenses
- Conference or continuing education expenses
- Scholarships or expenses for individuals
Other Expectations
- Finalists will be asked to make a ten-minute presentation to the Grants Committee and Fund members on December 5, 2012, at a location to be announced in Bloomington-Normal. The person responsible for managing the program and the CEO or Executive Director of the organization should be present. A five-minute question and answer period will follow the presentation.
- A representative of the organization and one or two participants of the program will be invited to speak at the summer meeting of the Women to Women Fund in 2013.
CALENDAR
November 1, 2012—Grants are due by 5:00 pm.
November 20, 2012—Applicants will be notified of their status; finalists will be asked to schedule a time for a presentation before the Grants Committee and Fund members.
December 5, 2012—In-person presentations by finalists.
January 3, 2013—Finalists will be notified of the Grants Committee’s decision.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
If possible, submit all components of the application electronically to kdavis@ilprairiecf.org. Otherwise, submit one copy of all components to Illinois Prairie Community Foundation, 2401 E Washington St, Suite 300B, Bloomington, IL 61704. We will acknowledge receipt of your proposal to the email listed on the cover sheet. If you do not receive acknowledgement, please contact us.
You may download a PDF version of the Grant Application Cover Sheet or copy the form into a text document and return it as an email attachment. Please provide all information requested.
Note: Please delete previous versions of the Women to Women Grant Application Cover Sheet in your files and use only the current Cover Sheet available on this website.
Grant Application
The grant application must be no more than six (6) typewritten pages in a font size no smaller than Times New Roman 12 (or equivalent) and must include in the following order:
- A paragraph or two about the history of your organization and its overall goals.
- A description of the proposed program including objective, implementation, significance in addressing the Woman to Woman Fund’s grant focus, and the anticipated program start and completion dates.
- A brief description of any work related to the proposed project in which your organization is currently involved.
- A budget for the program to be funded, detailing how the grant money will be spent.
- Qualifications of key personnel and evidence of organizational capacity to complete the proposed program.
- Specifics about how you will measure, report, and evaluate results of the project/program and the timeline for doing so.
- Funds (and their source) currently available to allocate toward the program.
- How the Women to Women Fund grant will be recognized by your organization.
- How or if the program could proceed with partial funding.
Supplementary Information (in addition to the application)
- A web location where we can find the organization’s latest audit (or IRS Form 990) or a statement that you are willing to provide these documents upon our request.
- Recent grants received and applications pending with expected notification dates.
- A list of Board of Directors and Officers with their principal occupations and contact addresses.
- A copy of the IRS letter conferring tax exempt status.
DECISION PROCESS
The Women to Women Fund Grants Committee will carefully consider each grant and present their recommendations to the Board of Directors of Illinois Prairie Community Foundation for a final decision.
GRANT AGREEMENT AND FINAL REPORT
The CEO or Executive Director of the grantee organization must sign and return an agreement accepting all conditions of the Women to Women Fund grant before funds will be disbursed.
The grantee organization must submit a final report on the program within a year of the grant’s funding. The grantee may request an extension if the program’s completion requires a longer period. The Women to Women Fund may request other reports on the program’s status and/or accomplishments.
If you have any questions regarding these policies or wish clarification of our procedures, please contact our office. We will be pleased to assist you. Contact information: (309) 662-4477 or kdavis@ilprairiecf.org
