Grant Application Due Dates

The due date for grant applications is September 1* unless specified differently below. Application deadline dates are firm. All applications must be postmarked by a post office or hand delivered to the Berrien Community Foundation offices by 5 p.m. on the dates listed to be accepted for that cycle. No electronic versions will be accepted.

*Grants are due the last business day before these dates, if the above dates fall on a weekend or holiday. Therefore, grant applications are due by Friday, August 29 in 2008, except for the Golden Acorn Mini-Grants, which are due September 25 in 2008.

How to Apply

Organizations wishing to apply for a grant must first call the Foundation's Program Director to discuss the proposed program/project. If the proposed program/project meets grant guidelines and Foundation program areas, the most recent grant application form will be emailed to the organization seeking support. Organizations must submit hardcopy applications (no electronic accepted) as indicated in the guidelines. Potential applicants may find the review of the Recent Grants web page helpful.

Anne Mc Causland, Program Director, may be reached by calling 269-983-3304, ext. 2, or emailing AnneMcCausland@BerrienCommunity.org.

Grantmaking Criteria

Trustees and volunteers of the Berrien Community Foundation review grant applications from nonprofit 501(c)(3) and other qualifying organizations serving Berrien County residents, giving preference to programs that support our mission to enhance the quality of life for Berrien County residents by:

Nurturing Our Children

¨  Parent support & education

¨  Quality childcare

¨  Positive activities for families & children

¨  Community support & involvement/mentoring

¨  Drug abuse/prevention & awareness

 

Building a Spirit of Community/Arts & Culture

¨  Developing and planning for our communities

¨  Encouraging community cohesiveness via arts and cultural events

¨  Promoting various activities that encourage diversity and inclusion

¨  Promoting access to services and information

 

Encouraging Youth Leadership and Development through

¨  Teen sex/pregnancy prevention

¨  Positive decision-making skills

¨  Drug abuse prevention/awareness

¨  Positive entertainment for youth

¨  Encouraging positive peer pressure

Note:  The Spring Youth Grant Cycle  focuses on proactive grantmaking. That is, TEAM (Teens Exhibiting Able Minds) determines which nonprofit organizations to invite to apply and contacts them by February 1. TEAM will also request that these organizations submit applications by March 1.

In addition to the three primary focus areas listed in these guidelines, the Foundation will review grant requests in many different areas such as, but not limited to: the arts, general education, general health, historic preservation, housing, hunger, and public protection.

Education and Health

In addition to the three primary focus and other areas listed above, the Foundation also reviews Education and Health grants. Note the due dates for these grant programs. 

Education—Due September 25

Golden Acorn Mini-Grants:  Any certified Pre-school-12 teacher in Berrien County schools, including programs through the BCISD, may submit this application, separately available through the Berrien Community Foundation, for up to a $500 grant for a special classroom program. The one-page grant application must be submitted to the Foundation by September 25 with grants announced by the end of November. Because of limited funding available, teachers are strongly encouraged to collaborate across classrooms and submit one grant application for this collaborative project.

Healthful Living—Due September 1*

Healthy Youth

·    Smoking prevention and cessation, and substance abuse

·    Violence and conflict resolution

·    Access to dental care

·    Community alternatives for recreation

        Healthy Seniors

·    Pharmaceuticals (e.g., access, costs, medication interactions)

·    Preventing and managing chronic disease (e.g. cancer, heart, lung, stroke)

·    Long Term Care Alternatives (e.g., assisted living, respite care, family caregiver

         support)

·    Mental Health and Aging (e.g., substance abuse, depression)

·    Workforce and Aging (e.g., age discrimination, continuing career opportunities)

Funding Information

Because our resources are limited, the Foundation cannot respond with grant support to all worthwhile programs/projects. While the Foundation will consider grant requests greater than $10,000, it is highly recommended that a submitted grant request not exceed this amount. An organization may submit only one application per given cycle (i.e., one for September 1) for one program per organization.

The Foundation is very interested in providing “start-up” funding for programs that address our focus areas. Higher priority is given to requests that demonstrate community-based collaborative solutions likely to stay in place after Foundation funding concludes.

Low priority is given to requests for bricks and mortar, operational funds on a repetitive basis, annual fund drives, equipment, and ongoing programs where alternative funding is not planned to carry a program/project forward following a Foundation grant. Low priority is also given to advertising and capital campaigns and grants to cover deficits or other previously incurred obligations. Grants are not made for sectarian religious purposes, national fundraising efforts, political organizations or campaigns. Grants are not made to individuals, and form letters/emails are neither reviewed nor acknowledged.

Advisory committee members carefully evaluate grant applications and present recommendations to the Board of Trustees. The Foundation’s Board of Trustees determines which applications will receive funding based on these recommendations. Foundation staff cannot assess applicants’ chances for approval. All applicants are notified in writing shortly following the Trustees’ decision.