Submit a Grant Proposal

Before Getting Started
A Letter of Intent is the required first step in submitting funding requests to be considered by the Women's Fund of Vanderburgh County. The information provided below is intended only for those organizations that previously submitted a Letter of Intent and have been invited by the Women's Fund in writing to submit a full grant proposal. If you have not submitted a Letter of Intent or would like more information, please contact us.

Required Documents

Cover Sheet (see "Online Forms" below)

Narrative Addressing the Following Questions (not to exceed four pages):

Profile of Organization

Briefly summarize the history of your organization.

Briefly state your organization's vision/mission.

Briefly describe your organization's primary programs/projects and activities that fulfill the mission.

Describe your organization's constituency and geographic region.

Statement of Need

Describe the need that will be addressed and the evidence of that need.

Program/Project Description and Methodology

• Describe the program/project, including the following information: whether the project is new or ongoing, activities necessary to accomplish the project, project goals and objectives, project duration, your organization's use of best practices and whether they have been effective elsewhere, your board of directors' commitment to the project

• State whether your organization will partner with other agencies/organizations on this project.  If so, please explain the partnership and each entity's roles and responsibilities concerning the project.

• Explain why you believe your organization is the most qualified and appropriate to address the stated need.

Implementation

Describe how the project will be implemented.

State the provisions that currently exist to maintain the completed project.

Chart the timeline for implementing the project (implementation may take up to 2 years).

List the greatest challenges that your organization anticipates as you implement the project.

Funding

State the total cost of the project.

List other funding sources that have been or will be solicited for this project.  For each funding source, indicate the amount your organization has requested and the status of that request.

If this project is expected to continue into the future, describe your plans for future/long-term funding.

Evaluation

State how the short-term and intermediate/long-term outcomes will be defined and measured.

Described how your organization will define and measure project success.

Explain how project evaluation will be conducted.

State how the results will be used and disseminated.

Supporting Documents
The following documents are to be attached to the Cover Sheet and Narrative described above. It is important to provide ALL requested attachments and that they be labeled in the following manner:

Attachment 1: Statement of Revenue and Expenses for your organization's most recently completed fiscal year

Attachment 2: Balance sheet for the most recently completed fiscal year

Attachment 3: Project Budget Worksheet (see "Online Forms" below)

Attachment 4: Nondiscrimination policy

Attachment 5: Qualifications of project personnel

Attachment 6: Current board roster with professional affiliations and percentage of the board who gives to your annual campaign

Attachment 7: Organization's current annual operating budget

Attachment 8: Most recent financial statement (monthly, quarterly, etc.)

Attachment 9: Most recent audited financial statement or completed IRS Form 990

Attachment 10: Letters of commitment from partnering organizations, if appropriate, including verification of the roles and responsibilities of each partner

Note: If a fiscal sponsor/agent is involved, all of the above documentation must be provided for that entity as well.

Online Forms
The Cover Sheet Form and the Project Budget Worksheet Form are provided below. These forms are designed to be completed on-screen and then printed (they cannot be submitted on-line and they cannot be saved for retrieval at a later time). You must have Adobe Reader to access these files (Adobe Reader is free and can be downloaded at www.adobe.com/downloads).

Cover Sheet Form
Project Budget Worksheet Form

Application Preparation and Deadline to Submit a Grant Proposal
The original and sixteen copies of the proposal must be received by the Foundation (18 NW Fourth Street, Suite 306, Evansville, Indiana) no later than noon on the second Wednesday of Octoboer. Use 8½ by 11 inch paper. Attach all required documents using paperclips or binderclips only (no binders or folders).

Deliberation and Award
The Women's Fund Grants Committee will complete a review and investigation of grant proposals and will narrow the grant applicant pool down to four organizations. These four organizations will will be invited to give an oral presentation of their projects at the Women's Fund annual meeting in November. Fund members will conduct a vote at the conclusion of the presentations and the organization's project receiving the majority of votes will be awarded the grant. No lobbying or soliciting of grants committee members or board members will be permitted.

Reporting Procedures
A six-month progress report and a final report at project completion are required by organizations whose proposals are approved for funding. Instructions and appropriate forms will be provided.