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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 - MAY 1ST BOSTON
GRANTS INITIATIVE - JUNE 15TH THE QUESTIONS
Does
my group apply through the Small Grants Program or the Boston Grants
Initiative? Does our group have to have 501c3 (non-profit public charity) status to receive NEGEF funding? What kinds of environmental issues does NEGEF fund? What kinds of projects does NEGEF fund? Can my group get help with writing the grant application? What should my group include in the budget part of the grant proposal? What are the application deadlines and when will the grant funds be distributed? Does NEGEF provide time-sensitive or emergency funds? What happens if the application deadline falls on a weekend or an official holiday? How should our group send the application to NEGEF? Can we apply on-line? Who decides which groups receive NEGEF funding? What are the steps in the funding process? How many times can my group apply for funding? How many times can my group receive NEGEF funding? Why does NEGEF sometimes give out partial funding rather than the full amount requested? 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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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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| 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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| 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 Use, Water, and Natural Resources; 2) Sustainable Behaviors; 3) Energy and Climate Action; and 4) Environmental Health. If you aren't sure if your issue is something NEGEF would fund, contact NEGEF staff. |
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| What kinds
of projects does NEGEF fund? NEGEF funds projects that have a strong community component. NEGEF funds cannot be used for lobbying purposes or curriculum-based projects. NEGEF funds are not available for individuals. |
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| 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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| 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 mid-November 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. |
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| Does NEGEF
provide time-sensitive or emergency funds? Yes. Contact NEGEF staff first to discuss the situation and the project. |
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| 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. |
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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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| 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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| 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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| 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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| 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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| 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! |
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