Rise Announces 2017 Collaborative Grant Opportunity
Rise’s mission is to partner with communities to build stronger, more equitable St. Louis area neighborhoods. By providing capacity-building assistance, housing development services and access to financing, we make the connections between non-profit community organizations, financial institutions and government that make successful neighborhood revitalization possible. Our CDC Capacity Building and Collaborative Grant Program is designed to build the capacity of local community development corporations (CDCs) through a combination of organizational development initiatives and financial support.
Rise recognizes that the financial support necessary for CDCs to build organizational capacity and achieve community development goals is not as widely available as it might be. To address this need, we have allocated funding to provide a limited number of competitive Collaborative Grants to selected community development corporations. Collaborative Grants will be outcome-based and awarded to help CDCs complete a specific goal or neighborhood objective.
Applications are being made available on a competitive basis to CDCs serving St. Louis County, the City of St. Louis, Madison County, IL and St. Clair County, IL.
A grant workshop for CDCs that may seek to apply for a 2017 Rise Collaborative Grant will be held Friday, October 14, 2016, at the AT&T Library in the Telecommunity Room on the campus of Harris-Stowe State University from 9:00-11:00 AM. It is not required but it is strongly encouraged that eligible CDCs attend the workshop. Please contact Brian Hurd ([email protected]) to RSVP for the workshop.
Letters of Intent are due by 5:oo PM, Friday, October 21, 2016. Letters of Intent may be submitted by email.
Fully completed applications must be received (not postmarked) by Rise by 4:00 PM, Tuesday, November 22, 2016, 1627 Washington Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63103, attention Rick Bonasch ([email protected]) or Brian Hurd ([email protected]). Email submissions are not accepted.
Award announcements will be made Tuesday, December 14, 2016.
Grant Instructions & Application Forms:
Collaborative Grant Application Instructions 2017
Collaborative Grant Checklist 2017
Collaborative Grant Letter of Intent Form 2017
Collaborative Grant Application Form 2017
Collaborative Grant Program Workshop Powerpoint Presentation 2017
Grant Frequently Asked Questions
To submit questions e-mail Brian Hurd, [email protected]
Questions about the budget requirement:
Question: Does the 2017 budget that we submit (with the Collaborative Grant amount included) need to be approved by our board?
Answer: No. We understand that this will be a preliminary budget, contingent upon being awarded a grant.
Question: Must we include profit/loss statements?
Answer: The profit and loss statement is not required for submission. However, the organization’s 2016 approved operating budget is required.
Question: Do these grants need to be spent in 2017 or 2018?
Answer: 2017
Collaboration Questions:
Question: My CDC has formed a collaboration with another agency for this application. If my partnering agency has the stronger capacity to serve as the fiscal agent for the grant, should they serve as the lead applicant?
Answer: No. The CDC should serve as the lead applicant and the fiscal agent. Remember that Rise will support you through the process.
Questions about Measuring Outcomes:
Question: Do proposals need to be restricted to smaller geographic areas? (For example, would an organization be eligible if it wants to provide financial counseling to low-income residents throughout St. Louis city?)
Answer: This grant program is for place-based initiatives, so proposals need to be able to show how they would affect measurable outcomes to benefit a defined geographic neighborhood or community. The example in the question does not meet this criterion, and would not be eligible.
Question: What happens if I achieve outcomes that are unexpected?
Answer: Track them! Often there are unexpected outcomes but they still help to show the effectiveness of your efforts.
General Questions:
Question: If a project is being funding by Collaborative Grant funding in 2016, would Rise consider funding the same project in 2017?
Answer: Yes
Question: Should I submit my application via email or as a hard copy?
Answer: Submit the Letter of Intent via email, but the Full Application must be submitted as a hard copy. Each must be received no later than the stated times and dates.
Question: Does the amount of technical assistance that a grantee receives depend on the size of their financial award?
Answer: No
Question: Is a client-based project appropriate for this grant program?
Answer: The focus of the Collaborative Grant Program is on place-based initiatives, so we want to be able to see how the project outcomes will extend beyond the individual to benefit the community as a whole.
Additional Resources
Below are links to materials from a Saint Louis University School of Law Legal Clinic training on collaboration in the non-profit sector. These materials are not a formal part of the Collaborative Grant application package but may be useful to applicants.
