Grant Application

DO NOT LEAVE ANY BLANK FIELDS. USE 0 OR N/A TO ANSWER A QUESTION. 1.) One individual organization or 501(c)(3) may submit only one application per year. An exception may be for organizations that have more than one physical site, with each site having its own board or governance structure. Such organizations must contact the Foundation before submitting more than one application to discuss eligibility. Another exception may be if the Foundation has application suggestions for reapplication in the next cycle. 2.) The total amount of funds requested generally may not exceed $10,000. Requests for more than $10,000 may be considered for projects that are highly collaborative or for projects that will have a significant impact on the community at large. As noted above, applicants must contact the Foundation prior to submitting a request in excess of $10,000. 3.) Organizations receiving an impact grant in any grant cycle from the Foundation are not eligible for funding in the immediate next cycle (unless approved by the foundation board for reapplication). If an Organization receives a grant for the full amount requested, the project must be complete and paid out before submitting a new application. Organizations must sit out for 12 months (or one grant cycle) before applying for a new request. 4.) When the Foundation declines to support an application, the applicant may call the Foundation to discuss their proposal and to inquire about reapplying. After an application is declined once, the organization may re-submit the application one more time; if an application has been declined twice, then the organization may not submit another request for funding of the same project.

Grant applications must be submitted electronically by April 15 or September 15. Late applications are not accepted. Grants are not considered at other times except for Foundation Donor Advised Funds or Action Grant Funds that have specific criteria and qualifications. Action grants have their own application forms and can be found on the home page.

Once cycle is closed, your application is reviewed by Foundation staff, then the Grant Committees, and then presented to the Foundation board. The Foundation may contact you to clarify your proposal or request a personal meeting to discuss your application. We appreciate your prompt response to any inquiries. Final decisions on all grants are made by the Board of Directors. For the Spring deadline, applicants are notified about the status of their proposal in late April. For the Fall deadline, applicants are notified by late October.

The Foundation uses a competitive application process. You must upload several documents before your application is will be considered for funding. Gather these documents, scan into a pdf form, upload them in the designated areas. You will not be able to submit your application without the following documents:

Your organization is applying for a reimbursable grant from the Community Foundation of Jackson County-JCCF, Inc. We do not guarantee your request will be approved or fully funded by JCCF, Inc. All projects will be considered and must be in compliance with the Foundation's grant making guidelines. To be eligible for a Foundation grant, an applicant must be a private, non-profit organization tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or a public institution, such as a public school or government agency. Requests from individuals are not accepted. The applicant must be located in Jackson County, WV or the program to be funded must serve residents of Jackson County. Grant requests will be considered based on the applicant’s service area and on grant funds available. Grants typically range from $1,000 - $10,000 (see exceptions discussed below).

The following information applies to how your organization files their 990's and how the 501(c)(3) Determination Letter is filed with the IRS. Refer to your tax reports to help answer these questions.

The 501(c)(3) number that you are entering on this application is not your organizations number. The following questions refer to the Affiliate or other Organization. You will need to upload their 501(c)(3) determination letter and need the letter to answer the following questions.

NOTE: Only organizations with 50l(c)(3) status are eligible for operating support grants. Governmental agencies, schools, and organizations with other IRS classifications are not eligible for operating support. You will need to upload the designation letter to this application.

Provide background information on your organization, including when it was founded, current programs offered, geographic area, number of clients served and type of population served.

In this section you will be providing details for the project in which the organization is seeking funding. State exactly what the grant funding will be used for and how much you are requesting in project support. Community Impact Grants (CIG) are made in the fields of: Arts and Culture, Education, Health and Human Services, Recreation, Youth and Family Services, Animal Welfare and Community and Economic Development. The Foundation focuses on: Capital and Equipment Projects, Program Development, Capacity Building, and Operating Support. Eligibility criteria differ based on the type of support requested, so please review the following descriptions carefully.

In this sections JCCF, Inc. is needing to answer these questions about your organization and project. Is this a good investment for the foundation? How big of an impact will this project make on the citizens of Jackson County? How sustainable is the organization? How long will the project take for completion? Will the project be completed successfully?

Check the ONE BOX below that indicates the type of support you seek. Please review the Foundation's grant making guidelines to understand funding priorities and eligibility requirements, especially for operating support grants, before you apply. Please answer each question corresponding to the particular type of support you seek.

Priority is given to projects that: • have significant impact on the people and communities served by the applicant organization. • reach new audiences, expand existing programs or services, or respond to emerging needs. • strengthen the organization’s capacity to deliver its services and meet community needs. • are well-planned and can reasonably be achieved. • have a matching grant opportunity or seek a matching grant to leverage more funding. • have limited access to other sources of support. • serve the Jackson County community. Organizations submitting requests through the Community Action Grant Program for projects serving residents of the Ripley area of Jackson County also will be considered for support from the Bob and Helen Lester Community Fund. To be eligible for support from the Lester Fund, the applicant must be located in or the program to be funded must serve resident of the Ripley area, which for purposes of grant eligibility is defined as the City of Ripley and the area within a five-mile driving distance for postings of the City of Ripley limits. If the applicant’s program serves all Jackson County and/or multiple counties in the region, the applicant must identify (in the appropriate space provided in the grant application) what percentage of the program will serve the City of Ripley as defined above. No separate application form is required for consideration for support from the Lester Fund; applicants use the Foundation’s Community Grant Program application. Generally, Community Grants will not be made for: annual campaigns; endowments; sectarian religious purposes; political purposes or lobbying activities; retiring existing obligations, debts or liabilities; student travel or student participation in meetings, seminars or study exchange programs. Labor and wages are also not eligible for Foundation grant funds. Public school projects must be a Board of Education approved project and the application/financials must be signed off on by the school Principal. Playground equipment grants are limited to $1,000 unless grant applicant seeks prior board approval.

For all operating support requests, the applicant must: Be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (operating support is not available to governmental entities, schools (public or private), or entities that do not have 501(c)(3) status). • Provide essential community services or offer programs that meet basic human needs. • Have been in continuous operation for at least five years and have a proven track record. • Have an overall sound financial history (at least prior to the present need). • Be able to demonstrate strong management. Applicants seeking operating support to increase financial stability, must: • Document increased demand for services, unexpected reduction in sources of ongoing operating support, or a specific current financial challenge for which a plan is in place to mitigate. • Show evidence that it has gone through an internal process of cost-reduction and/or realistic revenue-enhancement analysis focused on core service preservation prior to the request. • Demonstrate that it has completed an organizational assessment and developed a realistic plan for financial stabilization. • Show how the operating support grant will increase financial stability and/or help the organization make significant progress toward addressing its financial challenge. Applicants seeking operating support to increase organizational capacity, must: • Present a realistic plan for organizational growth, outlining how operating support is critical to the growth plan (to expand services, offer new programs, reach new audiences, etc.). • Include a plan for the organization to have adequate funding at the completion of the grant. Organizations may request renewal of an operating support grant for up to three years (total) of support. However, grants will be considered one year at a time and renewal is not automatic. The organization must submit a renewal application annually, outlining clear progress made toward goals. During the period in which an organization receives operating support, the organization is not eligible to request grants from the Foundation for other purposes. After an organization receives operating support for a three-year period, it may not request additional operating support for at least one year. The Foundation expects to award only a limited number of operating support grants each grant cycle.

This section is CRITICAL in the review and selection process of the JCCF, Inc. grant awards.

Please download excel Budget and Objective forms provided on the Grant Forms [page] under the Our Grants [tab] at the top of the Home [page].

If you are applying for operating support, please complete the downloadable excel form, save it and upload it to this application. Provide the actual numbers from your corresponding budgets in the blanks below. Other budget templates can be used as long as the core financial information is provided on your reports. You will need to upload all financial information in this section.

All school and school related projects must be reviewed and approved by the Board of Education prior to submitting to the foundation. JCCF, Inc. grant deadlines are March 15th or September 15th. Please contact Lora Matheny for further instructions at 304-372-7300.

Gravity Forms will not store or keep uploaded documents while you are saving and continuing to complete your application. Upload all documents before you [submit] your grant request.