Greater Lawrence Summer Fund Grant Guidelines
Application Deadline: Postmarked by March 1
Grant Notification: May 15
Grant Range: $500 - $10,000
Geographic Limitations
The Greater Lawrence Summer Fund (GLSF) grants are limited to summer programs serving inner-city youth from the Greater Lawrence communities of Andover, Lawrence, Methuen, and North Andover. Programs serving young people from diverse geographic areas should reserve the funds received from the GLSF to youth from the designated communities. Evaluation of these programs includes the response to needs of urban youth.
Agencies located outside the area are eligible to apply for funding but proposals must include details on the number of local (Greater Lawrence) youth participating. Transportation is a factor in approving such a program.
Program Priorities
The Greater Lawrence Summer Fund connects donors interested in supporting enriching summer opportunities for inner-city school-aged children and teens with agencies in need of funding for programs. The Greater Lawrence Summer Fund Committee has established the following objectives which describe the desired impact of the grants. The Committee intends for these objectives to stimulate creative responses to community needs and to assure flexibility in the ways that programs respond to each other.
OBJECTIVE #1
To respond to community needs for quality summer programs for as many school-age youth as possible in Greater Lawrence. 
MEASURES:
- Programs which provide educational skills development in ESL, math, reading and English.
- Programs which are planned and implemented in cooperation with other community agencies.
- Programs which provide services to special needs youth, minorities, including linguistic minorities, teenagers and children of working parents.
- Programs which offer multiple sessions and operate during the hours needed by working parents.
OBJECTIVE #2
To provide young people with opportunities for skill development, personal growth and exposure to new experiences.
MEASURES:
- Programs which offer a mix of regularly scheduled educational, social and recreational activities.
- Programs which involve special arrangements with health, environmental and/or cultural resources.
- Programs which offer educational field trips and/or enrichment activities.
OBJECTIVE #3
To promote and encourage interaction and communication among youth and staff from different ethnic and racial backgrounds and from different neighborhoods.
MEASURES:
- Programs whose design and recruitment of participants and staff result in racial and ethnic integration.
- Programs whose activities and recruitment procedures result in equal participation by both sexes.
- Programs whose design and recruitment procedures bring together participants and staff from different neighborhoods.
OBJECTIVE #4
To gain maximum impact of philanthropic dollars for summer programs.
MEASURES:
- Programs which participate in cost-saving collaborative projects both public and private.
- Programs which charge fees to participants on a sliding scale basis.
- Programs which draw upon community resources such as staff, volunteers, donated supplies and facilities in addition to resources from outside the community.
Eligibility
Applicants must have a 501(c)3 tax status under the IRS tax code and serve citizens of Essex County.
Residential camps should meet American Camping Association (ACA) guidelines. Day programs should meet Department of Public Health licensing requirements.
The Summer Fund is limited to non-sectarian programming for youth of all religious and ethnic backgrounds. Programs sponsored by religious organizations are eligible, provided the enrollment is open to all youth and the program is free of mandatory religious instruction, worship, or other sectarian activities.
Selection Criteria
In addition to the program objectives outlined above, applicants should consider the following criteria:
 The management staff should have considerable administrative experience, and there should be involvement of the Executive Director and Board of Directors in the planning and monitoring of the summer activities. - An orientation should be provided for all staff members which should include program philosophy, the needs of youth served, and multicultural issues. Special supervision and training is strongly recommended for teen employees.
- The program should be fiscally sound with a balanced budget.
- Funds coordinated through the Summer Fund are intended for program operation not capital expenditures.
Application Deadline
Proposals must be postmarked by March 1st. The deadline is met by the postal service postmark from the mailing of the complete proposal, not the date that the electronic copy is sent.
Application Procedures
ECCF mails RFPs to participating agencies by mid-January each year. Other interested organizations may complete the proposal as outlined below. New agencies may wish to discuss their proposal with the ECCF Grants Manager (see contact information below) before submitting an application. One proposal per agency please.
Agencies which received a grant for the previous summer must submit a Final Report before applying for a current year grant.
Agencies participating in the Greater Lawrence Summer Fund should not submit SEPARATE proposals for their summer program to donors participating in this coordinated process. An agency may submit a proposal to donors who are not part of the coordinated process.
Proposals must be submitted in paper and electronic format:
- Paper format: One paper copy of the complete proposal with the required attachments must be postmarked by March 1st. Please do not staple or bind. Mail proposals to the Essex County Community Foundation, 15 Cherry Street, Danvers, MA 01923.
- Electronic format: The electronic copy must include the Greater Lawrence Summer Fund cover sheet, the proposal narrative and the project budget. Please include the name of the agency on all electronic files. (For example "XYZ Agency Cover Sheet.") Email proposals to j.bishop@eccf.org.
Proposal Format
A complete GLSF proposal includes a GLSF Cover Sheet, a Proposal Narrative, Project Budget, and Attachments.
1. GLSF COVER SHEET: (1-2 pages) Click here to download the cover sheet.
2. PROPOSAL NARRATIVE: (maximum 2 pages)
Please provide a concise narrative of what you wish to accomplish during the summer. The narrative should be a description of the program and indicate how it will run on a daily basis. Please use the following outline as a guide:
a. Provide a statement of the problem and why you wish to undertake this project. Please include:
- Define the target population
- Describe the community needs the program will address
- Explain how your program will meet individual needs
- Describe how your program differs from, collaborates with or compliments similar services to this population.
b. Describe the organization involved, including current services to the community.
c. Identify any special programming components such as in the following areas:
- Multi-cultural training and programming
- Basic educational support (tutoring, remediation, reading, math games, computer literacy, reading clubs, etc.)
- Latchkey (home survival skills, cooking, getting around by public transportation, etc. Include any special curriculum used, i.e. Camp Fire, Girl Scouts, etc.)
- New approaches to skill development.
- Environmental awareness (i.e. gardening, nature exploration, etc.)
d. Given the summer is so short, what specific objectives can your program realistically accomplish? How will you measure your successes?
3. PROJECT BUDGET: Please include a completed Project Budget on the form found by clicking HERE.
4. ATTACHMENTS:
- Accreditation/certifications
- IRS 501 (c)3 tax determination letter (for first time applicants or if the agency's status has changed.)
- A list of the organization's Board of Directors
Review Process
The Essex County Community Foundation (ECCF) staff together with the Greater Lawrence Summer Fund Committee (GLSF) members review all proposals for the Fund in the early Spring of each year. The review and allocation process takes approximately two months. Our goal is to mail grants to agencies by May 15th, well in advance of program start dates.
Proposals that do not meet deadlines or guidelines will be screened out by the ECCF Grants Manager or the GLSF Committee. Applicants will receive early notification if they are screened out at this time. All other grant notifications will be sent out by May 15th.
The GLSF Committee makes allocation t agencies based on need. The need is established through Committee proposal reviews and the information gained through annual site visits which are done while the programs are in session.
A staff person or member of the Committee may contact applicants for additional information about a proposal or to arrange a site visit. The Committee may also contact other funders, community leaders or local agencies to learn more about the work of organizations applying for funds and to discuss the outlined plans. Copies of proposals submitted to ECCF may be shared with others during the review process.
Reporting Requirements
A final Annual Report Form, including the program's final budget report, is due after the program has ended or by September 30th. This final report must be received to be eligible to apply for funding the next year. Accountability plays a big part in this collaborative process. Click here to download the Grant Report Form.
For More Information
For more information or to discuss a program idea, please contact:
Julie Bishop
Grants and Nonprofit Services Manager
Essex County Community Foundation
15 Cheery Street
Danvers, MA 01923
978-777-8876
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