ECCF Merrimack Valley General Fund

Merrimack Valley General Fund Grant Guidelines

Application Deadline: October 1, 2011

Please note change: one grant cycle in 2011-2012.

Grant Notification: December 31, 2011

Grant Range: $1,000 – $5,000

History

In 1987, Irving Roberts, Jr., Judge E. Fenton, Jr., Rev. John Deegan, O.S.A., Betty Beland, Tom Caffrey and other community leaders established the Greater Lawrence Community Foundation. Their vision was to support nonprofits who serve Lawrence, Methuen, Haverhill, Amesbury, Salisbury and all of the Valley's communities. In 1995, with a new level of outreach, its name was changed to the Merrimack Valley Community Foundation. In 2004, the Foundation became a "foundation within a foundation" when it merged its $1.3 million in assets with Essex County Community Foundation and became the Merrimack Valley General Fund. The fund continues in the mission it was founded for: that people local to the valley would direct these philanthropic monies to local agencies and causes. Today the grants committee boasts members with deep roots in the community, a number of whom have been involved in the fund since its foundation days.

Geographic Limitations

The Merrimack Valley General Fund (MVGF) provides grants to nonprofit organizations serving the Massachusetts (Eastern) Merrimack Valley communities of: Lawrence, Methuen, Haverhill , Andover, North Andover, Boxford, Georgetown, Groveland, West Newbury, Merrimac, Amesbury, Newburyport, Newbury and Salisbury. Because the Merrimack Valley Community Foundation started as the Greater Lawrence Community Foundation there is an emphasis on supporting agencies in the communities of Lawrence, Andover, North Andover, Methuen and Haverhill.

Program Priorities

Within the broad fields of Arts and Culture, Social and Community Services, Youth Development and Education, of particular interest are programs that:

Benefit children- particularly those programs promoting youth development (except summer programs that are already supported by the Greater Lawrence Summer Fund).
Provide health care services to those without health care coverage.
Address the need for affordable housing.

Other areas of interest include programs focusing on:

Early childhood education
Adult literacy
Homelessness
Elder care
Job development
Food
Arts and Culture

Selection Criteria

When reviewing proposals, the MVGF Advisory Committee considers:

Programs that meet a documented need, are well planned and include evaluation procedures
Organizations that have the capacity to support the proposed project and have a sound financial plan.
Projects that offer the most significant impact for the contribution dollar.
The project’s potential impact on the participants.
The needs of the target population.
Potential for continuation or impact beyond the grant period.

Proposals should demonstrate how the requested funds will be used directly in the program itself or in the building of the organization's physical or governing capacity.

Usually grants are made for specific programs or activities with objectives that can be assessed within a one-year grant period. General operating support is sometimes provided to small organizations.

One-year grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 are awarded.

Eligibility

Only nonprofit organizations recognized as tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code are eligible for consideration.

ECCF is committed to non-discrimination. We support organizations that use all reasonable efforts to recruit, hire, train, promote and serve persons without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law, except where such status is a bona fide qualification for the service being provided and is related to the organization's mission.

Generally MVGF grants are not awarded:

To individuals
To state or local government agencies including public schools
For political purposes
For debt or deficit reduction
To replace public funding, or for purposes which are generally a public sector responsibility
To support academic research
For travel outside the region
To organizations located outside of Essex County

Application deadline

Proposals must be postmarked by the U.S. Postal Service AND received electronically at grantsubmit@eccf.org no later than October 1^st. If the grant deadline falls on a day when the post office is not open, the postmark must be from the previous day of operation or earlier. Incomplete or late proposals may not be considered.

Proposals are reviewed by the MVGF Advisory Committee and are generally awarded by December 31st.

Application Procedures

Proposals must be submitted in both paper AND electronic format.

Paper format - One printed copy of the cover sheet, proposal narrative and project budget must be mailed. Please do not staple or bind proposals. Please do not send hard copies of attachments. Mail proposals to Essex County Community Foundation, 175 Andover St. Suite 101, Danvers, MA 01923.
Electronic format - Electronic submissions should include the cover sheet submitted as a word document and the proposal narrative, project budget and any required attachments submitted as one PDF file. Important: Please include the name of your organization in the electronic file name. For example,"The XYZ Agency-Cover Sheet". Email proposals to: grantsubmit@eccf.org.

Proposal Format

Proposals should include four parts: The MVGF cover sheet, proposal narrative, project budget and any required attachments.

MVGF COVER SHEET:
A completed ECCF MVGF cover sheet must be included with all proposals. Download the Cover Sheet. The cover sheet may be copied and saved as your own MS Word document.
PROPOSAL NARRATIVE:(1-3 pages)
- Organization Description - Briefly describe your organization. Include meaningful statistics on who you are serving and a brief history of the organization, including significant accomplishments.
- Statement of Need - What need(s) or opportunities does this activity/program/project intended to meet? How were these needs determined? Why is this project important?
- Purpose of the Request - Describe specifically what will be accomplished with funding from the MVGF. What is your project’s purpose, goals, and time frame? How many individuals, and which Merrimack Valley communities will it benefit? How does the project coordinate with or enhance other services already being offered in the area?
PROJECT BUDGET:
Please include an itemized budget of all project expenses and anticipated revenue including any other committed or potential funding sources. If you are requesting operational support, please submit an organizational budget including information on committed and potential funding sources. Download the Project Budget Form.
ATTACHMENTS:
- Most recent year's audited financial statement. If an audit is not available, please submit an unaudited statement for the past year. If you are using a fiscal sponsor please submit the financials statement for your fiscal sponsor as well.
- Organization's operating budget for the current year.
- List of Board of Directors, their affiliations and email addresses.

Review Process

The MVGF Advisory Committee reviews all proposals and determines grant awards. Grants are distributed by December 31st.

Reporting Requirements

Grant recipients must submit a final report within 60 days after grant funds have been expended, or within thirteen months of the grant award date. Access the Grant Report Form.

Please submit final report or a progress report for previous awards prior to submitting a proposal for a new grant. If the project is not completed and a progress report is filed, a final report should be submitted at the appropriate time.

For More Information

For more information or discussion of a project or program idea, please contact:

Julie Bishop
Vice President for Grants and Services
Essex County Community Foundation
175 Andover Street, Suite 101
Danvers, MA 01923
Tel: 978-777-8876
Email: j.bishop@eccf.org