The Arkansas Community Foundation is seeking applications for its Giving Tree Grant Program to support a broad range of projects with the potential for statewide impact and programs serving immediate local needs.
Donor Name: Arkansas Community Foundation
State: Arkansas
County: Selected Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 08/15/2024
Size of the Grant: Not Available
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The Foundation Looking For
When you apply, they’ll ask you to share some basic information about your organization, including:

Your mission and purpose. What need or opportunity in the community does your organization address?
Description of your funding request. How will you use a grant from the Community Foundation, and what will the impact of this grant be, for your organization and for the community you serve
Potential outcomes. What will success look like? How will you know or measure whether you’ve been successful?
Budget. What are the expenses related to your request? Which pieces will be paid for using a Community Foundation grant, and which pieces will be covered by funding from other sources?
They also ask you to indicate whether you’re requesting “capacity building support” or “program/project support.” What’s the difference?

Capacity building
These are funds focused on improving the effectiveness of your organization. Examples are:

Purchasing or upgrading equipment for staff use (computers, a financial database, security system)
Upgrading your facility in ways that will allow you to serve more clients (buying a new refrigerator for a food pantry, replacing recalled cribs in an early childhood education facility)
Providing training for staff, board or volunteers
Hiring a consultant to help your organization develop a strategic plan or fundraising plan
Communications/marketing consulting or start-up assistance, including help with branding, developing a social media presence, promotional materials, e-news campaign or other outreach strategy
Developing an evaluation system to track the effectiveness of your program
Organizing shared services with other nonprofit organizations, such as shared IT support, back-office admin support, financial services, etc.

Project/program support
These are funds designated to help you carry out a specific project for the clients you serve. Examples are:

Providing food to a larger number of food pantry clients
Establishing a book mobile to bring library books to low-income neighborhoods
Offering dental screenings through school-based health centers
Creating a new exhibit at a museum
Matching students with adult mentors
Providing care and case management for victims of domestic violence
Adding tutoring services to your after-school program

The following factors are considered, although not exclusively, in reviewing proposals:

Likelihood of the project to make a significant difference in the community
Likelihood of our grant to make a significant difference for the organization (in other words, is the size of our grant a good fit for the size and scope of the request?)
Evidence of a plan to measure or evaluate the success of the proposed request
Organization’s ability to carry out the proposed request successfully
Clarity and thoroughness of responses to application questions
Impact on the county/ies served by the affiliate to which you’re applying. Please note that if you’re applying for funding on behalf of a regional or statewide organization, your proposal is more likely to be successful if you can demonstrate that the project will be based in or have a direct impact on the county where you’re applying.

What Foundation not Looking For
Each request is considered on its own merit. However, the following types of requests generally are not considered:

Support for annual fundraising campaigns
Support for capital campaigns
Projects that address sectarian religious purposes
Projects that are political in nature or have a political bias
Multi-year proposals
Scholarships or fellowships for formal education at any level
Funding for salaries

Eligibility Criteria

Giving Tree grants are place-based, meaning that your organization must serve one of the areas where They currently making grants. Please note that if you’re applying for funding on behalf of a regional or statewide organization, your proposal is more likely to be successful if you can demonstrate that the project will be based in or have a direct impact on the county where you’re applying.
Any 501c3 public charity, school, hospital or government agency serving the counties where They are making grants is eligible to apply.

For more information, visit Arkansas Community Foundation.