Eligibility Guidelines for Grant Applications:

Episcopal Charities accepts grant applications in October for the Basic Human Needs program cycle and in February for the Youth Opportunity program cycle. More information on each grant cycle, including the grant application forms and deadlines, are posted on this site three months prior to the deadline.

Basic Human Needs Grants

Episcopal Charities awards Basic Human Needs Grants for the period March-December of the year following the fall submission of applications.

The Episcopal Charities Board of Directors awards grants that serve the human service needs of communities throughout the diocese. The programs that Episcopal Charities support address a wide range of needs throughout the Diocese, including the following: addiction/recovery, aging/eldercare, English as a second language, adult literacy and immigrant services, feeding, HIV/AIDS, homelessness, and prison: community re-integration and re-entry assistance.

Important Deadlines
1st Time Mandatory Grant Writer Workshop	September 17, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Grant Application Deadline	October 10, 2008 at 5:00pm

»learn more and apply now for Basic Human Needs Grants

Youth Opportunity Grants

Episcopal Charities awards Youth Opportunity Grants for

• the summer of the year of application
• the academic year beginning in the September of that year and running through June of the following year.

Episcopal Charities seeks to allocate resources in the most effective way possible to youth-oriented community-based programs of congregations throughout the Diocese. Our grant application process enables us to review the work of those programs and identify the applicants that address the most compelling needs with the most creative uses of available resources. Proposals should address services to young people as identified and defined by your congregation.

More Information

The Associate Director for Programs, the Rev. Donna Dambrot, is available to answer your questions about applying for a Basic Human Needs or Youth Opportunity Grant. Contact her via email at ddambrot@dioceseny.org, or phone at 212-316-7426.

INFORMATION FOR NEW APPLICANTS

Prior to your first application: New applicants must attend one of our grant writing workshops before applying.

If you'd like help with the application: Episcopal Charities' staff will be pleased to review a draft of your proposal several weeks before the deadline. This review will help you revise the proposal, if needed, and submit a complete proposal. However, this staff review does not guarantee that your proposal will be funded. Contact Mother Dambrot for assistance.

GENERAL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

We have defined eligibility carefully. Our task is to exercise care, objectivity, and responsibility in identifying those programs that meet our funding guidelines, while being certain not to exclude any eligible program that may have been supported in the past.

The following requirements are your starting point. Any program submitting an application for support must be able to demonstrate that

Congregational Connection

Programs must be sponsored by and in partnership with one or more Episcopal congregations within the Diocese of New York as evidenced by the presence of these characteristics: At least one of these three: The congregation is ultimately responsible for the effective delivery of services and the management of the program and the grant funds for which it applies; Members of the congregation are involved in the program's activities, as a significant number of volunteers, and/or a majority of the board, or a majority of the advisory committee members; The congregation provides material financial and/or substantial in-kind support to the program. At least one of these two: The program is described as an integral part of the congregation's mission; The program is clearly identified as a ministry of the congregation.

Community Outreach

The program must represent an effort by a local congregation or group of congregations to respond to an identified need affecting members of the community in which the congregation is located.

Clients' Eligibility for the Service

Any person needing the service offered is eligible to receive the service. Eligibility for services cannot be determined by church membership, faith, or participation in church activities.

Non-Religious Program Content

Programs must be non-sectarian and inclusive, and services provided cannot include religious content.

Core Values

Successful programs will exhibit several of these characteristics: They address root causes as well as symptoms. They represent a collaborative effort of two or more congregations and/or community organizations. They represent an opportunity to leverage additional funds beyond the Episcopal Charities grants. They represent a primary resource addressing this problem in their communities.

Grant Allocation Limitation

Episcopal Charities will fund no more than 70% of a program's total budget. In addition, no single program will be eligible to receive more than 10% of the total funds available for allocation in any grant cycle. Budget information provided in the application should clearly demonstrate that the request meets these requirements. The average grant for the Episcopal Charities Youth Grant last year was $6,125 with a range of $2,500 to $10150. Grant requests should fall roughly within these parameters.

THE APPLICATION PROCESS

Required process. The application form for each cycle will be posted on this site. Applicants are instructed to:

• Use the attached application format
• Type all narrative materials single-spaced
• Submit 22 copies of the completed proposal and 2 sets of attachments
• Submit the application on time

Episcopal Charities is located in Diocesan House on the Close of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10025

• Proposals received after the deadline's date and time will not be considered
• Incomplete proposals will not be considered
• Emailed and faxed proposals will not be accepted
• Do not include any other materials than those requested
• The proposal must be complete and in order, following the order of our item and page numbers
• The proposal must address all items in the proposal
• For the budget, use the format of the financial form included in this application. All budgets must include both income and expenses

PROGRAMS' RESPONSIBILITIES DURING THE GRANT CYCLE

Funded programs must use grant funds for the purposes described in the proposal; grant funds cannot be diverted to other uses.

Programs must immediately contact Episcopal Charities should their funded program be suspended or terminated, or face circumstances that would alter the use of the grant award. Programs must not cash/deposit Episcopal Charities monthly checks should the above occur unless approved by Episcopal Charities.

Funded programs are responsible for timely submission of evaluation materials.

Funded programs must provide a program-specific accounting of the use of funds granted. In a program where funds are co-mingled with parish funds, separate financial reports must be regularly prepared.

Based on an assessment of program effectiveness, some programs may be asked to participate in workshops that focus on areas needing improvement as a requirement of future funding.