We are all in a season of adjustment.
As a community, we are adjusting to a world that feels and looks differently than it did a few months back. As individuals, we are adjusting to new ways of being with one another and figuring out how to navigate this current environment. As a funder, we are also adjusting our grant processes and programs to, hopefully, make things a bit easier for our nonprofit partners.
Beginning in Q3 2020, we are making the following changes to our grant programs:
1. Transom and Small Grants will become Operating Grants. You may recall that we unrestricted all active grants in March in order to allow our grantee partners to be responsive to any needs that emerged as a result of COVID-19. Our board has decided to permanently support this change. This means that we are eliminating the Small and Transom Grant categories to allow more organizations to receive unrestricted funding (Operating Grants). Midterm reports are no longer required because Operating Grants only have a final report. Grantee partners can choose whether to complete their final reports orally or in writing.
2. In order to make more of you eligible to apply for an Operating Grant, we are updating our eligibility criteria. We are eliminating the $500,000 minimum organizational budget requirement and the three years of prior funding requirement for Operating Grants. Beginning in 2021 for existing grantees, the request amounts for Operating Grants are changing. Click here to see the new amounts.
3. We will no longer require workshop attendance, a preliminary application, or have preliminary meetings. Because we are eliminating Transom and Small Grants, you won’t need to submit a preliminary application or schedule a preliminary meeting. The Operating Grant does not have a preliminary application and the full application is due on the Application Deadline. While we will not have a formal preliminary process, we will gladly share feedback on your prior application or discuss anything related to your application or organization. Please feel free to reach out to your program officer at any time. We have also eliminated the requirement for new organizations/grant writers to attend our Intro to Grantwriting Workshop.
4. Cultures of Compassion are now Staff Support Grants. We are renaming these grants to more clearly describe what they are for and simplifying the application process for them. Applicants will be able to apply for Staff Support Grants by sending an email about their proposed project.
5. The Sabbatical Grant application process is changing. The Sabbatical Grant will no longer have a preliminary application. Potential applicants will email Jennifer Oldham a response to the sabbatical Needs Assessment questions at least one month prior to the Full Proposal deadline.
We appreciate your efforts to continue the great work that you do during these challenging times. Please feel free to let us know if you have any questions about these changes and if there is anything else we can do to support you.
All our best,
Kristen, Meredith, Jennifer, Sam, Catherine, and Casey