CAPACITY BUILDING GRANT
For applications submitted February 1, 2016 and later
PA RT 1: A PP LIC ATI ON G UIDE LI NE S
AND
I N ST RU CTI ONS
GUIDELINES
1.1
WHO CAN APPLY ..................................................................... 2
1.2
FUNDING EXCLUSIONS .............................................................. 3
1.3
MATCHING REQUIREMENTS ......................................................... 3
1.4
FUNDING LIMITS AND PROJECT DURATION ....................................... 4
1.5
ELIGIBLE EXPENSES ................................................................. 4
1.6
APPLICATION DEADLINE SCHEDULE ............................................... 5
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
1.7
HOW TO APPLY ....................................................................... 5
1.8
APPLICANT COMPLIANCE ............................................................ 6
1.9
REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS........................................................... 6
1.10 APPLICATION CHECKLIST ........................................................... 7
REVISED NOVEMBER 2015
CONNECTICUT HUMANITIES FUND | CAPACITY BUILDING GRANT | PART 1 | PAGE 2
GUIDELINES
Connecticut Humanities Fund (CTHF) Capacity Building Grants help CTH fulfill its strategic goal to support
organizations in the state that bring the humanities to the public. Grants from $1,500 to $9,999 are awarded
to carry out focused work that helps organizations better understand their audiences, assets and operations.
Projects include:
•
Board assessments and training
•
Strategic planning
•
Marketing assessments and planning
•
Audience assessments
•
Financial assessments and planning
•
Development (fundraising) assessments and planning
•
Collections assessments in the service of public exhibition or programming
•
Technology assessments and planning
Please note that individual staff training and development are NOT funded through this program.
Only one (1) Capacity Grant can be open at a time.
Grant recipients are expected to furnish Connecticut Humanities a copy of a comprehensive final report written
by consultants or professionals whose fees are funded by this grant at the end of the grant period.
1.1
WHO CAN APPLY
An applicant organization must:
•
Be incorporated in the state of Connecticut for at least one year as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
governed by a board of directors that meets regularly OR be a city or municipality in the state of
Connecticut
•
Provide significant programming and/or services to the public on a regular basis, including open hours and
special events, or function as a professional service organization that supports humanities program
providers
•
Be in compliance on all terms and conditions of all previous Connecticut Humanities grants
The following are not eligible for funding:
•
For-profit organizations
•
Individuals
•
Agencies of the state of Connecticut, including state universities, state parks and historic sites
•
Organizations not in compliance with terms and conditions of previous Connecticut Humanities grants
Rev. November 2015
CONNECTICUT HUMANITIES FUND | CAPACITY BUILDING GRANT | PART 1 | PAGE 3
1.2
FUNDING EXCLUSIONS
The Connecticut Humanities Fund does not support the following projects and expenses under any of its grant
programs:
•
Projects advocating a particular political, philosophical, religious or ideological point of view or a particular
program of social action or change
•
Projects intended primarily to create musical compositions, dance, paintings, sculpture, poetry, short
stories, novels or other artistic products that do not contain a humanities component
•
Renovation, restoration, rehabilitation or construction of historic sites
•
Conservation treatment that is not directly related to a CTH-funded exhibition
•
Book printing or publication
•
Curricula for classes not accessible to the general public
•
Endowments
•
Individual fellowships, graduate education or university-based projects that require participants to register
for academic credit
•
Acquisition of artifacts, works of art or documents
•
Capital improvements to applicant site and/or facilities
•
Purchases of capital equipment, buildings or land
•
Repayment of loans or debt service
•
Costs associated with social events or fundraising activities
•
Purchase of food, alcohol, refreshments or catering services
•
Retroactive funding for activities undertaken before the start of the proposed grant period
•
Undocumented expenses
•
Overhead expenses, including: insurance, taxes, administrative fees, employee benefits and site operating
expenses
1.3
•
Honoraria, stipends or professional fees for applicant organization’s board members
•
Honoraria, stipends or professional fees for elected officials
•
Honoraria, stipends or professional fees for active CTH board members and staff
MATCHING REQUIREMENTS
Capacity Building Grants must be matched dollar for dollar. Matching funds may come from in-kind
contributions, the applicant organization’s own cash, or external funders. Matching funds for a Capacity
Building Grant may consist of any combination of:
1. In-kind contributions made to the applicant organization solely for support of the project, including:
•
Donated services, including volunteer time dedicated to the project
•
Donated materials and supplies
•
Donated or loaned equipment
•
Donated or loaned rental space not owned by the grantee
Rev. November 2015
CONNECTICUT HUMANITIES FUND | CAPACITY BUILDING GRANT | PART 1 | PAGE 4
2. Cash contributed to the project by the applicant, including:
•
Fees paid directly to consultants
•
Materials, supplies and equipment purchased exclusively for the project
•
Rental fees for equipment and space
•
Contracted services
•
Cash from partners
•
Salaries and wages of applicant and partner staff dedicated to this project
3. External cash contributions from donors and/or third parties specifically for the project in the form of
grants, gifts or bequests. (Note: If an admission or registration fee is required to attend a grant-funded
activity, those fees may not be counted as an external cash contribution.)
Funding from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development or any other state
agency cannot be used for matching purposes.
1.4
FUNDING LIMITS AND PROJECT DURATION
All Capacity Building Grant project periods are twelve (12) months in duration, beginning on the first day of
the month of award date notification (see chart in section 1.6 below). All CTH grant funded activities must
occur and be completed within the twelve (12) month project period. No extensions are allowed. Capacity
Building Grant awards may not exceed an award amount of $9,999.
1.5
ELIGIBLE EXPENSES
•
Salary and wages directly related to the project for each staff member involved not to exceed 10% of the
total grant request
•
Honoraria and travel for consultants and other outside professionals
•
Photocopying of worksheets and handouts
•
Purchase or licensing fees for reading materials that are directly related to project activities. Materials fees
may include textbooks, workbooks and/or download fees for such materials
Please note the following expense limits:
•
Salary and wages for staff: not to exceed 10% of the total grant request
•
Travel expenses: not more the 20% of total grant request
•
Photocopying: not more than 10% of total grant request
•
Fees for materials: not more than 30% of total grant request
Rev. November 2015
CONNECTICUT HUMANITIES FUND | CAPACITY BUILDING GRANT | PART 1 | PAGE 5
1.6
APPLICATION DEADLINE SCHEDULE
CTH Grant
Funding Range
$1,500 - $9,999
1.7
Application Date
(first business
day of the month)
November
February
May
August
Award Date
(first business
day of the month)
February
May
July
November
HOW TO APPLY
The application narrative forms were created in Microsoft Word 2007 and the budget forms in Microsoft Excel
2007. These files should be downloaded and saved to your desktop and then opened with the appropriate
application. The Excel workbooks will have a sheet for each budget area; i.e., honoraria, travel, promotion,
etc. – see the tabs at the bottom of the workbook. Narrative fields are limited by the number of characters
noted at the top of the field. Characters include punctuation and spaces.
We strongly urge you to contact Connecticut Humanities staff to discuss your project idea at least one month
in advance of submitting an application. We are eager to help you submit a strong application and are
available to review drafts received at least two weeks before the deadline.
Applications must be received by Connecticut Humanities staff by 4:00 p.m. on the deadline day.
Electronic applications must be submitted in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe Acrobat PDF format. To ensure
timely receipt by CTH, electronic applications should be sent to grants@cthumanities.org using the process
outlined below, NOT to individual CTH staff members.
Please submit your application using WeTransfer (www.wetransfer.com) a free file transfer service that does
not require you to sign up for an account or enter personal information.
We Transfer Instructions:
1. Open the WeTransfer site in your browser.
2. Note that the site might open to a full-page ad that looks a lot like a home page. You’ll know it’s an ad
because the popup mentioned in (3) below will be missing. You’ll notice a “skip” link on the lower right.
Click it to go to the home page.
3. On the home page, you should see a small popup box on the left with terms of service. Click “I agree” to
continue.
4. You should see a popup box on the left. Click the “add files” button to attach files for sending. Enter the
grants email address (grants@cthumanities.org) in the “friends email” box. Enter your email address in
the “your email” box.
5. Click “transfer.” Depending on the size of the file, it could take a few minutes for the transfer to complete.
Rev. November 2015
CONNECTICUT HUMANITIES FUND | CAPACITY BUILDING GRANT | PART 1 | PAGE 6
6. You will receive a confirmation when we download the files on our end.
Please contact Lauren Miller if you have questions about grant application submissions.
1.8
APPLICANT COMPLIANCE
The applicant MUST be designated a 501(c)(3) organization or municipality. All compliance documents for
nonprofits must be for the organization named in the 501(c)(3) letter, not a division, program or
project that is run by the parent organization. Applicants that are departments of a municipality should include
their own governing board or commission list and budgets that pertain to their department only.
In order to apply for a Capacity Building Grant, applicants must:
1. Have the most current version of the following documents on file with Connecticut Humanities:
•
Organizational Profile
•
Current list of board members
•
Operating budget for current and prior two fiscal years
•
IRS 501(c)(3) Determination Letter
4. Have no other Capacity Building Grants open
5. Be in compliance on terms and conditions of all previous Connecticut Humanities grants
6. Complete all of the pages of the application and submit to Connecticut Humanities by 4:00pm on the
deadline date. Include only information requested in the application forms, narrative and supplemental
materials
1.9
REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS
Capacity Building Grant applications must include a proposal, prepared by the selected consultant, that
demonstrates appropriate skills to carry out the project, defines the scope of work the consultant would
perform, and lists professional fees to be charged. (If a consultant has not been chosen by the grant
application deadline, include proposals from finalists and describe the consultant selection process and
selection date in your narrative.)
Rev. November 2015
CONNECTICUT HUMANITIES FUND | CAPACITY BUILDING GRANT | PART 1 | PAGE 7
1.10 APPLICATION CHECKLIST
Please use this checklist to ensure a complete application.

Application cover and certification

Applicant contact information

Project case statement

Project narrative

Project outcomes

Project team

Work plan

Required attachments

Budget forms
Compliance Forms Checklist

Organization profile

Operating budget – current and past two fiscal years

List of board members

IRS 501(c)(3) Determination Letter
Rev. November 2015