Request for Proposals Grant-making Guidelines and Application Ronald McDonald House Charities of Jacksonville, Inc. 2013-2014 Grants Deadline: September 1, 2012 Mission Statement Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Jacksonville (RMHC Jacksonville) supports the health and well-being of children by providing lodging and other services for critically ill, chronically ill, and seriously injured children and their families. As part of this mission and because of an opportunity to access matching funds from the global Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) organization, the Board of Directors has for two years made grants to area agencies, including Art with a Heart in Healthcare, the NE Florida Healthy Start Coalition, Community Hospice of NE Florida Foundation of Caring and Jacksonville Speech and Hearing Center. The 2011 total for the 2012 grant cycle totaled nearly $40,000. Grant funding comes from two sources: fundraising promotions at area McDonald’s restaurants and matching funding from RMHC. If not for the local grant-making, that Global funding would not come back to our community. For the first time, organizations may request up to two years of funding, with a maximum request total of $40,000 per year. Our goal is to support children’s healthcare initiatives that bring synergy to our existing programs, and by offering a longer grant cycle we hope to strengthen the relationship with the organizations receiving the grants that will benefit all involved. Criteria and requirements for funding: To be considered for funding, an organization must be designated as a not-for-profit 501 (c ) (3) tax exempt as defined under IRS codes. Ronald McDonald House Charities of Jacksonville will use the following criteria to prioritize and make decisions to fund programs that: 1 Share the mission and values of RMHC Jacksonville Directly benefit children (0-18) in health related projects in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia Have track records of program success, with consistent and effective management Set clear goals and metrics by which success will be measured Have a broad base of funding and financial stability Develop new or expand existing programs which are consistent with the organizations’ historical activities and provide potential for partnership and affiliation with RMHC Jacksonville which enhances services to the community RMHC Jacksonville will NOT fund: Advertising or fundraising drives Event sponsorships Partisan, political or religious programs Fundraising or management/general expenses (per IRS 990) Intermediary funding agencies Permanent endowments Travel expenses Requests that are not in writing or are submitted after deadlines Preparation and submission: Grant applications and the application form (attached) must be submitted in English. The proposal must include the following: 1) A cover letter on the organization’s letterhead, signed by the President of the Board of Directors, briefly outlining: Background of the organization Nature of the project and request Number of individuals to be served by grant funds Concise description of need Amount requested and timing of expenditure Other funds that will be used along with grant 2) Attachments: Grant application form Program budget with other funding sources included Current year’s operating budget (and capital budget) of organization, its subsidiaries and parent organization (if any) Copies of 2 years’ most recent audited financial statements Letter from IRS confirming tax exempt status and statement that says status has not been revoked Major donor list from past 12 months ($1000 gifts and above) Names, occupation, and other board memberships and community activities of Board members Additional submission information: Please submit the original and 4 copies of your grant application. It must be typed, 12 point font, single-sided, and in the order of content listed above. Please do not include anything that cannot be photocopied easily, and do not send the submission in a hard binder. Send the original and 4 copies via mail to: Grants Committee Ronald McDonald House Charities of Jacksonville, Inc. 824 Children’s Way Jacksonville, FL 32207 2 The documents should also be emailed to Sasher@rmhcjax.org. If it is too large a document to email, please save it to a memory stick and enclose it with original and 4 copies of the entire grant application. Review process: The deadline for submission for the 2013-2014 grant program is September 1, 2012. The RMHC Jacksonville Grants Committee will make final decisions by October 15 and funds will be awarded by December 31, 2012. The Committee may set up a site visit or set up a call to address questions before making its decision. Confidentiality During the application process, we ask that you keep your application confidential, unless you are including collaborators in the application and they must be part of it. RMHC Jacksonville will not announce or discuss this pilot program publicly until all 2013-2014 grants have been announced and awarded. Please refer any questions about the program to RMHC Jacksonville, via email ONLY, Sasher@rmhcjax.org. If the grants committee decides to reach out to learn more about your application and organization, we may request a site visit, additional information, and discussions between your submission date and Oct. 15. Any publicity or communications about the grants process and awards must be reviewed and agreed to by RMHC Jacksonville. If your proposal is approved, you will be required to submit: 1. 90 days before the end of each grant cycle (one year from funding), the organization must submit a financial reporting of the funding expenditures and a summary answering the following questions with brief explanations: Has the need been met? Were short term objectives met? Have there been any changes in the program and, if so, what and why? Have there been personnel changes that impacted the program positively or negatively? Also, please provide: A summary of the evaluation results The ways in which RMHC Jacksonville has been involved in the funded program The ways that this grant has made a difference 3 Grant Application Ronald McDonald House Charities of Jacksonville, Inc. 2013-2014 Grant Year Name of Organization: EIN Number: Mailing Address: CEO/Executive Director: Grant Application Contact, if different: Telephone Number: Email Address: Amount requested: Single or multi-year request: ____________________________________________________________________ Please use a maximum of three pages to complete this application: Organizational Background: Program Description: Population to be served: Short Term Objectives of Program (descriptive and metrics): Long Term Goals of Program (descriptive and metrics): Explanation of Need for Funding and How Grant Funding will be used: How will RMHC Jacksonville be involved in your programs and recognized for the donation? What kind of partnership do you envision? 4