Eastern Shore of Virginia Community Foundation Grants

_NOTE: Concept proposals may be submitted at any time. Foundation staff and/or the Grant Review Committee will review Step 1 (Letter of Inquiry) material to determine whether the project meets current grant making priorities and guidelines. The contact person listed on the Concept Proposal sheet will be notified regarding whether the proposal has been selected for further consideration. Applicants should NOT complete or submit Step 2 (Full Proposal) until notified the Concept Proposal has been approved and selected for further consideration. However, Steps 1 (Letter of Inquiry) and 2 (Full Proposal) both must be completed and filed prior to a final review. Final deadline for the April review is March 1 and for the October review, the deadline is September 1._

Areas of Interest

The Foundation awards grants to nonprofit groups on the Eastern Shore of Virginia in the following areas:

• Family, Child and Social Welfare – to improve the quality of life for families and communities, particularly in the areas of basic human needs
• Arts & Culture – to promote broad-based participation in arts and cultural activities
• Education – to improve students’ readiness to learn and ability to succeed in school and in life
• Health – to support healthcare services and wellness education through community-based organizations
• Environment – to support environmental preservation and education

Criteria

The Foundation considers numerous criteria in reviewing grant proposals. For example, does the organization:

• Benefit a meaningful number of people through the project in relation to its cost?
• Assist those whose needs are not met by existing services?
• Obtain matching gifts or additional funding from other sources to implement and sustain the project?
• Promote collaboration among agencies?
• Strive to strengthen or improve agency self-sufficiency or efficiency?
• Evaluate the outcomes of its programs?

Funding

A maximum of $50,000 for each grant may be requested.

Eligibility

_You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website._

• The Foundation concentrates its resources geographically to provide the most benefit to residents of the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The highest priority will be given to requests for grants from nonprofit organizations that benefit the counties of Accomack and Northampton.

Ineligibility

• Unrestricted funds are generally not available for:
  • Organizations not tax-exempt under section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
  • Individuals
  • Fundraising events (such as tickets, raffles, auctions or tournaments), annual fundraising appeals, or agency celebrations
  • Ongoing operating support
  • Political, fraternal or religious activities
  • Endowments
  • Existing obligations, debts/liabilities or costs that the agency has already incurred
  • Scholarly research
  • Scholarships, camper fees, fellowships or travel
  • National or international organizations, unless the grant is restricted to benefit Accomack and/or Northampton counties
  • Hospitals and similar health-care facilities, excepting Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital and Eastern Shore Rural Health
  • Projects normally the responsibility of government
  • Organizations that have been awarded discretionary funding from the Foundation within the preceding five years
  • Private primary or secondary schools or academies other than those whose primary purpose is for special needs, unless there is a significant opportunity for community use of, or collaboration with, the facility or project
  • Capital campaign requests exceeding 5 percent of campaigns valued at $1 million or more
• Any organizations that have received a discretionary grant from the Foundation in the past five (5) years will be precluded until 5 years have passed from applying for another discretionary grant.