Capacity Building Grant Application Guidelines
To be eligible to apply for an MMT grant or funding program, organizations
must:
- Be tax-exempt as determined by the Internal Revenue Service,
- Request support for work in Oregon and/or Clark County, Washington,
- Provide equal opportunity in leadership, staffing, and service, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability, political affiliation, and religious belief, and
- Be current on all reports owed to the Trust on previous grants.
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Capacity Building grants fund a wide variety of projects in many fields of activity. Trust grants are typically substantial and often multi-year; therefore, proposals should be strategic and reflect an organization's top priority at the time. Proposals should reflect the organization's mission and capabilities, have clear outcomes, several different funding sources, and a credible plan for sustainability.
The types of projects NOT generally funded are listed below. Applicants are advised to read through the
What We Look For,
Frequently Asked Questions, and
Less Frequently Asked Questions sections of this website and to review the list of recent grants given.
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Initial Inquiries for the Capacity Building grants program are accepted at any time. Inquiries received by the 15th of each month are batched together and presented to trustees for first review at the program meeting two months later. (For example, an Initial Inquiry received by Oct. 15 would be reviewed by staff during November and presented to trustees for an initial decision at the December meeting.)
Applicants invited to submit full proposals are notified immediately and have three weeks to submit a full proposal. Review and analysis of a full proposal usually takes two to three more months.
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Capacity Building grants typically range from $80,000 - 200,000. MMT prefers to be one of a number of funders, and almost never provides 100% of a project's funding. Refer to the
What We Look For for guidance on grant amounts and review the list of recent grants given.
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Proposals declined by the Trust may not be resubmitted for at least 12 months after the date of declination, unless
substantial changes to the project occur. It is best to email or call a program officer for guidance before resubmitting a proposal.
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There is no waiting period after a declination to submit an entirely different proposal, but the Trust will consider only ONE application of any kind at any given time.
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- Direct grants, scholarships, or loans to individuals
- Endowments
- General fund drives, annual appeals, special events, or sponsorships
- Elimination of operating deficits
- Projects of sectarian or religious organizations that principally benefit their own members or adherents
- Direct replacement funding for activities previously supported by federal, state, or local public sources
- Acquisition of land for conservation purposes (except through Program Related Investments)
- Hospital capital construction projects (except through Program Related Investments)
- Animal welfare organizations (both domestic and wild animals)
- Projects that primarily benefit students of a single K-12 school, unless the school is an independent alternative school primarily serving low-income and/or special needs populations
- MMT funds cannot be earmarked for purposes of influencing legislation, and the grantee connot expend any part of the grant in a way that violates its tax-exempt status
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Step 1
Register your organization with MMT.
- Verify that your organization meets MMT's eligibility requirements.
- Supply your email address and EIN. (The EIN or Employer Identification Number, also known as the Federal Tax Identification Number, is assigned to your ganization by the Internal Revenue Service. It is the nine-digit number found on your tax-exemption letter from the IRS.)
- Enter a password.
MMT will confirm your registration and issue you a username, usually within
two business days. SAVE your username and password. You will use your username and password to access the Grant Application Zone for all future applications.
Step 2
Log into the Grant Application Zone and complete (or update) your
organization profile, including contact information and your board list.
Step 3
Complete and submit the on-line Responsive Grants
Initial Inquiry form. The four Initial Inquiry questions are shown below. Initial Inquiries are limited to a total of 1,500 words; applications determine how to allocate the 1,500 words among the four questions.
- 1a. Summarize your organization, its purpose, history, and major programs and activities. Provide the number, ethnicity, age, income levels, and geographic area of the people you serve.
- 1b. State your organization's annual budget.
- 1c. Has your organization experienced an operating deficit in any of the last three years? If yes, please explain. If not, please type "not applicable" in the box below.
- 2a. Summarize the project for which funds are requested. Briefly explain the need for the project in the local context, why your organization decided to address it as you propose, and your expected outcomes.
- 2b. What counties will your project serve and/or take place in?
- 3a. Provide a summary overview of the project budget. Briefly describe the project expenditures and the sources and amounts of committed and projected revenue. Indicate the amount requested from MMT and how funds would be expended over time. (Your response should primarily consist of a verbal description. If your organization is invited to submit a full proposal, you will have an opportunity to submit detailed budget information. Please do not include tables and charts here, as formatted data will not display properly.)
- 3b. If you are requesting a Program Related Investment (PRI), please provide the following information: the load duration, the proposed interest rate, securitization opportunities, and repayment strategies (preferably primary and secondary strategies).
- 4. Briefly explain how the project will be sustained after the grant period ends.
There are no deadlines for Initial Inquiries. Initial Inquiries are received continuously and reviewed monthly. Applicants who submit Initial Inquiries by the 25th of the month will generally be notified within 60 days whether or not they are invited to submit a full proposal. Notification of approval or decline of a full proposal generally takes three to four months.
Step 4
Applicants invited to submit a
Full Proposal will have three weeks from the date of invitation to complete the online Full Proposal application, which asks the questions listed below. While there is no word limit for a Full Proposal, applicants are encouraged to be concise, and to use quantitative, as well as qualitative, information to help us understand your organization and proposal.
- 1. Explain the need for the project, and why it is important. If appropriate, comment on past or present attempts by the applicant and others to address this need.
- 2. Describe the project, including its goals and specific objectives. Explain how the project will be implemented over time. Explain why your organization decided to address it as you propose.
- 3. describe the people, groups and/or places expected to benefit from the project, and the ways they would benefit. Include demographic information (e.g., number, ethnicity, age, income levels, geographic area, etc.) for beneficiaries.
- 4. Outline the effects of the proposed project by providing a series of "before" and "after" snapshots in the spaces provided. In each box on the left, briefly summarize existing conditions for that category. On the right, briefly describe the changed circumstances after the grant period has ended. Please give specific numbers and projections where appropriate. If a category does not apply, write NA.
Categories
- Effect on organization size, FTE, structure
- Effect on organization's programs
- Effect on organization's operating expenses
- Effect on organization's ability to generate income
- Effect on the issue or need the project addresses
- Describe how the project's effectiveness will be determined.
- Describe the qualifications of up to three people with primary responsibility for implementing the project.
Applicants are also asked to include a fiscal year budget and a detailed project budget.
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