Grant Proposal GuidelinesThe Family Stability and Social Equity grant strategy will enable the Community Foundation of South Jersey to support causes that bridge economic and cultural gaps and face head-on the challenging issues that impact families, their children/youth, and their surrounding community. Our aim is to help South Jersey families and their children reach their full potential today, so that they become or continue to be active participants in strong, vibrant communities tomorrow. Specifically, our grant investment strategy focuses on families and their children from birth to 18 years of age who are vulnerable to poor outcomes. The Foundation will support high performing organizations (those that combine sound fiscal management, governance, and effective programmatic results) to measurably improve the lives of families, their children, and their surrounding environment in pursuit of the following overarching goals:
| Goals | Results |
| Improve the ability and capacity of families to meet their own needs. | Program results indicate increased income, access to food, improved transportation options, reduced barriers, and increased workforce skills that lead to a higher wage. |
| Increase the capacity and participation of parents/guardians in meeting the needs of their children and preparing them to succeed. | Program results indicate expanded parent/guardian support network, increased parent/guardian involvement in children/youth programming, and increased parent/guardian participation in advocating for changes in issues that negatively impact their children, |
| Improve environment and surroundings for families. | Program results indicate increased family participation in place-based community greening activities or activities that save energy or improve beauty. |
Selection Criteria
Proposals will be reviewed considering the following four point criteria:
Regional Focus - Applicants must offer services in the eight-county South Jersey region including Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean, and Salem Counties. The review process will attempt to identify at least one program in each county.
Social Equity - The Foundation is specifically interested in supporting inclusive organizations that focus on and have had success in serving underserved or underrepresented populations.
Organizational Capacity – Applicants must be financially, operationally, and managerially sound with strong board and staff leadership; and be able to adapt to lessons learned in the delivery of their programming.
Measureable Results - Applicants are expected to articulate a plan for impact. Programs will be reviewed with emphasis on the organization’s ability to articulate logical, measurable results.
Inclusiveness
The Community Foundation of South Jersey is committed to inclusive practices in our operations and grantmaking processes. We will support organizations that use all reasonable efforts to recruit, hire, train, promote and serve persons without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law, except where such status is a qualification for the service being provided and is related to the organization's mission.
Application
To apply for a grant under the Family Stability and Social Equity priority, carefully read the Grant Proposal Process and Grant Proposal Guidelines above, then download an application, complete and return it electronically by email to info@communityfoundationsj.org or on USB Flash Drive or CD-ROM by 5 p.m. EST, Friday, July 2, 2010.
For More Information
Please direct questions to info@communityfoundationsj.org for a timely response.