1. Alice Burlinson, Kandy Elliott and Jan Garrett
RWF Grants Workshop
February 15, 2013
Presented by:
Alice Burlinson, Kandy Elliott and Jan Garrett

2. Roanoke Women’s Foundation A Component Fund of Foundation for Roanoke Valley
Who are we?
Established in 2004 to allow women to become leaders in the field of philanthropy.
Open to any woman of any income level who makes the commitment to support RWF for three years at a level of $2,100 per year.
Funding Priorities include:
Arts and Culture
Education
Environment
Health and Human Services
February 15, 2013

3. Roanoke Women’s Foundation Grant Process
Phase I
Phase II
Site Visits
February 15, 2013

4. Roanoke Women’s Foundation A Component Fund of Foundation for Roanoke Valley Phase I
Geographical Coverage Area includes:
Cities of Roanoke and Salem, Counties of Botetourt, Craig, Floyd, Franklin and Roanoke
(Please note that the New River Valley and Smith Mountain Lake area were recently replaced with Floyd and Franklin.)
Beginning March 1, 2013 RWF requests Phase I Applications.
Minimum grant request- $30,000
You must apply using the online application found on the Foundation for Roanoke Valley’s website (Phase I Application due date – March 22, 2013 at 4:00 p.m.) Please note this deadline is earlier than in past years.
February 15, 2013

5. Roanoke Women’s Foundation A Fund of Foundation for Roanoke Valley
Who are we?
Established in 2004 to allow women to become leaders in the field of philanthropy.
Open to any woman of any income level who makes the commitment to support RWF for 3 years at a level of $2,100 per year.
Funding Priorities include:
Arts and Culture
Educational Programs
Environmental Programs
Health and Human Services
February 15, 2013

6. February 15, 2013

7. RWF Service Area City of Roanoke City of Salem Botetourt County
Craig County
Floyd County
Franklin County
Roanoke County
February 15, 2013

8. Phase I Evaluation Criteria
The Roanoke Women’s Foundation requests that you answer the
following questions in a narrative to clearly and concisely describe
your proposed project. These questions are based on the criteria the
Roanoke Women’s Foundation uses to evaluate proposals. (There is a
6,000 character limit).
NEED
What community need/issue/opportunity will your proposal address?
How will your project address this community need/issue/opportunity?
February 15, 2013

9. Phase I Evaluation Criteria
IMPACT
Describe your target population and the geographical area the project will serve.
How many people will be positively impacted in our region by your project or proposed program?
Is there any indirect impact on the larger community?
INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTH AND STABILITY
What is your organization’s history of success?
Describe the health and stability of your organization including staff retention, financial strength, and community support.
Please state the goals and objectives for this program and how they are related to your organization’s mission.
February 15, 2013

10. Phase I Evaluation Criteria
EFFECTIVE USE OF RESOURCES
How will RWF funds be allocated?
Will your organization use its existing resources in addition to the requested resources? How?
Please describe how your effort leverages other resources, including partnerships with other organizations, contributions from other donors, and the project revenue.
SUSTAINABILITY
Describe your program’s plans for ongoing funding after RWF funds have been expended.
How will the proposed project result in sustainable and positive changes that continue over time?
February 15, 2013

11. What happens after your Phase I is submitted?
FRV reviews Phase I Applications for compliance with basic requirements, such as non-profit status, geographic eligibility, etc. 
Grants Committee reads and studies all Phase I Applications.
February 15, 2013

12. What happens after your Phase I is submitted?
Members score Phase I Applications based on evaluation criteria on previous three slides.
Scores are tabulated and averaged.
Committee members meet to discuss scores, Phase I Applications, strengths and weaknesses of the Phase I.
Committee votes to decide who will be invited to submit Phase II application.
February 15, 2013

13. Roanoke Women’s Foundation A Fund of Foundation for Roanoke Valley Phase II
Organizations whose Phase I Applications have been approved will be invited by to submit a Phase II Application (Phase II Application due date - May 31, at 4:00 p.m.)
Site Visits are conducted for all Phase II applicants.
RWF’s Grants Committee selects those applications to appear on ballot.
Ballot is then sent to all members for voting.
One woman = one vote.
If awarded a grant, you must wait five years before applying again.
February 15, 2013

14. What happens after your Phase II application is submitted?
Grants Committee reads Phase II applications.
Site visits are conducted in June and July.
Site visit reports are written and presented to Grants Committee.
In August, Grants Committee holds meeting open to RWF membership to discuss proposals, ask questions and clarify issues.
February 15, 2013

15. What happens after your Phase II application is submitted?
Also, in August, Grants Committee meets to rank applicants based on all information gathered during the process and determine organizations to be placed on ballot.
Ballots mailed out to membership in September.
Ballots due from membership in October.
Grantees announced in November or December.
February 15, 2013

16. Do’s
Substance
Form
February 15, 2013

17. Do’s Substance Do read and follow the directions.
Do make sure your application was developed with and has the approval of the Executive Director/CEO/senior administrator of the agency.
February 15, 2013

18. Do’s Substance
Do make sure the Board President/Chair verifies that the proposed project is realistic and fits with organization's strategic plan.
Do make sure it's your moment! Are you ready to shine? Is this the year to apply for this grant?
Occasionally, organizations have submitted applications prematurely, i.e. proposal not fully ready for funding, proposal not fleshed out, proposal still an idea.  When you apply, you should be able to present the precise details of your proposal and exactly how each and every dollar you are requesting will be spent.
February 15, 2013

19. Do’s Substance Do your homework about RWF.
Do ask questions. Please direct your questions to Michelle Eberly at FRV. She will forward them to RWF.
February 15, 2013

20. Do’s Substance
Do remember that, unlike many funders, RWF does fund operating expenses.
Do remember your audience: not everyone knows your organization. You may need to provide some basic education.
You are all so passionate about your causes and have so much experience in your field; you sometimes forget that some members of your audience (members of RWF) may have little to no knowledge about you.  Occasionally, after reading the LOI and Phase II applications and then asking question after question at the site visit, we still have questions. There should be no confusion remaining after we have completed our thorough process.
February 15, 2013

21. Do’s Substance Do answer this question in your submissions:
Among so much need and so many worthy organizations, why should we fund your project?
That is the question we will be asking!
Do make every sentence in your application play a role in convincing us that you stand out as the best investment for the future of our communities.
February 15, 2013

22. Do’s Substance
Do be clear about the number of individuals to be served.
Do distinguish your program from similar ones in the area.
February 15, 2013

23. Do’s Form
Do comply with the character limits and use full words such as “and” instead of “&”. That isn’t creative; it is just trying to trick the character count.
Do write the proposal in layman's terms. Please use plain language including:
Logical organization
Active voice
Short sentences
Common, everyday words
February 15, 2013

24. Do’s Form Do write in complete sentences.
Do proofread. Ask others to proofread your document. Proofread again. This cannot be emphasized enough.
Do read your document aloud to someone to be sure it makes sense.
February 15, 2013

25. Do’s Form Do use the complete name of your organization.
Do keep in mind that, as one of our Grants Committee members stated, “Care in application details reflects potential care in use of the money.”
February 15, 2013

26. Do’s Form Do submit documents free of any typos.
Do submit documents without any grammatical errors.
February 15, 2013

27. Do’s Form
Do remember that readers can get lost or frustrated by acronyms or abbreviations. If you are going to use them, please be sure you first spell out fully all words, names or terms before you use abbreviations or acronyms.
Do remember we re-read the Phase I Applications when we read the Phase II applications. You are wasting valuable real estate if you repeat anything from one document to the next.
February 15, 2013

28. Thank You!
Thank you for all the good work you do everyday to make our communities better.
Thank you for your time today.
Thank you for taking care of others and for providing services and opportunities to your clients and customers.
Thank you for taking the time to apply for RWF grants and all grants.
February 15, 2013

29. Questions??
February 15, 2013