Grant Applicant FAQ

My organization received a Community Investment/Community Endowment grant in 2007 or 2008 under one of the two parent foundation guidelines. Is my organization eligible to submit a proposal in response to an RFP?

Yes, being in a current grant relationship with Silicon Valley Community Foundation does not preclude your organization from responding to an RFP.

Are there any organizational eligibility requirements that would prevent an organization from being considered for a grant (i.e., organizations that have been incorporated for less than a year, have a small budget or staff complement)?

The community foundation does not have any eligibility requirements related to budget size, number of staff or years of operation. Please refer to the Eligibility Criteria section of the RFP guidelines for the complete list of requirements.

What are the geographic restrictions for funding under the new RFP guidelines?

May an organization submit a proposal for a multiple-year grant?

Yes, the community foundation will award grants for one year and multi-year grants, depending on the nature of the activities proposed and expected timeline. However, we anticipate that the majority of awards made in 2009 will be for at least 12 months.

May we submit multiple proposals under the new RFP process?

Yes, but we discourage this practice in all but a few cases where there is an organization that has strong internal capacity and a track record.

My organization intends to respond to the Community Opportunity Fund RFP in 2009. If we are awarded a grant under that Fund, will we be eligible to respond to the other RFPs?

Yes, you may submit a proposal for another RFP even if you have been awarded a grant under the Community Opportunity Fund, but note the answer to the question above.

If my organization submits a grant proposal, is it possible that the organization may be awarded less money than requested?

Yes, it is possible that your organization will be awarded a smaller grant than what was requested.

Will any general operating support grants be awarded?

Yes, organizations can request operating support as part of their request for planning or implementation of specific projects.

What is a planning grant and how does it differ from the other type of grant (i.e., project grant) given under the RFPs?

A planning grant is intended to assist organizations to explore the feasibility of a new project that will respond to the community foundation’s RFP program priorities. Please see the RFPs for a more detailed description of our planning grant support.

What are the page limitations and are they spelled out in the RFP guidelines?

Yes, page limitations are spelled out in the guidelines—we ask that no more than 8 pages be submitted, with a 12 point font and 1 inch margins.

Is the organizational budget required under the RFP to be based on our current fiscal year or a projection of a future year?

You may base it on either, but if you anticipate a significant change in your overall budget over the next year—higher or lower—you should reflect that new budget size in the form we have provided for your budget submission.

I would like to know how competitive each RFP round will be by considering how many and what kind of entities you anticipate will respond. What can you tell me?

We expect that there will be considerable interest, but we have no way of knowing how many organizations and of what type will submit proposals for the different RFPs we release. We encourage innovative thinking and different organizational entities or partnerships to apply.

May we submit letters of recommendation?

No, we ask that you not submit them and we will not evaluate them as part of your proposal. If we need additional information not included in the proposal submission package we will contact you.

When will we be notified if we have received a grant?

The RFPs have different award dates so please refer to the website and individual RFP’s for the specific month that announcements will be made.

The research papers developed by the community foundation are very informative. Can information from those papers be incorporated into a grant proposal?

Yes, if the information is relevant to the RFP respondent’s work and can be demonstrated as such, it certainly could be incorporated into the proposal.

What support for education is provided during this round?

The community foundation will be releasing an RFP on education in December 2008. Please check our website later for details. We also have a very robust scholarship program. Most grants are awarded to high school students who are on their way to college.

If our proposal does not get funding, will I be able to receive comments from the reviewers or a debriefing of some other kind from the community foundation?

We will endeavor to be as responsive to questions from applicants as the volume of proposals we receive allows.

Is there a way for an organization to apply for donor advised funding?

Organizations may not apply directly to donor advised funds established by individuals or families. However, the community foundation does bring funding ideas to the attention of donors through a program we call "Community Connections." Most of the ideas we share with donors have come to our attention through competitive grant applications that are submitted. The program is open to past and present grantees, but some projects we have not previously supported with grants can be shared with donors who may have a specific interest in them. The community foundation also manages a number of corporate advised funds, several of which are open to application. Please check our website http:// www.siliconvalleycf.org/cfnServices_corporateGiving_corpPartners.html to see if your organization may be eligible for one of the corporate funding programs.