Deadline: 12 March 2020
The William T. Grant Foundation is seeking applications for its Youth Service Improvement Grants (YSIG) program to support activities to improve the quality of direct services for young people ages 5 to 25 in the five boroughs of New York City.
The goal is to strengthen existing services by helping youth-serving nonprofit organizations address challenges or remedy problems at the point of service, where staff and youth interact.
YSIG is unique in that it urges applicants not only to discuss their organization’s promise and potential, but to identify gaps or challenges in the services they provide. The Foundation asks applicants to be critical and reflective, to consider why and how complications exist, and to articulate how they intend to improve the ability of their programming to provide positive impact on youth.
Funding Information
- Awards are $25,000 each and support projects lasting one year.
- Although the Foundation is prepared to fully fund projects of $25,000, they are also willing to co-fund larger improvement efforts with other funders.
- The Foundation will award up to six new Youth Service Improvement Grants annually.
Eligibility Criteria
- All YSIG applicants must be youth-serving community-based nonprofit organizations based in any of the five boroughs of New York City whose staff have direct programmatic contact with youth at the point of service. Applicants must meet all organizational criteria to be eligible.
- Organizational Criteria
- Serve youth ages 5 to 25. At least 80 percent of youth participating in the services targeted for improvement must be in this age range. The applicant’s staff must have direct contact with youth at the point of service.
- Have their own 501(c)(3) tax-exemption. If an applying organization is separately incorporated but taxexempt through a group ruling (religious institutions), the applicant should supply the 501(c)(3) letter of the parent organization and documentation that it is part of the group.
- Have an operating budget between $1 million and $5 million, if the organization serves youth only. If the applying organization serves youth and other populations, its operating budget must be less than $20 million and its youth services budget must be between $1 million and $5 million.
- Have most recent financial statements reviewed by an auditor, per New York State law requirement.
- Have filed IRS Form 990.
William T. Grant Foundation does not support
The YSIG program only supports improvement activities at the point of service for youth. They would not support:
- General operations.
- Planning, needs assessment, and evaluation proposals.
- Organizational improvement activities not focused on changes at the point-of-service, such as board development or financial system updates.
- Capital fund projects, scholarships, endowments, lobbying, real estate purchases, or awards to individuals.
- Expansions or additions to programming, including changes that simply increase the number of slots in a program or result in new programming. As such, all proposed budgetary items must be directly related to the proposed improvement.
- Public and private schools.
- Organizations that utilize fiscal sponsors/conduits.
- Organizations that are based outside the five boroughs of New York City.
Selection Criteria
Grantees will be selected according to the following criteria:
- Clear description of the organization’s mission and current youth services
- The applicant provides a clear, compelling explanation of how the current services create positive and meaningful experiences for youth.
- Compelling rationale for improvement
- The applicant clearly identifies a problem at the point of service and explains how the problem has adversely impacted the experiences of participants.
- The applicant details how they identified the problem and clearly articulates its likely causes.
- The applicant makes a strong case that the quality of services to youth would significantly improve if the problem were addressed.
- Strength of the improvement plan
- The improvement plan effectively addresses the problem: it is targeted specifically at the causes of the problem, it is likely to be effective, and it is sustainable.
- The improvement activities can feasibly be implemented within the one-year grant period, which begins on September 1, 2020.
- The applicant identifies a capable staff member or manager to oversee the improvement plan and track progress across the timeline. This is different from staff working to implement the improvement.
- The applicant outlines a compelling plan to collect and use information to determine whether the improvement project is successful.
- The applicant makes the case that the improvement can be sustained operationally and financially.
- If additional funds will be required to continue the improvement after the grant period, the applicant provides a feasible plan to achieve sustainability
How to Apply
Applicants must use the Foundation’s forms, which are provided in the resources section of the website and on grants management system. Do not edit or delete instructions from the forms. Only applications that use forms will be reviewed.
For more information, visit http://wtgrantfoundation.org/grants/youth-services-improvement-grants