Deadline: 17-Dec-20
United Way of Rhode Island is accepting applications for the 2021 Community Impact Fund grant program, which will align investments with its LIVE UNITED 2025 strategic plan. This plan will require that United Way goes “deep, rather than wide,” with investments and partners, to target the root causes that have thwarted Rhode Island’s ability to thrive.
While they serve all Rhode Islanders in need, this plan and funding opportunities will tackle racial inequalities which have plagued Rhode Island’s Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities for generations. In order to “Live United,” they must dismantle systemic, institutional, and historical barriers based on race, gender, sexual orientation, and other identities.
The pillars of the plan and the leading priorities for this funding opportunity are:
- Achieve United: Expanding experiential learning for K – 3 students in underserved communities; increasing the availability of and enrollment in out-of-school time programs available to middle and high school BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) youth.
- Advocate United: Community-based advocacy for social justice and to advance racial equity; municipal-level policy and advocacy work for the development of policies and budgets which advance equity.
- Lift United: Tenant’s rights and advocacy; increasing access to safe and affordable housing; removing systemic barriers to employment; job training and educational opportunities for unemployed and underemployed Rhode Islanders, especially from BIPOC communities; digital equity and strengthening the distance learning infrastructure.
Funding Information
- Up to $75,000 for Individual Programs/Projects grants (includes indirect costs and DEI activities);
- Up to $50,000 for General Operating Support grants (fully unrestricted; includes DEI activities).
Types of Grants
- Individual Programs and Projects (IPP) grants may be requested by nonprofit agencies proposing to pilot, sustain, or expand a specific initiative in support of the above strategies and related outcomes. A two-year program/project proposal and budget will be required if selected to advance to the full application phase of the process.
- General Operating Support (GOS) grants may be requested by nonprofit agencies currently working on the above strategies, with a track record of addressing systemic barriers to opportunity for Rhode Island’s BIPOC communities. A specific project proposal and budget will not be required as part of the full application if selected to advance. However, a description of the proposed use of funds and a description of what success looks like for the organization’s work will be required.
Documentations
Applicants must provide the following documentation
- An IRS issued a letter of determination of 501(c)[3] status, or have a fiscal agent with 501(c) status.
- A current IRS Form 990.
- A copy of their most recent audit or review and management letter. An agency with annual expenditures of $750,000 or more must have an audit prepared by an independent certified public accountant.
- An agency with annual expenditures under $750,000 may submit unaudited financial statements, along with a letter from their board of directors (chair or treasurer) outlining their financial management processes and acknowledging their fiduciary responsibility.
Timeline
- December 1, 2020: Community Impact Fund RFP opened to the public.
- December 17, 2020: Letter of the intent deadline.
- January 7, 2021: Applicants notified of decisions and invited to submit a full application.
- January 8, 2021: Full application available.
- February 4, 2021: Full application deadline.
- February 26, 2021: Applicants notified of awards.
- March 2021 – February 2023: Grant period.
For more information, visit https://www.uwri.org/agency-hq/funding-opportunities/community-impact-fund-2021-2023/