Deadline: 15-Feb-25
The Greater Toledo Community Foundation is seeking applications for the Strategic Alliance Partnership to support the exploration and formation of collaborations that would enable Toledo area nonprofits to achieve more efficient use of financial and human resources.
The Strategic Alliance Partnership encourages community-level systems thinking to strengthen nonprofit capacity and improve service delivery. Since the process of forming partnerships can be complicated, the Strategic Alliance Partnership will make funds available for non-recurring costs associated with feasibility studies, professional or technical assistance fees, as well as staff and board training.
Goals
- Goals of Strategic Alliance Partnership funding:
- To create economies of scale among nonprofits, resulting in cost savings and/or service enhancements (e.g. shared administrative services, shared staff to serve common constituencies, costs related to mergers).
- To strengthen infrastructure, management capacity and/or service delivery systems by supporting alliances among nonprofit organizations.
- To encourage collaborative partnerships that employ comprehensive strategies to strengthen community systems (such as improved education, employment, housing and/or health).
Focus Areas
- Grants from The Strategic Alliance Partnership support projects in the following areas:
- Programs that create cost savings or service enhancements.
- Programs that strengthen infrastructure, management capacity or service delivery by supporting alliances among nonprofit organizations.
- Programs that encourage collaborative partnerships that employ comprehensive strategies to strengthen community systems.
Ineligible Activities
- The following activities are not eligible for support through this initiative:
- Projects designed to replace staff lines in individual organizations undergoing funding cuts.
- Projects designed to strengthen the management capacity of individual organizations in isolation.
- Funding for start-up programs for individual or partnering organizations.
- Grant funds may not be used to cover project expenses incurred prior to the Foundation’s receipt of the signed and dated grant agreement.
Eligibility Criteria
- Qualified applicant organizations must have a demonstrated track record in providing quality services, board and staff support from all participating organizations for the alliance and the organizational capacity to carry out the proposed project successfully.
Application Requirements
- For the applicant organization only, please include:
- Board List – The names and affiliations of the organization’s Board of Trustees.
- IRS Letter – A copy of the organization’s tax exemption letter from the Internal Revenue Service.
- Background – Brief background and history of the organization, including when and how the organization was established, its mission or purpose, accomplishments to date and a listing of all current programs and services.
- Financial Statements – There are two options for submission of financial statements, which include:
- Option 1 – If the organization has had an audit prepared within 18 months of the application submission, please provide the full audit. An organization’s IRS Form 990 will not be accepted in place of the required financial statements;
- Option 2 – If audited financial statements for this timeframe are not available, provide the unaudited income & expense statement (P&L) and balance sheet for the organization’s most recent fiscal year-end. An organization’s IRS Form 990 will not be accepted in place of the required financial statements. Note that only statements reporting information prepared within 18 months of the application submission will be accepted.
- Operating Budget – A board-approved operating budget for the current fiscal year of the organization. For each organization participating in the alliance, please include:
- The names and affiliations of current Board members.
- The organization’s mission.
- The organizational operating budget.
- A written statement signed by the President of the Board that indicates the Board approves and supports the proposed collaboration.
For more information, visit GTCF.
