Deadline: 1-Feb-21
Operating grants, funded by the Evanston Community Foundation Rapid Response Fund, are designed to protect Evanston’s vital nonprofit infrastructure so that it can continue to serve their community during and after the pandemic crisis.
This application is for Evanston-serving nonprofits facing significant financial challenges due to:
- Lost earned and/or fundraising revenue and/or;
- Increased expenses due to due to providing increased, new, or changed services in this crisis.
Funding Priorities
- Organizations providing basic needs service to populations that were already vulnerable before the pandemic or which are disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
- Organizations providing services other than basic needs to such vulnerable or disproportionately affected populations.
- Other nonprofit organizations endangered due to the pandemic, with a focus on those that are at a high risk of closure due to inability to meet financial obligations or of widespread staff reductions likely to impair the organization’s ability to carry out its mission either during the pandemic or after it subsides.
Funding Information
- The maximum grant amount is $25,000 or 25% of organization’s annual operating budget, whichever is lesser.
Funding Criteria
- Evanston service: How focused is this organization on serving Evanston? How many Evanstonians does it typically serve? How intensive is its service?
- Clarity of case:
- Clarity of explanation of lost earned revenue;
- Clarity of explanation of lost fundraising revenue;
- Clarity of costs of added, expanded, and/or adapted services.
- The immediacy of need: Are the organization’s finances being significantly impacted now or are they anticipating significant impact in the future, such that the organization’s ability to carry out its core mission is or will be significantly endangered?
- Responsiveness to the crisis:
- Adapting services to new circumstances;
- Providing new or expanded services due to crisis;
- Seeking opportunities for funding beyond ECF (e.g. SBA programs, other foundations, fundraising asks).
Qualifications
- Any group or organization providing services to Evanston residents may apply for a grant;
- Applicants must either be 501(c)(3) organizations or must have a fiscal sponsor that qualifies as a tax-exempt organization under Sec. 501(c)(3) of the IRS.
How to Apply
- All application materials must be submitted through GLM (ECF’s online grants system) including uploading the completed Operating Needs Worksheet.
- Applications may be submitted at any time throughout the grant schedule. The grants committee will make funding decisions monthly. Be sure to submit your request according to the calendar below.
- If you need access to a computer or assistance submitting online, please contact ECF staff (email).
For more information, visit https://evanstonforever.org/grants/grant-cycles/rapid-response-operating-grants/