Request for Proposals

Note: this Request for Proposals document is available for download as a pdf.

Deadline: 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 1, 2009


May 26 , 2009

Dear Friends:

We warmly invite you to apply for a grant from the Open Door Fund, a fund of The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County. We will be accepting applications through Wednesday, July 1, 2009.

We encourage you to attend an interested applicant meeting on Tuesday, June 16th at 4:30 pm at The Community Foundation. Staff will be available to answer any questions you may have about the grants process or how to complete an application.

Background Information of the Open Door Fund

The Open Door Fund is a permanent endowment of The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County which supports the Boulder County community by raising money and distributing grants for programs that enhance the lives of its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

The Open Door Fund’s mission is:

• To address problems and needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) people in Boulder County;
• To build LGBT community;
• To foster collaboration and promote constructive dialogue between gay and non-gay people; and
• To provide a permanent source of support for organizations serving the LGBT community.

We raise this grant money through our annual Open Door Dinner and Auction and other local fundraising. To date, we have given more than $325,000 to organizations serving Boulder County's LGBTQ communities and have built an endowment nearing $400,000. The Open Door Fund has historically given $30,000 annually, distributed among 10-16 organizations. We fund:

• General operating funds for LGBT-focused organizations; or,
• Specific grants for:
  • LGBT Gathering Places and Safe Venues;
  • Communications and Networks (which may include newsletters, resource guides, internet services and more);
  • Social, Recreational, Arts, Cultural, and Workplace Needs and Programs;
  • Spiritual Needs;
  • Mental Health and Counseling;
  • Youth, Elder, Family and Relationships Needs; and
  • Other Unmet Needs.

If we’ve left out an important area, let us know. Please identify the need and tell us more about it in your application. See our website for abstracts of programs we’ve funded in the past.

Eligibility Criteria for Applicants to the Open Door Fund

• Proposed funding must support the LGBT community;
• Applicants must be non-profit organizations with an IRS 501(c)(3) designation or governmental or public entities. Non-governmental groups or organizations without a 501(c)(3) designation may only apply in partnership with or be sponsored by one of the non-profit designations listed above;
• The group or organization must provide services or conduct the proposed activities within Boulder County for the benefit of Boulder County residents;
• The Open Door Fund will fund general operating expenses for those organizations serving the LGBT community, specific projects or activities benefiting the LGBT community and occasionally efforts of non-LGBT organizations to expand their programs to the LGBT community; and
• The Open Door Fund will not fund projects that further a particular religious or political doctrine.
  

Instructions for Proposals

Proposals submitted in response to this RFP must follow the outline presented below. Please submit your proposal electronically in either Microsoft Word or PDF format. If electronic submission is not possible for you, please make arrangements with ODF staff to submit double-sided paper copies (contact Carly Hare at 303-442-0436 x 111 or Carly@commfound.org).

Please include the following sections in your proposal, in this order. Please do not exceed one page each for Sections I – IV. The top page of your proposal should be the Proposal Abstract Form, then each of the following sections:

1. Organizational Background. Discuss the founding and development of your organization, including the original issue your organization was founded to address and how that may have changed over time. Please also include your mission statement.
   
   
2. Need. Please discuss the need you are trying to address through your organization or proposed project/program. Please describe the target audience for your organization, service or activities.
   
   
3. Proposed Services/Activities.
   

   A. If you are applying for general operating expenses for your organization, discuss how your organization will address the need outlined in Section II, including your organization’s goal, the type of services or activities you provide, and what benefits your target population will receive.

   B. If you are applying for a specific program or project, discuss how it will address the need outlined in Section II, including the type of services or activities you provide, and what benefits your target population will receive. Discuss what outputs or outcomes you expect.
   

4. Budget. Please submit two tables:
   

   A. Revenue. A table listing all your revenue sources (and amounts) for your organization (if you are requesting general organizational support) or a table listing all your revenue sources (and amounts) for the program or service for which you are applying. Please indicate time period; e.g., January-December 2010.
   
   Time Period:
   
   

   Funding Source	Amount
   Government grants	$
   Foundations	$
   Business	$
   Events	$
   Individual Donor Contributions	$
   Fees	$
   United Way	$
   Open Door Fund	$
   Other	$
   ________________________________	______________
   Total	$

   B. Expenses. A table listing your expenses for your organization (if you are applying for general operating expenses) or for the program/activities for which you’re applying for funding. Please indicate time frame; e.g., November 09 - October 2010.
   
   

   Salaries	$
   Payroll taxes and beneifts	$
   Rent/Mortgage	$
   Supplies/Materials	$
   Telephone	$
   Printing/Copying	$
   Indirect/Allocated Expenses	$
   Subcontracts	$
   Other	$
   ________________________________	______________
   Total	$

5. Letters of Support. If you are collaborating with other agencies or organizations in your work, letters of support are welcome. They should be specific to the work you will do together related to this proposal.
   
   
6. Progress Report. If you received Open Door funding in 2008, please submit a one-page progress report. Without it, your 2009 ODF proposal will not be considered. Grant Report Form.
   
   
7. Additional Documentation.  Please submit the following three items (note: if you have received funding from the Open Door Fund or The Community Foundation within the past 12 months and the information requested is still current, you do not need to resubmit):
   
   • A list of your Board of Directors, or that of your 501(c)(3) sponsor;
   • Proof of your (or your sponsor’s) 501(c)(3) status. If you are partnering with a fiscal sponsor, you must include a letter on their letterhead confirming the affiliation;
   • A copy of your organization’s non-discrimination policy.
   
   
   

Deadline for Proposal Submission

The deadline for proposal submission to the 2009 Open Door Fund is 5:00 pm, July 1, 2009. Late proposals will not be accepted.

Please submit your proposal electronically in either Microsoft Word or PDF format to . You will receive a return email confirming that your materials have been received.

If you are unable to submit electronically, you can mail or hand-deliver one copy of your proposal and accompanying materials to

The Community Foundation
1123 Spruce Street
Boulder, CO 80302

We will not accept faxes.

Open Door Fund Grant Cycle Timeline

Please feel free to call Carly Hare at 303.442.0436 or e-mail if you have questions.

In Community,