Guidelines

Criteria For Grant Applicants

In order to utilize the resources of the BRANDON AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION for maximum community benefit, each grant application will be required to meet the following criteria:

• build on the strengths of the community to respond to identified issues and priorities;
• demonstrate responsible financial and legal accountability;
• be undertaken by organizations that are well governed and managed;
• be timely;
• be realistic and within the capacity of the organization to carry out;
• not duplicate existing services or, if so, demonstrate that the overlap is warranted;
• provide evidence of collaboration with other agencies;
• demonstrate inclusiveness and respect for cultural diversity;
• provide evidence of appropriate current support from other funding sources and the broader community;
• demonstrate a reasonable probability of ongoing support from other funding sources in the future, or clearly indicate that the project is intended to continue for only a limited time span.

Formal Requirements

Charitable organizations must be registered with Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) or be sponsored by a charitable organization.

• Groups or organizations that are sponsored by a charitable organization must have a formal, written agency agreement with that charitable organization, which must conform to CCRA requirements and be acceptable in both content and form to the BRANDON AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION.
• Projects must be located in, or be of direct benefit to the citizens of Brandon and the surrounding communities of Southwestern Manitoba.

The BRANDON AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION will generally NOT fund:

• Endowments;
• core ongoing operating expenses;
• fundraising events;
• retroactive expenses;
• debt retirement;
• individuals.

While we welcome applications that both celebrate our diverse faith traditions and help to build the broader community, grants will not be made for projects that focus on education or formation within a particular spiritual tradition or that are more appropriately funded from within the faith community itself; or to organizations for projects which promote political, moral, ethical or religious beliefs or viewpoints.

Funding requests from organizations in the Southwestern Manitoba region that have an established Community Foundation in its immediate area, must demonstrate strong funding support from their local Community Foundation and substantial benefit those outside their immediate area, for the request to be considered by the Brandon Area Community Foundation.

Grant Application

Each applicant must complete and submit the Grant Application form, and provide all required information listed on the form to the BRANDON AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION on or before September 30th. Failure to provide all requested information may result in the application being rejected.

All applications are considered by the BRANDON AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION based upon their merit in relation to the grant criteria and available funds. The BRANDON AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION will review all qualified applications received, conduct interviews of representatives of the applicant, consider such other information as the members may consider reasonable, and may set terms and conditions on any grants awarded.

Grants will be awarded at a special ceremony hosted by the BRANDON AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION.

Follow Up

In order to enhance the benefit of the grant to the recipient organization and other community groups, the BRANDON AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION expects grant recipients to:

• Evaluate their projects;
• Submit a final report to the BRANDON AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION immediately upon completion of your project with a deadline of August 31st of the following year (i.e. prior to the next granting period);
• The Final Report will evolve from the evaluation and will contain the following elements: a final budget (expenses & revenue), a press-ready story and photographs demonstrating the project impact, and samples of any public recognition of the BACF Grant

EVALUATION will involve analyzing the measurable outcomes set during project planning, and should include a determination of what the project organizers would keep the same and what they would change for future projects. Such reflection may uncover useful learnings about how the project evolved over time and the reasons for the change, which may be used to improve projects, organizations, or partnerships through the development of best practices.

THE FINAL REPORT will evolve from the evaluation, and will contain a final statement of revenue and expenses, photos and a press-ready story describing the project's impact. Provide samples of any public recognition for the grant.