• Capacity Building– Funding that strengthens an organization so that it may better fulfill its mission
• Capital– Funding for construction or equipment
• Challenge– The Foundation and grant seeker agree on a program or operating goal for the grant seeker to reach; the Foundation rewards successful completion of goal
• Matching– The Foundation agrees to match an amount that the grant seeker receives through fundraising
• Operating– Mature organizations may be eligible for operating support upon establishing a threshold of core competency. Developing organizations may be eligible upon successful completion of a seed grant and after demonstrating a threshold of competency.
• Project/Program– The Foundation awards a grant for a specific initiative or endeavor, not for general operating support.
• Seed Money– The Foundation awards a grant to help launch a new project or initiative.

Criteria

In evaluating proposals, the following will be considered:

• Response to a need in the community
• Building long term capacity in the community
• Creating collaboration between organizations
• Use of an innovative approach or a proposal that acts as a catalyst for meeting future needs
• Geographic scope and population reach

Eligibility

The Mary Hicks Preston Historical Improvement and Betterment Foundation, Inc. will:

• Make grants to tax-exempt organizations with 501(c)(3) classification from the IRS;
• Make grants to municipalities;
• Make grants to faith-based organizations (please see special note on application);
• Make grants to civic organizations (proposals must be project-based and of a charitable nature, and the organization must have a fiscal agent that is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization);
• Make grants to public and private schools for projects that exceed the school’s budget funding.

The first step is to submit a one page Letter of Inquiry. Letters can be submitted at any time during the year, as they are reviewed on a continuous basis. We welcome the opportunity to meet with prospective grantees, but prefer to wait until after we receive a letter to determine if the meeting will be useful.

The Letter of Inquiry should include the following:

• Background of your organization
• Statement of the issues to be addressed and your organization’s involvement with these issues
• Summary of the activities for which you are requesting funding, including what you hope to accomplish, current and proposed budgets, amount requested from the Foundation and information on other possible sources of support

Letters of inquiry are reviewed by the Board who determine if requests meet the Foundation’s funding priorities. Those not meeting the priorities or criteria are declined. Requests that meet the priorities and criteria are given further consideration and a full proposal may be requested. Full proposals should be submitted to the Foundation only upon request. Since the Foundation receives more requests than it can fund, you should not interpret a request for a proposal as an indication of likely support.

You must submit a final Post Grant Self Evaluation report on any previous grants from the Foundation before a new proposal will be considered. If the previous grant period is not complete by the proposal deadline, you may file an interim or status report. A final report must be submitted before payment for a new grant will be issued.

We may request additional information from applicants and consult with persons knowledgeable about the organization and/or the proposed activities. As part of the review process, we will meet with the applicant preferably at its location. Final decisions on grants are made by the Foundation’s Board of Directors.
Please send letters of inquiry to:

Mary Hicks Preston Foundation
PO Box 21
Phelps, NY 14532
Email:    prestonfoundation@phelpsny.com ]]> http://www.phelpsny.com/preston-foundation-application/feed/ 0