-
Parent/Guardian Certification
We have previously had a parent/guardian certification section on our application. After the Foundant SLM series this fall we are considering dropping that section on all our applications. We do collect financial information on our need-based applications mainly in the form of a questions, FAFSA SAR upload, and school…
-
Texting students
Good afternoon, I was wondering if any of you use a texting software to stay in contact with scholarship students? If so, what software do you use? Thank you!
-
Verification of matching funds
Hi all, We're trying to shore up our processes for matching funds/challenge grants. What verification forms does your organization use before sending out that matching grant from your foundation? Thank you!
-
Sample Letter of Intent
Hello, Can an organization share a letter of intent form for large capital grants for projects such as cultural institutions or non profit headquarters?
-
Geographic Region
Hi there - I'm wondering how others collect geographic region information in their applications. We offer grants across the entire state of Oregon. In our current application, we allow applicants to check boxes for each region in which their project will take place, but that makes it difficult to break down and measure…
-
Seeking ideas for fun and/or inspiring grant names
Okay, so it's time to spice up our grant process name. Our [County Name] Grants is a pretty uninspiring name. What about Transformational Grants ... or Better Together Grants ... or Efficacy in Action Grants?!?!! Does your foundation have a fun or inspiring grant name? Are you able to slip on your creative hat for a moment…
-
Award Events
I would like to know when you present scholarship awards to the students, at some sort of ceremony, do you mention the dollar value of the scholarship?
-
The Percentage Test - Scholarships for Corporation Employees and Dependents
I'm having difficulty with the language around our corporate scholarship percentage test. (Long story.) Does anyone have a good source for the percentage test requirements? Particularly for employees? Also, does anyone have a scholarship that combines eligibility requirements for dependents of employees along with…
-
Evaluating / Reviewing the Scholarship Process
Hi All! Now that the scholarship process is over (mostly - still waiting on some students to complete their scholarship acceptance forms), I want to do an evaluation or review of the process from various perspectives. I'd like to put together some surveys to ask at least 4 groups of users how they found the system to work…
-
Scholarship Donor Communication Examples
Let's crowdsource some examples of scholarship donor communication! Upload your examples or provide screenshots of your donor outreach in the comments below. #sharingiscaring
-
Grant Applications Samples
I'm looking for a more efficient layout of grant questions, that will improve my review process. Would it be possible for me to obtain samples of any peer credit unions foundations grant applications and outcome statements? Thanks a million.
-
For those of you that offer grants to the public, how do you get the word out?
I am curious about a few things: What is the most popular way of marketing grant opportunities? Do you find that some methods work better than others? What are some more creative / out-of-the-box methods of marketing your grants?
-
Marketing Scholarships
Hi! It seems that every year we have difficulty with our local schools advertising our scholarships. We always reach out to the guidance counselors and sometimes principals to make them aware of our scholarships, but we don't see them on their websites. We have tried marketing through various social media, but that hasn't…
-
What documentation are recipients asked to provide to verify enrollment & pay scholarships?
My organization currently requests scholarship recipients to submit their school bill and class schedule in order to verify enrollment and proceed to paying out scholarship awards. However, we have noticed students are often waiting on schools for a long time to get this information. This often leads to very short…
-
B.A. vs B.S. - Type of 4 year Degree for Scholarship
Hi all I have a donor who would like to limit their scholarship applications to students who will be studying for a B.S. degree only (in addition to a STEM field of study - to include nursing and vo-ag). Students planning to study at a technical, vocational, business school are also eligible to apply for a scholarship -…
-
Non-traditional scholarships for adults seeking job skills retraining
Does anyone have experience managing a non-traditional scholarship program to support adults looking for job skills retraining? All of our current scholarships are traditional ones aimed at high school seniors or current college students. I would love to see examples of applications for non-traditional scholarships and…
-
Fees for Services
Hi all, We are in discussions with a local city to possibly run their annual grant cycle through our GLM software. We would create the process, vet applications, set up evaluations and participate in a Grant Committee meeting to determine awards. My understanding is we would hold a fund at the community foundation for this…
-
Streamlining various grants cycles
Hi all, At Park City Community Foundation we have various grant cycles that support several of our initiatives. As we look towards strategic planning, we are brainstorming on how we might refine our various grant cycles (Community Fund, Park City Climate Fund, Solomon Fund, Women’s Giving Fund). Also, we acknowledge that…
-
Reverse Scholarships
Good morning, I am interested in starting a reverse scholarship program in our area. Reverse scholarships allow graduates to receive assistance with student loan debt. Do any of you manage a program like this? If so, I have a few questions: Did you get a legal opinion before starting the program? Are you issuing 1099's?…
-
Grant Type Interest
We are discussing expanding our Grant Type list. This is list is used both for Grant Types and for areas of interest for profiles. Currently we have: Animals, Arts and Culture, Education/Scholarship, Environment, Faith-based, Food/Agriculture, Health, Housing, Human Rights, Jobs, Maritime, Mental Health, Seniors, Youth. We…
-
Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
Good afternoon! I am in the process of trying to define financial need for our scholarship program. I would like to target students that will not receive a Pell grant or any institutional aid. This is part of the formula I came up with "EFC greater than or equal to 6495 and less than 20000". I am trying to target students…
-
How to reduce award displacement
During our webinar yesterday "Tips & Tricks for Working with Financial Aid" we shared a list of ways to reduce award displacement curated by National Scholarship Providers Association (NSPA) We hope you find the below list helpful, and continue adding ways that you are helping students to navigating working with financial…
-
Community Foundation Grants to Non-501(c)(3)s
Hi there, I'm not sure there's been a discussion like this on this forum... Increasingly, we at Community First Foundation are finding opportunities to engage and better our community which lie outside of traditional 501(c)(3) grantmaking. What is your community foundation's process for making charitable grants to…
-
Other funders seeing fewer applications submitted?
Hello. We’ve been getting fewer applications in recent weeks (possibly months), and we’re not sure of the reasons. One theory is that some NPOs are getting CARES money and are less reliant on grants. Are others experiencing this too? Thanks for any feedback!
-
Expenditure Responsibility
Hi! I work for a community foundation and we don't typically award grants that require expenditure responsibility, however we have made the decision recently to do so. Are there any other community foundations out here willing to share their expenditure responsibility agreement template, reporting template, and…
-
GuideStar Charity Check
Hello, We are brand new to Foundant. If your Charity Check does not pass on a grantee from a donor advised fund, what information do you require from the organization before you allow the grant to be approved?
-
Grant Application Timeframe
Hi, For those with annual grant cycles, how long do you keep your grant application open? I've played around with 2, 3 or 4 weeks and it seems like most organizations will wait until the last minute to submit regardless of how long the application timeframe is. Curious what others do and if you see the same thing? Thanks!…
-
Grant Budget Guidelines
Hello: I'm looking for best practices regarding budget guidelines. Our major grant allows for the PI to charge 10% of their salary and they have to commit 20% of their time to the project. They can charge 100% of their benefits to the project. Also, we allow other team members working on the project to charge 100% of their…
-
Budget Forms
We are looking for a new budget form for our applicants to use to upload in their application. Preferably a budget that contains a spreadsheet for the project budget as well as a spreadsheet for the applicant's full organizational budget. Does anyone have one they would like to share with us? Thanks so much! Kaitlyn
-
Scholarships -- Determining Financial Need
Hey everyone! I am building our application with Foundant and using this as an opportunity to re-think some of the questions on our application. Several of our scholarships are based on financial need. Currently, I ask students to list their estimated college expenses, scholarships they have for the upcoming year, and…
