GRANTS
Do you have a unique idea that could benefit the Upper St. Clair Community? Consider filing an application for a grant from the Community Foundation of Upper St. Clair. To begin, please take note of the CFUSC vision and mission statements, which are the guiding definition of what the Foundation does in our community.
Our Vision: Investing in residents and their ideas to continually strengthen our community.
Our Mission: To enrich our community by supporting activities and programs, to develop partnerships, and to award grants in the defined focus areas of Arts, Health, and STEM.”
The CFUSC Board of Trustees is always looking to sponsor initiatives that fit its vision and align with its mission. More than $1,000,000.00 has been granted for amazing enterprises that are not necessarily funded with tax dollars. The Board values ideas that positively affect the community, bring benefit to a substantial number of residents, and promote a potential long-term effect.
Consideration is given to projects in the focus areas of Arts, Health and STEM. The Trustees examine a project’s scope, sequence, and timeline of development, review the proposed budget, and take the potential community impact into consideration. The timetable for Trustees to envision, investigate, discuss, and consider a proposal takes two to four months before action to approve a grant can occur.
Applications for CFUSC grants can be filled below.
The Board always has questions, and these can be clarified with supplemental files which may be submitted to the Director of Grants (tyochum@cfusc.org) and the Business Manager (dfox@cfusc.org). Providing additional detailed information can expedite the process. Here are some tips on how to organize your application and provide a business plan that may put your request at the top of the stack!
It is recommended that you identify your project with a descriptive title, include your name as grant applicant, and write an introductory statement to briefly describe the “who, what, when, where, why, and how” for this project.
Share your vision and mission statements for the project.
Identify the CFUSC focus area with which your request aligns, and describe how your project fits with the vision and mission of the Community Foundation.
Create a brief action plan showing a timeline for developing and launching your project.
Develop a financial plan and include a well-defined budget for your project, listing specific materials and costs.
Using your financial plan, identify how much total funding is needed to accomplish your goal and state the amount being requested from CFUSC.
Name other sources of funding you will be using and how much will they contribute to your project.
Project how many individuals will benefit from your project. (Requests that have the potential to impact as many as 1,000 individuals are favored.)
Once your project is completed, describe how you will evaluate its success.
A variety of factors are considered in evaluating grants with the goal of identifying projects that are likely to have a positive and lasting impact on the largest number of Upper St. Clair residents. After the Board has reviewed a grant, they may ask applicants to present their proposal in person to answer questions. Following a vote to fund a request, applicants are notified that their grant request is approved. They will be given six month from the approval date to complete and launch their project, and submit invoices to reimburse expenses. A report defining the successes of the project is to be submitted within 30 days of the close of the event.
Click here to download printer-friendly PDF file on CFUSC grant instructions, application, and sample rubric for evaluating proposals.
Try your hand at applying for a Community Foundation Grant. To quote Chaucer “Nothing ventured, nothing gained!”
Grant Application
Additional files or questions about the grant process should be sent to Donna Fox, Business Manager, at dfox@cfusc.org.
Project funds will be dispersed as described in Grant Approval Letter to be sent immediately after the Board approves a Grant.