HOPE Grant Guidelines
I. Grant Guidelines
A.
The Wellspring Foundation of Southwest Virginia will only award grants to those agencies or organizations identified by the Internal Revenue Service as not-for-profit organizations or governmental entities. Each must serve to benefit the Virginia counties of Washington, Grayson, Russell or Smyth and support, promote and/or further the Foundation’s vision and mission.
B.
Areas of interest include:
- Health
- Children & Families
- Workforce Development
- Education
- Economic Development
C.
The Foundation, in making grant decisions, will place the greatest priority on projects that:
- Provide a tangible benefit to the community
- Ensure measurable outcomes
- Do not result in a duplication of services provided by another agency
II. Grant Restrictions
A.
Divisions Within Organizations, Institutions or Government Entities
- In general, organizations are ineligible for funding from the Foundation to support routine financial responsibilities, such as capital and operating budgets (e.g., payroll expenses, ongoing routine maintenance, etc.).
- Proposals for individual schools must be approved by and submitted through the school district’s central administration office.
- Proposals for individual departments of county or town government must be approved by and submitted through the county or town government office.
B.
Ineligible Projects/Programs
- To comply with federal guidelines and legal requirements, the Foundation will not issue grants of any kind to or for:
- Projects unrelated to the Foundation’s vision and mission
- Purposes that are identified as agency ongoing operational expenses not related to the requested project
- Fundraisers or other ticketed special events
- Corporate sponsorships
- Amateur athletic organizations
- For-profit organizations
- Individuals
- Religious organizations for religious purposes
- Political purposes or for lobbying activities
- Organizational debt reduction
- The Wellspring Foundation of Southwest Virginia does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, gender, sexual orientation or disability and will not support organizations that discriminate in any manner.
- Decisions regarding grant disbursements are made at the sole discretion of the Wellspring Foundation of Southwest Virginia to further its mission. The Wellspring Foundation will not support organizations engaged in activities that incite or engage in violence, intimidation, harassment, threats or defamation targeting an individual or group based on their actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, immigration status, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability. The Wellspring Foundation will not award grants to organizations that the Foundation believes intend to support or engage in hateful activities, whether online or offline.
III. Funding Level
A.
HOPE grant applications are limited to one-time disbursements for funding requests up to $25,000.
IV. Grant Funding Cycle
A.
HOPE grant applications will be considered until budgeted program funds for the year have been distributed.
V. Grant Application Review Process
A.
The grant review process includes a thorough review of the merits of each application. The Foundation reserves the right to request additional documentation.
B.
Applicants will be contacted by the end of the month following their HOPE grant application submission if their request has been approved or denied.
C.
The number of requests, community needs, board priorities, federal and state laws and regulations, and available funds determine decisions for funding. In these cases, it is the expectation of the Foundation that the applicant seeks other funding sources to fully complete the defined project, prior to receiving Foundation funds.
VI. Project Accountability and Reporting
A.
Each applicant receiving HOPE grant funds from the Foundation will be required to provide a final financial report on the use of grant funds and a final report on the project’s completion. These documents are required to be uploaded to the grant management software. Additionally, photographs of projects may be required for inclusion in the Foundation’s newsletters, press releases and/or websites.
VII. Publicity
A.
All advertising done by the grant recipient that mentions the Foundation or uses the Foundation logo must be approved by the Director of Operations PRIOR to release/posting.
Contact
Please contact the Wellspring Foundation of Southwest Virginia if you have any questions regarding the HOPE grant application or guidelines.
The Foundation reserves the right to amend and/or supplement this document at any time.
