Community Responsive Grants Program Request for Proposals InfoSession

Ruta Kadonoff, Senior Program Officer rkadonoff@mehaf.org Cathy Luce, Director of Grants Management cluce@mehaf.org Holly Irish, Program & Communications Assistant hirish@mehaf.org

Agenda • Introductions: name, organization, location • MeHAF and Program Background • Program Overview & Purpose • Letter of Inquiry (LOI) Questions • Questions and Answers • Accessing & Completing the LOI • Questions and Answers

MeHAF Background Vision: We envision a Maine where all people and communities are healthy and well.

Mission: To promote access to quality health care, especially for those who are uninsured and underserved, and improve the health of everyone in Maine.

MeHAF’s Strategic Framework

Community Responsive Grants (CRG) Program Background & Intent

• To date, limited open funding opportunities outside specific focus areas or initiatives.

• Committed to work guided by voices and experiences of communities across Maine.

• Builds on our mission and our commitment to advance health equity.

• Opportunity for nonprofits to propose your best ideas and solutions, as defined by your communities.

CRG Program Overview & Purpose

• Purpose: To provide regular opportunities for responsive funding of projects that align with MeHAF’s goals but fall outside of competitive grant cycles or focus areas.

• Program designed for organizations to

propose their best ideas and solutions, as defined by their community.

CRG Program Overview & Purpose (cont’d)

• Proposals should address important issues and opportunities that align with one or more of MeHAF’s goals and advance health equity.

• CRG program focuses on supporting communities to define priorities and work on solutions for systems change.

How are we defining Community?

• Communities may be defined by shared identities, common causes, geographic location, populations with similar health and health access needs, or in other ways.

Available Funds and Timeline • MeHAF will award one-year project grants of

greater than $10,000 and up to $50,000

• Two-step application process: – LOIs due Tuesday, August 13, 2019 – Invitation to submit full proposals: on or about

Wednesday, August 28, 2019 – Full proposals due Wednesday, October 2, 2019 – Decisions announced early November – Grant Period: January 1 – December 31, 2020

Eligible Proposals/Applicants

• Community members must have a meaningful voice and decision-making power in projects being proposed.

• Must align with one or more of MeHAF’s goals and advance health equity.

• 501(c)(3) non-profit (or equivalent) or have a fiscal sponsor.

LOI Questions Question 1: Community Priorities/Needs

• Community priorities/needs your project seeks to address.

• Address the community’s role in identifying, leading, and shaping the project.

Scoring Guidelines – Question 1

Question 1: Priorities/Needs Identified by Community and How Shaped by Community (possible points: 10)

Top of Range Mid-Range Bottom of Range

• The proposed project addresses priorities/needs that have been identified by the community.

• The community served has meaningful voice and decision-making power in leading and shaping the project and in defining the solutions that address the needs and/or leverage opportunities in their community.

• The proposed project addresses priorities/needs that have been identified with some input from the community.

• The community served has input, but not primary decision-making power in leading and shaping the project and in defining solutions that address the needs and/or leverage opportunities in the community.

• The proposed project describes priorities/needs that the applicant organization has identified as being community needs.

• The community served has very little input and/or decision-making power in leading and shaping the project or in defining solutions that address their needs and/or leverage opportunities in their community.

LOI Questions (cont’d) Question 2: Advancing Health Equity

• Recognize and understand the different barriers faced by different groups within the community.

• Work to advance solutions that support all community members, with a focus on those facing the greatest barriers, and that reduce gaps in opportunities and outcomes.

• Put the voices and leadership of the most marginalized individuals and groups within the community at the center of the work.

Scoring Guidelines – Question 2

Question 2: Advance Health Equity (possible points: 10)

Top of Range Mid-Range Bottom of Range

• Applicant organization recognizes and understands the barriers faced by the community served.

• The proposed project works to advance solutions that support all community members, with a focus on those facing the greatest barriers.

• The proposed project puts the voices and leadership of the most marginalized individuals in the community at the center of the work.

• Applicant organization recognizes and understands some of the barriers faced by the community served.

• The proposed project works to advance some of the solutions that support community members, but doesn’t specifically focus on those facing the greatest barriers.

• The proposed project aims to put the voices and leadership of the community, but doesn’t ensure that the most marginalized individuals are at the center of the work.

• Applicant organization does not recognize or understand the barriers faced by the community served.

• The proposed project doesn’t focus on work to advance solutions that support all community members, with a focus on those facing the greatest barriers.

• The proposed project doesn’t put the voices and leadership of the most marginalized individuals at the center of the work.

LOI Questions (cont’d) Question 3: Proposed Project & Primary Objectives

• Description of your proposed project and its primary objectives.

• Connect to one or more of MeHAF’s goals

• Support, add to, or build on work currently being done in your community.

Scoring Guidelines – Question 3

Question 3: Project & Objectives & Connection to MeHAF Strategic Framework (possible points: 10)

Top of Range Mid-Range Bottom of Range

• Applicant’s proposed project and primary objectives directly align with one or more of the goals in MeHAF’s strategic framework.

• The proposed project clearly supports, adds to or builds upon existing assets or work currently being done in their community.

• Applicant’s proposed project and primary objectives broadly align with one or more of the goals in MeHAF’s strategic framework.

• The proposed project aims to support, add to or build upon existing assets or work currently being done in the community.

• Applicant’s proposed project and primary objectives do not align with goals in MeHAF’s strategic framework.

• The proposed project does not support, add to or build upon existing assets or work currently being done in the community.

What About Questions 4 & 5?

• Applicants invited to submit full proposals will respond to these additional questions.

• A follow-up information session will be held for invited applicants to review the next step of the process in detail.

A Few Tips…

• Read the scoring guidelines carefully prior to preparing your application.

• Be direct and concise. • Read the scoring guidelines and

compare with your responses again prior to submitting your application.

Expectations of Grantees

• Interim check-in with Program Officer and financial report.

• Final narrative and financial report due at conclusion of grant period.

• No required learning community, but may be offered opportunity to join an existing grantee learning community.

Use of Funds • Project Grants • MeHAF funding may not be used for:

o General operating support or “gap” funding; o Direct care costs; o Public awareness campaigns focused on a specific

disease or health condition; o Fundraising efforts; o Capital expenditures; o Academic or graduate research; or o Grants or scholarships to individuals.

Proposal Review and Funding Decisions

• LOIs to be reviewed by MeHAF staff.

• Full proposals to be reviewed by MeHAF staff and community representatives.

• Approval by Foundation Grants Committee

Reminder of Dates and Deadlines

• LOI FAQs Posted: July 31st • LOIs Due: August 13th at 4:00 p.m. (online

submission only) • Full Proposals Invited: August 28th • Full Proposals Due: October 2nd • Grants Announced: Early November • Grant Period: January – December 2020

Your Turn

Questions and Answers

FAQs will be posted July 31st

Grants Management Session Agenda

• MeHAF’s Grant Portal • Online application • Question and answer period

1. If you have applied for a grant or submitted a report using the new Foundant system, then type in your log on information.

2. If your organization has applied for a MeHAF grant ever, contact Holly and I will assign you log in credentials.

3. If your organization has never applied for a MeHAF grant, then you will need to create an account.

You can watch a video on how to create an account on our web site.

If you need to create an account, the registration process has four sections:

1. Organization information 2. Your individual user information 3. Executive Officer information 4. Choosing your individual user password

During the registration process, you cannot save partial information; therefore, you should gather all required information before beginning the registration process.

(Make sure you have your organization’s EIN)

Please note due date of the application

Fields with an asterisk (*) are required.

Enter the Primary Contact’s information even if it is the same person as the one completing the application.

Indicate the geographic area your organization serves. Select the county(ies) and then list the specific communities. If your organization is countywide, please leave blank.

Complete the demographic information for the population your organization serves.

Type your answers to the questions in the text box below the question.

• Please note the character limit for each question.

• All of these fields allow you to copy and paste from another document.

• You can NOT use bulleted lists, tables, or citations as they do not format well in the application.

You can save your application at any time.

Once you have completed your application, click on Submit Application.

When saving or submitting your

application, you will receive a confirmation.

Once you submit your application, you will also

receive a confirmation email letting you know

that your application has been submitted

successfully.

Once you save or submit your application, you can access your saved application on your Applicant Dashboard.

• Click on View LOI to view your submitted application.

• Click on Edit Application to continue working on your application.

Your Turn Questions and Answers

Technical or Logistical Questions: Holly Irish, hirish@mehaf.org, 620-8266, ext.115

Project Content Questions: Ruta Kadonoff, rkadonoff@mehaf.org

620-8266, ext. 114

Thank You.