The Rose Community Foundation is accepting funding requests to support efforts aimed at elevating the voices and priorities of those furthest from opportunity through voter participation and engagement, community organizing, leadership development, and civic forums to help build a base for strong and inclusive civic engagement in the seven-county Greater Denver region.
Donor Name: Rose Community Foundation
State: Colorado
County: Selected Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 10/13/2023
Size of the Grant: $5,000 to $30,000
Grant Duration: 12 months
Details:
Grants will be made to support organizations and programs that engage diverse communities leading up to and outside of elections; increase community participation in policy and electoral processes; center equity and justice in conversations about municipal and state elections; and ensure candidates’ and elected officials’ priorities are informed by all the people they serve. Activities that support specific candidates, political parties, legislation or ballot issues will not be considered.
Civic engagement gives residents a voice and more proximity to the systems of governance that affect their daily lives. The ballot, public forums, leadership development programs and community organizing efforts are all powerful vehicles for advancing empowerment, belonging and representation. Rose Community Foundation seeks to fund organizations and projects that promote equitable and inclusive nonpartisan civic engagement efforts to strengthen the civic fabric of their region.
Examples of projects that may be funded through this opportunity include, but are not limited to: Nonpartisan voter registration, turnout and education efforts.
- Issue-focused deep canvassing programs.
- Community organizing efforts that engage and lift the voices of individuals who are furthest from opportunity.
- Civic fellowships and leadership development programs that create pathways to policy, political engagement and/or representation for historically under-reached communities.
- Outreach and advocacy to – and education for – candidates and elected officials.
- Local election forums and debates that elevate issues related to equity, justice and inclusion, with the goals of both educating voters and shaping the narrative around critical local issues.
Types of Support
- General Operating Support: for organizations where the majority of their work centers around increasing civic engagement for those furthest from opportunity.
- Program or Project Support: for aligned programs/projects within organizations where the majority of their work does not center around increasing civic engagement for those furthest from opportunity, or for organizations that prefer a program- or project-specific grant for any other reason.
Funding Information
- Grant amounts will typically range from $5,000 to $30,000.
- Grant periods may range from three to 12 months.
Eligibility Criteria
This opportunity is open to nonprofit organizations, schools/school districts, government agencies or fiscally sponsored projects in the seven-county Denver Metro region: Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties.
- Organizations funded through donor-advised funds, Rose Youth Foundation, Roots and Branches, or other giving circles at Rose Community Foundation are eligible to apply, as long as other eligibility requirements are met.
- Organizations that house endowments at Rose Community Foundation are eligible to apply, as long as other eligibility requirements are met, but are not guaranteed to receive a grant.
- Organizations that have current funding at Rose Community Foundation are eligible to apply for this opportunity, but prioritization will generally be given to applicants that do not have open grants in an effort to reach new-to-us organizations, communities, and types of work or projects that are not eligible for funding via other Rose Community Foundation grant cycles.
The foundation is interested in seeing proposals that:
- Specify the problems and/or opportunities the organization seeks to address.
- Provide a plan and activities to be accomplished in the grant period.
- Articulate what success would look like as a result of the activities outlined.
- Demonstrate commitment to advancing equity across gender, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, income, age, intellectual and physical ability, and geography.
- Center and elevate impacted community voices.
- When relevant for the scope of work and proposed activities, remove barriers to civic engagement by providing practical supports such as child care, food, interpretation, and/or compensation for participation.
For more information, visit Civic Engagement Grant.
