The Vermont Community Foundation is accepting applications for its Special and Urgent Needs (SUN) grant round to help Vermont nonprofits with unexpected expenses that impact their ability to meet their mission.
Donor Name: Vermont Community Foundation
State: Vermont
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): Ongoing
Grants Size: $5,000
Details:
A SUN grant can help an organization manage an unbudgeted, unforeseen, and time-sensitive emergency or take advantage of an unanticipated opportunity that will enhance its work.
They look for proposals that will allow an organization to address these types of short-term needs:
- Emergency repairs of building structure or mechanical systems (heating/cooling, water service, etc.) whose sudden and unexpected failure interferes with the provision of services. Examples of a grant of this nature would be costs for an unexpected roof repair resulting from a fallen tree at a social service provider or the mitigation of a water supply that has been deemed unusable in a food shelf. SUN, however, cannot fund repair or replacement to a roof that has been leaking for several months and/or years.
- Replacement of essential equipment and technology whose sudden and unexpected failure interferes with the provision of services. An example would a crisis hotline phone system that fails without warning, or a stove at a homeless shelter that breaks just outside of the warranty period but well before the end of its expected life.
- Provision of services or acquisition of a resource that could not have been anticipated or budgeted, and without which the work of the organization would be severely hampered. An example of this type of grant is training on post-traumatic stress disorder for school guidance counselors supporting children in towns severely impacted by disaster. Another example is staffing a temporary replacement while an organization’s executive director is on emergency medical leave.
What They Don’t Fund
For the SUN grant round, they only fund projects that are unbudgeted, unforeseen, and time-sensitive. They do not make grants for:
- deferred building maintenance;
- deferred technology upgrades;
- capital campaigns;
- religious purposes;
- individuals;
- debts; or
- past due tax return and audit preparation.
They also cannot consider applications for budget deficits or funding shortfalls; this grant round is designed to help nonprofits with unbudgeted and unexpected expenses, not to fill in for unmet revenue projections. They typically do not fund work that has already been completed.
Funding Information
Grants of up to $5,000 are typically awarded from this fund.
Eligibility Criteria
- Organizations must be located in or serve the people of Vermont, and serve basic human needs (social services, food, shelter, health) or be aligned with their Support for Youth and Families focus area.
- Grant applications will be accepted from organizations that are located in or serve the people of Vermont.
- Organizations must be tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or be a public agency or municipality in the state of Vermont.
- Nonprofit organizations or community groups who do not have 501(c)(3) status may apply for grant awards if another tax-exempt organization acts as a fiscal sponsor.
- No person in the United States shall, on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity sexual orientation, marital or parental status, political affiliation, military service, physical or mental ability be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity funded in whole or in part with funds made available (meaning any funds having a competitive application process) by the Vermont Community Foundation, and any other program or activity funded in whole or in part with funds appropriated for grants, cooperative agreements, and other assistance administered by the Foundation.
- If grant applicants employ staff or engage volunteers, they must do so and provide services without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity (as defined in paragraph 249(c)(4) of title 18, United States Code), sexual orientation, marital or parental status, political affiliation, military service, physical or mental ability.
For more information, visit Vermont Community Foundation.
