2023-2024 Grant Process
Impact Fairfield County’s goal is to provide high-impact grants that reach under-served populations and highlight unmet needs in our area. To support this important work and allow organizations to “dream big,” Impact FFC annually awards $100,000 grants to local non-profits. Total funding is determined by the number of members who contribute $1,000 each towards the grants. Excess membership funds are divided among the other finalists of the grant process for general operating support.
Applying for a grant starts with a Letter of Inquiry. Letters of Inquiry are only accepted online beginning in mid-October and are due in mid-November. Grant finalists are determined through a detailed process of proposal review and evaluation by members, and the grant recipients are chosen by a vote of the membership at the Grant Awards Ceremony in May.
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The Impact Fairfield County Grant will provide restricted funds to develop new programs; enhance, expand or strengthen existing programs; and/or improve organizational capacity that advances the nonprofit organization's core mission. Our transformative grants are in the amount of $100,000 to be spent over 24 months, of which, up to 20% is allowed to be allocated toward general operating expenses, as needed. Preference will be given to organizations that clearly link the investment to the organization’s core mission and demonstrate why this is the right time to invest.
Please review the following eligibility criteria to determine whether both your organization and your project meet the criteria for a grant from Impact Fairfield County.
Organizations must be:
- Classified as a “public charity” with tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
- Operating in, serving residents of, and fully expending funds in Fairfield County, Connecticut
- Targeting under-served populations
- In possession of three years of independently prepared, audited financial statements
- A new awardee; in other words, not a recipient of an Impact Fairfield County $100,000 grant for a period of at least three years (e.g. If you were awarded a $100,000 Impact FFC Grant in May 2019, you are not eligible to apply for an Impact FFC Grant until after May 2022).
Grant Proposals must:
- Have a total budget of at least $100,000, with no more than 20% of funds to be used for general operating costs
- Use the full amount of the grant within 24 months
- Have a high impact on the organization, beneficiaries and/or community
- Be fully utilized within Fairfield County or for the full benefit of Fairfield County residents ·
Impact Fairfield County will not provide grants for:
- Debt reduction, operating deficits, or interim or bridge funding
- Endowment funding
- Individuals or private or community foundations
- Scholarship funding directly to individuals (including direct grants for legal aid)
- Activities that are religious or partisan, legislative, or political in nature
- Fundraising events, fund drives, or annual appeals
- Medical research
- Pet or animal welfare
- Capital funding not central to success of proposed grant
- Pass through funding
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Our Applicant Information Session will be held on September 19, 2023. Please check our website in August for details and to RSVP.
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We will also again be offering the Impact FFC Proposal Brainstorming Workshop. This optional virtual event will take place in advance of the 2023-24 grant year for interested organizations on October 11, 2023. Individual 25-minute sessions will be held via Zoom to serve as a sounding board for your organization to brainstorm your ideas with an Impact FFC team member. We encourage you to focus on one or two proposal ideas to maximize your session. Up to three representatives from your organization may participate and each organization may only schedule one session. You will also have the opportunity to review and ask questions about the initial grant application, the Letter of Inquiry (LOI).
The goal of the workshop is to help clarify and develop your proposal with an eye toward understanding how it fits within Impact FFC’s mission, guidelines and application requirements. The meeting will be an interactive discussion about your proposal ideas: a conversation, not a formal presentation. No presentations or documents should be prepared for the workshop. Please review the “Apply For A Grant” section of our website, as well as each of the pages and attachments included in the drop down tabs prior to participating in the workshop.
Topics for the Proposal Brainstorming Workshops are:
- Mission of your organization - very brief
- Nature of the Project (New program, expansion, capacity building)
- Project Overview
- Project Details
- Target Population (unmet needs, size, %Fairfield County)
- Impact of the project: on your organization/target population
- Sustainability or advancement of core mission
- Insight into the grant review process and audience reviewing your application
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Applicants must submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) via SlideRoom, our online grant management system. SlideRoom will be open to accept LOIs in mid-October and submissions are due by mid-November. Applicants may submit only one application per year. Impact Fairfield County will acknowledge each LOI received. Following the review of the LOIs, Impact FFC will select certain applicants to submit a Full Proposal.
Please use the Letter of Inquiry Online Application link in Apply Now in this section.
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Applicant organizations will be notified by early January whether or not they have been selected to complete a Full Proposal. Full Proposals are by invitation only and will be due by early February. Full Proposals will be completed online through SlideRoom. Impact Fairfield County will acknowledge each Full Proposal received. Following a review of the Full Proposals, certain applicants will be selected for site visits.
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All applicants will be notified even if they are not selected for a site visit. Impact Fairfield County Review Committee Chairs will contact applicants to schedule site visits, which will take place from mid-March to mid-April. The objective of the site visit is to learn more about the applicant organization, share information regarding any questions about the proposal, and to complete the financial due diligence review. Site visits will generally last approximately 90 minutes and should include the Executive Director, Project Manager, CFO or Financials representative, and a Board Member. Following the site visit, Impact FFC will select its grant finalists.
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Finalists will be announced by late April. They will receive instructions for making presentations to the membership at the Impact Fairfield County Annual Meeting to be held in early May. An Impact FFC Grants Chair will schedule a phone call with each Finalist to review the instructions. Impact FFC members will vote by individual ballot at the Annual Meeting (or by absentee ballot in advance of the Annual Meeting) to select the $100,000 Impact FFC Grantees. The voting results will be tabulated and announced at the event.
Prior to the release of the funds to the $100,000 Impact FFC Grantees, the recipients must complete a Grant Agreement and draft a document with the help of an Impact FFC Grants Chair to outline the project’s goals and projected outcomes.