Planning Grant Guidelines

The deadline for submitting a Letter of Intent to Plan for 2008-09 was September 10.

Through the Capacity Building Fund (CBF), approximately 15 nonprofit networks were awarded $2,500 to $5,000 by TSNE for a three to four (3 to 4) month planning phase. Six to 10 of those networks will be eligible to receive additional funding in the range of $20,000 to $25,000 to implement their respective projects.

Eligibility

Only networks and not individual organizations are eligible to apply for CBF Planning Grants. Networks are comprised of 5 or more organizations that come together to design a joint learning experience (peer or expert led). An ad hoc, informal network can be convened for the purpose of this grant, or the network can be pre-existing in the form of a collaboration or a coalition. Networks need a lead organization and an identified person who will coordinate the planning process and convene the learning group.  

Letter of Intent to Plan

All Letters of Intent to Plan are screened by the Selection Committee comprised of CBF staff and selected advisory members. Applicants may be contacted by telephone during the review process if additional information is required. Please respond to the following request for information within the body of your 2- to 3-page Letter of Intent to Plan (exclusive of attachments) in the following format.

  • Provide the name of the lead organization and the point person’s contact information.
  • Include the types of organizations that will participate in the learning network (names of at least five initial groups should be attached along with a contact person and contact information for each group).
  • Answer the following questions:
    • Why does your group want to learn together?
    • What does your group want to learn, or what capacity do you want to build?
    • What are the common community or issue-based outcomes your network wants to move toward? And how were these outcomes defined?
    • How does your group know this outcome matters to your constituents? (If unknown, it is appropriate to include finding out in your plan.)
    • How does your group feel a learning network will help it reach that outcome?
  • Briefly describe the design for moving forward with planning your co-learning/capacity-building project.
    • For instance, will the planning process use consultant guidance?
    • Who will convene the groups for planning, etc.?
    • What are the costs for the planning phase?
  • Please tell us how your network shares the TSNE values of nondiscrimination and diversity.

Submission

There is an online application form that must be completed. The link to the application will be posted to the website at the beginning of the next grant cycle. In addition, please send one original with attachments via snail mail to the address below (no faxes please).

Capacity Building Fund
Attn: Phillip Davis
Third Sector New England
89 South Street, Suite 700
Boston, MA 02110

The Letters of Intent to Plan for the 2008-09 CBF grant cycle were due in September 2008, and Planning Grants were awarded in mid-November.

Only those groups that receive Planning Grants are eligible to apply for Implementation Grants. Not all Implementation Grant proposals will be funded. The current CBF grant cycle is complete. Implementation Grants proposals were due in May 2009, and Implementation Grants were awarded in July.

TSNE Values of Nondiscrimination and Inclusion

TSNE values inclusion of all people in the creation of healthy, vibrant and democratic communities. Groups funded through the Capacity Building Fund cannot discriminate in regards to employment or membership in their organization on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation/identity, disability, age, country of origin, citizen status, veteran status or ethnic identity.