Guidelines
Basic Requirements
Grants will be awarded with particular attention to Maine, New Brunswick and the other New England states. Recipients must possess 501c3 tax-exempt status or be under the sponsorship of such a group or organization. No restrictions are made regarding religious identity.
Preferences
While the fund will consider all applications, preference will be given to those which can be identified as:
- Small grassroots organizations
- Groups which cross racial, ethnic, class, sexuality, gender or religious lines
- Groups or individuals in rural areas or small towns
- Groups unlikely to attract mainstream funding due to the nature of their work
- Groups committed to long-term involvement with a community of need
- Young or emerging organizations
- Individuals or organizations committed to bringing the work of justice into the church
- Individuals or groups envisioning new ways to be church in a post-Christendom world
Guidelines
Projects should demonstrate one or more of the following characteristics:
- Collaborating across a range of groups and constituencies to address major oppressions such as racism, sexism, classism and/or anthropocentrism
- Building alliances to challenge more effectively the status quo at any or all levels: local, state, national, and/or international
- Reflecting effective ways to achieve social and economic justice
- Involving ethical principles that can be transferred to other contexts
Grant Amounts and Duration
Grants are highly competitive due to limited funds. Normally they will be for up to $5,000 for one year and may be renewed upon additional application. Multi-year funding is possible following successful evaluation of the prior year. Grants may be given to enhance existing programs, but will not be given to projects for which other monies are readily available.
Application Process
Please note: All grants have been allocated for 2010. The following dates are effective beginning in 2011.
Step One:
Submit a letter of Intent by April 1st
The Advisory Committee will review the letter of intent. If the project is within the guideline(S), the applicant will be contacted and encouraged to submit a full application.
Step Two:
Submit a full application by May 15th
The application should not exceed three pages and should include the following information:
- Outline of the project and its goals
- Description of how the project meets the guidelines
- How goals or expected outcomes can be measured
- Budget summary and amount requested
- Identification of the sponsoring 501 c3 organization
Letters of intent and applications should be sent to:
Debbie Leighton at debbiel@gwi.net (preferred)
or at
301 Sabino Road
West Bath, ME 04530Questions by phone contact:
Debbie Leighton
Winter (207) 442-7260 or
Summer (207) 389-2268.All letters of intent and applications should include a contact person's name, email address, mail address and phone number.
Step Three: Distribution of Funds
The Elly Haney Fund will meet in June to consider applications and funds will be distributed by September 1st.
Step Four: Reporting Requirements:
Each grantee will be assigned an Advisory Committee member as their contact person. Grantees will submit a written report to the Advisory Committee within twelve months after receiving the grant. The short report should include an accounting of the monies spent and a description of how well the project's goals are being accomplished. If difficulties arise in carrying out the project, recipients are invited to contact their contact person for advice and counsel.
Step Five: Evaluation of the Process
After being awarded or refused a grant, applicants are invited to evaluate the application process with attention given to the following:
- Promptness of response
- Clarity and ease of the process
- Other information which would be helpful to the Advisory Committee