GRANT PROGRAM
Grant Program Description
Annual grants are made to a variety of nonprofit agencies providing non-sectarian programs or services for the benefit of people residing and/or working in Moraine Township. Programs funded must complement the mission of, but not duplicate services provided by, Moraine Township. The Moraine Township Grant Program gives special priority to addressing the needs of the elderly, youth, persons with disabilities, and the economically disadvantaged. Agencies chiefly supported by taxpayer dollars or otherwise affiliated with a taxing body are not eligible.
A volunteer Citizen Grant Advisory Committee recommends awards annually, and these are voted upon, in March or April for the following fiscal year, by the Board of Trustees.
Funding Amounts
In its first formally operating year, FY06-07, the Township budgeted and granted $80,000 in direct grants. In the second year, FY07-08, the amount was increased to $100,000; similarly, FY08-09 grants totalled $101,000. As the economy spiralled downward, allocations for FY09-10 increased to $120,000, $135,000 in FY10-11, $166,000 in FY11-12 and, citing the huge challenges from loss of State and United Way funding to key local groups, $225,875 was awarded in FY12-13.
In addition, the Board has made special capital grant awards separate from the annual Grant Program: in 2009, $25,000 was given to the Community Family Center as partial payment from a $100,000 pledge made by a previous administration to give a capital grant when the CFC actually began construction; and in 2011, $50,000 was given to Family Service to cover costs of remodeling a new home for their Nuestro Center.
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Annual amounts granted to applicant agencies vary due to multiple factors: how many Moraine Township residents are served or might be served; the Township's ability to make a crucial difference; the degree of community support/volunteers involved; the amount requested by the agency; how closely the agency services to the community meet the mission standards of the Township; the historical relationship of the Township to the agency; and the number of qualifying applicant organizations in a given budget year.
Funding support cannot be presumed from year to year.
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Calendar
Applications for funding support are available in the Fall online as a PDF from the Township website. Editing adjustments to the application have been made each year, so that renewing agencies should be cautioned to be certain they are requesting funds under the most current application terms.
Applicants are urged to contact the Township Supervisor or a Grant Committee liaison to discuss any questions before submitting an application.
Applications are due to the Township Office by February 1 of a given year, covering funding support during the Township's following fiscal year, April 1 to March 31.
The Citizen Grant Advisory Committee meets during February and March to discuss applications, make site visits or inquiries as needed. They generally provide written, detailed recommendations to the Board of Trustees in March.
The Board of Trustees receives an oral report from the Committee at a regular Board meeting by early April, and votes either at that time or at the next Board meeting.
The Supervisor sends grant funds in full to successful agencies as soon as possible after awards are voted.
All grantees are required to appear at a Board meeting sometime during the grant year to make individual presentations, keeping the public apprised of their programs, and indicating how the Township's participation is contributing to the welfare of its population. Agency appearances are scheduled throughout the year, beginning with the televised meeting of fourth Thursday in April.
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Citizen Grant Advisory Committee
This committee presently numbers six community members, volunteers selected to represent a balanced base of experience, community involvement, residence, ethnicity, age range and gender. Joining them as liaisons are two members of the Board of Trustees.
Members serving for FY12-13 were: Harry Crane, Chair; Joel Carp, Judy Datz, Wendi Ezgur (emerita advisor), Matt Ferrari, Mark Gilhooley and Beth Olderman. Trustees Bryna Gamson and Jackie Schechter are the Board liaisons.
At the suggestion of the Citizen Grant Advisory Committee, the Township created a program to provide technical assistance to local nonprofit agencies, focusing on the basics of finding the resources to develop effective proposals. In cooperation with several other local funders, the first such program was held on October 10, 2008, "Achieve Local Fund Raising Success", a brown bag lunch event. Plans are underway for another program in the fall of 2012. Let us know if this would be helpful to your organization.
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Grantees for FY12-13
A Safe Place
support for comprehensive domestic violence shelter and counseling program: $3,000
Cancer Wellness Center
support for cancer support services to Moraine Township residents: $5,000
Career Resource Center
support for counseling services for residents in employment transition: $5,000
Center for Enriched Living
support for skill development & social activities for developmentally disabled residents: $3,000
College Bound Opportunities
support for mentoring low income scholars from high school through college education: $10,000
Community Partners for Affordable Housing (CPAH)
support for Scattered Site Preservation Program: $5,000
Equestrian Connection
support for equine assisted therapeutic programs for teen girls and seniors: $5,000
Family Network
support for Drop-in Center (pre-school aged families): $7,000
support for After School Activity Program (elementary after-school program): $14,000
support for Right From the Start (Latino family support): $16,000
Family Service: Prevention, Education & Counseling NFP
support for individual and family counseling services: $20,000
support for Nuestro Center, a Latino resource center: $15,000
FOCUS on the Arts 2013
support for semi-annual arts education program: $1,000
Highland Park Community Nursery School & Day Care Center
scholarship funds for low to moderate income families with children in day care: $50,000
Interfaith Housing Center of the Northern Suburbs
support for Homesharing, Foreclosure Prevention, and Tenants' Rights Programs: $4,500
Jewish Council for Youth Services
support for tuition subsidies for low income youth in summer Champ Camp: $10,000
Josselyn Center
support for outpatient mental health services for adults, children, adolescents and families: $6,000
Lambs Farm
support for services to adults with developmental disabilities: $2,000
Links-North Shore Youth Health Service
support for adolescent programs providing resources for health and sexuality: $4,000
Nurture
support for Salud & Sabor: Cooking, Nutrition and Wellness Education Program: $3,000
Southeast Lake County Faith In Action Volunteers
support for Volunteer Respite Care Program: $4,375
Tri-Con Child Care Center
scholarship funds to supplement early child care and education for low income clients: $25,000
Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center
support for Children's Program to promote healing from sexual violence and victimization: $8,000
Executive Summary of Grant Recommendations 4/26/12.
See also our "links" page for access to existing websites, if any, for these agencies.
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Application Process
Obtain a copy of the current year's 2-page Grant Guidelines and Application, available during the Fall, either from this website or by contacting the Moraine Township Office (847-432-3240; 777 Central, Highland Park).
In addition to one hard copy of proposal and attachments as usual, electronic submissions (see below) are an added requirement as of FY12-13.
Please be certain to be using the most current application form!
Read the Guidelines to be sure your agency is qualified to apply. After reading over those materials, if there are any questions, applicants are urged to contact the appropriate people at the Township: either the Supervisoror aTrusteerepresenting the Grant Committee. The Township is happy to work with agencies unfamiliar with formal grant application processes, or ours in particular, and very much desires to save applicants the trouble of submitting inappropriate applications.
ALL questions on the application must be answered in full. Budgets must include all categories requested. Applications that do not follow the form and supply the requested information will be considered incomplete, and disqualified. Electronic submissions must be complete and sent by email at the same time as the required one hard copy is delivered to the office, by February 1.
Electronic submission includes: proposal narrative in wordprocessing plus the filled-in Application Form as a PDF and the proposal-specific budgets converted to PDF. Carefully name your files to associate with your agency since many submissions will be sent to the same email address. (Instructions are on the form.) Hard copy forms will continue to be required as well, with agency officer signature. No nonprofit status or audit "attachments" should be submitted electronically. Those items and budgets should be submitted as usual with the hard copy.
Grantees funded during one fiscal year are not guaranteed funding in successive years; amounts may also vary from year to year.
Submit the completed application and supporting materials by mail or in person to the Township Office by February 1. Fax copies are not accepted.
Contact us with any questions.
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