Community Foundation Grants Deadline Nears

The Orcas Island Community Foundation (OICF) is currently soliciting grant applications from island non-profit organizations. The deadline for applications is Friday, March 14.

Applications may be obtained at the OICF website, www.oicf.us and questions may be directed to the OICF office at 376-6534.

While all grant applications will be considered, OICF is prioritizing proposals that increase the community’s capacity to address specific ongoing and emerging needs. To this end, we encourage grant applicants to submit requests that:

• Increase coordination and cooperation of programs and services
• Provide education & training for both staff and community to increase capacity
• Develop pathways of communication to enhance outreach and support

The Committee will also consider the identified need the application addresses, number of islanders served, impact on those served, if other funding has been sought, and whether it is a collaborative effort. Lastly, the Committee will look at the grant application’s measurements, as described and demonstrated at the November Measurements Workshop with Jim Connell.

The grant application begins online at https://oicf.us/grants/applicants/. The application is a fill-able form, to be uploaded online by March 14. Requests under $2500 submit a shortened application. Successful requests over $10,000 will be required to meet with a committee member and OICF board or staff member mid-year to discuss the progress of the project and the impact of your efforts.

Coleen O’Brien, OICF Grants Committee Chair, has gathered together a group of 15 (3 OICF Trustees and 12 community volunteers) to serve on the Grants Committee this year. Each member will each be responsible for reviewing several proposals and conducting site visits with applicants to evaluate program strength and feasibility. Once all proposals have been vetted, the committee reconvenes and debates the merits of each proposal, ranks them and then recommends a prioritized list of opportunities for OICF Board approval.

After the Board votes, the list of opportunities is distributed to our Cornerstone contributors and Partners in Philanthropy with an invitation to fund those proposals that match their philanthropic passions. The list is then broadcast further- in the paper, online, and through word of mouth- to attract further funding. Last year, Partners contributed $100,000 through this process.