General Guidelines and Criteria for Consideration of Grant Proposals

To:
Nonprofit organizations in the City of Manhattan

From:
Manhattan Fund – Caroline Peine Charitable Foundation

Re:
Request for Proposals

The Manhattan Fund – Caroline Peine Charitable Foundation is pleased to announce it is accepting Letters of Intent from nonprofit organizations.

Submissions should reflect an intent to improve the quality of life in the City of Manhattan, Kansas as well as requests for the benefit of the Konza Prairie and for recreational development in the town of Keats.

Letters of Intent must be submitted by April 1st for Annual Spring Cycle and October 1st for Annual Fall Cycle. The RFP Guidelines below contain directions for submitting the Letters of Intent as well as Foundation’s email address (tony.twyman@bofa.com).

Applicants will receive acknowledgement of receipt. The Grants Committee will review all eligible Letters of Intent.

Letters of Intent will be reviewed for completeness and clarity.

Sincerely,

Manhattan Fund – Caroline Peine Charitable Foundation

General Guidelines:

The goal of all distributions made from the Caroline F. Peine Charitable Foundation is to improve the quality of life in the City of Manhattan, Kansas. The Foundation will consider funding projects from local organizations that include, but are not limited to; the Konza Prairie, Crisis Center, Sunset Zoo, Special Olympics, and UFM.

The Foundation will also consider funding projects from any other Manhattan nonprofit organization involving the arts including theater, energy assistance for low income individuals or families, historic preservation, libraries, parks and recreation, services for the elderly and handicapped, and subsidized child care which enables a parent or parents to be employed or be educated.

In addition, grants will be considered for recreational development in the town of Keats.

No distribution of funds shall be made for the purpose of providing operating costs to maintain the City of Manhattan, Kansas or any of its facilities, it rather being Grantor’s intention to improve the quality of life in the city. Furthermore, grants will not be made for the purposes of industrial development, organized athletics, or for church or religious purposes.

Direct Inquiries To:

Additional Details:

  1. Funding for all projects is competitive and will be based on the quality of the proposal submitted for funding. All Letters of Intent and Grant Proposals will be given thoughtful consideration by the Foundation Grants Committee. Funding decisions will be the sole responsibility of the Grants Committee and all decisions will be final.
  2. The Foundation prefers to support proposals that emphasize funding for programs and community benefits. Proposals that request funds for administrative overhead or operational expenses are not encouraged. However, such requests may be considered in exceptional circumstances.
  3. The Foundation strongly encourages, but does not require, collaborative efforts. If a project is proposed as a collaborative effort, Letters of Commitment will be required with full grant proposals but not Letters of Intent.
  4. The Foundation believes community enthusiasm and involvement are essential ingredients for project success and encourages proposals that effectively demonstrate community support and participation.
  5. Generally, grants will be made for one year. Multi-year projects will be considered in circumstances that will provide exceptional benefit to the community. The Foundation Grants Committee limits multi-year grants to a maximum of 4 years.
  6. Matching funds are not required for non-capital proposals, however, support for the project from locally raised funds, materials and/or labor will strengthen a proposal.
  7. Grant proposals must show legitimate evidence of program sustainability for all projects that will continue beyond the funding period.
  8. Organizations considered for funding must show proof of 501 (c) 3 or tax-exempt status.
  9. The Grants Committee encourages organizations to build endowments.
  10. Grant recipients must agree to provide appropriate recognition of the Manhattan Fund – Caroline F. Peine Charitable Foundation for all funds received.

Capital Campaigns:

  1. Capital improvement requests may be considered in circumstances that provide exceptional benefit to the community. If the project involves substantial capital improvement expenditures, the Foundation will require appropriate architectural and/or engineering consulting and supervision.
  2. Funding for capital improvement requests will be for a maximum of 50% of the overall project. Typical grants will be in the 25-30% range. Large grants are often multi-year awards to be distributed over a maximum of 4 years.

Letters of Intent:

Please use the links provide to apply for a Major Grant of $25,000 or greater, or for a Small Grant of $24,999 or less.

Evaluation:

The Foundation believes evaluation of project activities is essential to ensure stated outcomes are actually accomplished. Unless requested otherwise, grant recipients are to provide regular status reports to the Foundation every 6 months until the project is completed.