Funding Opportunity
Loudoun County Human Service Nonprofit Grant Funding
Loudoun County’s grant application process for human service nonprofit organizations kicks off Monday, December 3, 2018, with the posting of the Fiscal Year 2020 (FY 2020) Human Service Nonprofit Grant Application at www.loudoun.gov/NonProfitGrants.
Tax-exempt, private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations that provide human services to Loudoun County residents in the areas of need identified and approved by the Board of Supervisors for FY 2020 are eligible to apply for grants. The areas of need and the anticipated outcomes are:
- Prevention and Self-Sufficiency: Services focused on assisting individuals and families in becoming and/or remaining independent and stable, and providing tools, skills, strategies, and resources to individuals and families.
- Crisis Intervention and Diversion: Services provided to individuals and families in crisis to overcome immediate problems, and reduce or prevent the need for more restrictive and expensive higher level services.
- Long-Term Support: Services that focus on assisting individuals who have continuing, long-term support needs to remain healthy, safe and independent in the community.
- Improved Quality of Human Services: Services and opportunities provided to individuals, organizations and communities that enhance the quality, accessibility, accountability and coordination of services provided by community organizations.
The online grant application and related documents will be posted on December 3, 2018, at www.loudoun.gov/NonProfitGrants. Applications must be submitted by 5:00 p.m., January 18, 2019. The amount of funding for FY 2020 will be determined as part of the county’s adopted FY 2020 budget. In FY 2019, the budget for human service nonprofit grant funding was $1.09 million. Adoption of the budget is expected in April 2019, with funding for successful applicants to begin July 1, 2019.
In addition to an earlier application release date, changes to the FY 2020 process include:
- Partnership applications: The county encourages partnership applications between organizations providing similar services, in order to present a stronger application and to assist smaller or newer organizations in managing grant funds.
- Improved application: The application is similar to last year, but with more detailed guidance, streamlined questions requesting the specific data needed for review, and additional narrative space where organizations can provide context for data submitted.
- Training and assistance: It was noted that organizations could benefit from opportunities for training and assistance especially around strategic planning, and the county will include additional resources in the information sessions offered after the application is released.
- Funding limits: New funding limits will be in effect for FY 2020. As implemented in FY 2019’s process, no organization may request more than 30 percent of its current operating revenue. In addition, individual awards will be limited to no more than 10 percent of the competitive process’s FY 2020 budget, to ensure that the county retains the capacity to make multiple awards across all areas of need.
Mini-Grants Process
In addition to the standard nonprofit application grant process, a mini-grants process will once again be available in FY 2020, providing a simplified application for any nonprofit applying for a grant of $5,000 or less. The mini-grants program is designed for small-scale innovative projects, and for new or small organizations who may lack capacity for writing a larger grant.
Application Development Workshops
Loudoun County is holding an application development workshop for prospective applicants. The workshop will be offered twice:
- Friday, December 7, 2018, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Loudoun County Government Center, Dulles Room, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg
- Tuesday, December 11, 2018, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Cascades Library, Meeting Room B, 21030 Whitfield Place, Potomac Falls
The workshop is strongly recommended for all organizations seeking grant funding. The workshop will cover changes to the application, as well as resources for building stronger organizations, such as financial health and strategic planning. There is no need to pre-register for either session.
For questions about the application process, please contact:
Shalom Black
Grants Program Coordinator
Loudoun County Department of Management and Budget
703-737-8186
Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties
Email: nicole@communityfoundationLF.org
Website: communityfoundatonLF.org
Location: 163 Fort Evans Road Northeast, Leesburg, VA, United States
Phone: 703-779-3505
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PiedmontCommunityFoundation
Twitter: @loudounfauquier