United Way of El Paso County

Kids' Way

Education Education Goals Education Strategies Education Parters Education Impact Committee

Kids' Way Mini Grant RFP -

Applications Due August 3, 2012 5:00pm MST

Introduction
The United Way of El Paso County Kids' Way Fund is cooperative relationship between the United Way of El Paso County and the Region 19 Head Start Program. Developed in 1999, the program was initiated to teach El Paso's young children the value of philanthropy. Since the program's inception, more than $40,000 has been raised by Head Start children and their parents through various fund raising efforts, including the notable Pennies for Change collection.

Kids' Way grants provide support for a program or project that directly impact children and/or youth in one of the United Way of El Paso County's three impact areas:

Education
Basic Needs
Income

United Way of El Paso County has three volunteer Community Impact Committees (CIC) -- one for each impact area. Each CIC is chaired by a member of the United Way's Board of Directors. Applications will be reviewed and approved by the Education, Basic Needs or Education CIC.

Who is eligible to Apply?

501(c)3 Agencies or Organizations
Local School Districts, Private, and Parochial Schools

Guiding principles when considering requests for funding:

Program/Project should have a direct impact on children and/or youth.
Proposals should be clearly linked to the mandate and strategic plans of the organization.
Proposals should build on the strengths of the community to respond to identified issues and priorities.
There should be evidence of collaboration with the community and/or other agencies in the field, as appropriate.
Significant and appropriate support from the local community, including other funding sources, should be evident.
Program/Project should use, enhance, mobilize or expand the skills, capacities and assets of local people and their community.
The applicant organization must demonstrate fiscal responsibility and effective management.
The applicant organization should demonstrate inclusiveness and respect for cultural diversity.
Where appropriate, those affected by the proposed initiative should be involved in the development, implementation and evaluation of the proposal.
The organization should demonstrate a commitment to the project through a meaningful contribution of its own human and/or financial resources.
Projects that will be ongoing after the end of the grant should provide realistic plans for longer-term funding.

Funding Amount:

Based on Kids' Way funds available, average allocation will be between $1,000 and $2,500 per program/project.

Multi-Year Funding:

United Way of El Paso County will not consider requests for multi-year funding for initiatives or activities that may take longer than one year to fully develop, and/or to achieve/document results that are meaningful, or to build sustainability.

What Kids' Way Fund Will Not Support:

An agency/organization's ongoing operational or core expenses
Retroactive funding, or for any project expenses to be incurred prior to the CIC's decision
Travel to/attendance at conferences, competitions, symposia or annual events
Office equipment and furniture
Activities of religious organizations that serve primarily their membership and/or their direct religious purposes, unless the community at large will benefit significantly
Sabbatical leaves, student exchanges
League-based sports and recreational programs
Academic or dissertation research
Endowment matching grants
Scholarships and Awards
Programs currently funded by the United Way El Paso County's Community Impact Fund