apply for a grant
SCHIP accepts applications for grants twice a year with deadlines of March 15th and September 15th
Grant Guidelines and Deadlines
Since SCHIP began making grants, many non-profits, schools, and governmental service providers have used the awarded funds to continue their mission to improve the lives of our neighbors and strengthen our communities. Grants range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. Grants are made possible as a result of SCHIP’s mission to raise funds through the sale of locally donated, gently used clothing, household items, accessories, jewelry, art, and collectibles at its resale shop in the distinctive yellow building on Route 7 in Shelburne, Vermont.
Since the first grants were awarded in April 2005, more than $967,000 has been distributed. In the past, most of our grants were capped at $3,000, except for those applications that contained a detailed business plan. We have removed the $3,000 limit, recognizing that some projects may require additional funds to become successful.
BASIC FUNDING ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
You may be eligible for SCHIP funding if:
You are one of the types of organizations listed below:
A legally registered 501(c)(3) Public Charity (NOT classified as a 501(c)(3) Private Foundation), or you have a confirmed fiscal sponsor that is a legally registered 501(c)(3) Public Charity; OR
A governmental agency; OR
An educational institution (school, college, university)
Your organization, program, or project is located in or also serves the communities of Shelburne, Charlotte, and or Hinesburg either partially or exclusively.
TYPES OF FUNDING
We provide funding for:
New capital projects for which seed funding is requested
Established program expenses other than payroll or stipends
Participant discounts and/or scholarships
Events, conferences, or meetings
Capacity building and expansion of services
We DO NOT provide funding for:
Individuals looking for personal funding
Political or lobbying campaigns
Organizations that exist to influence legislation or voting
Staffing, payroll, consultants, or speakers
501(c)(3) Private Foundations or Private Non-Operating Foundations
501(c)(7) Social Clubs
Previous Grantees must have filed either a progress or a completion report with SCHIP to receive new funding.
HOW TO APPLY FOR A GRANT
SCHIP relies on the grant writer to adhere to the following outline format when submitting their grant application in pdf format. All pertinent questions must be answered and labeled in the format provided below. (example I. or IIa. or IIIc., etc.) There is no longer a standardized and downloadable application form other than this structure because we understand every applicant may want to add additional information.
Use the following outline to structure your grant application.
I. Grant cycle (month/year):
II. Contact Information:
a. Organization or 501c3 applying (If you are a 510c3 – please append a copy of your IRS certification.
b. Organization’s Address
c. Organizations Telephone Number
d. Contact Person/Responsible Individual who can be contacted regarding this application.
i. Address
ii. Telephone number
iii. Email address
e. Who will be responsible for a progress/final report to SCHIP.
i. Address
ii. Telephone number
iii. Email address
III. Project or activity for which funds are requested. (Title and summary description)
a. Detailed description of the project and timing of the proposed activity.
b. Funding Request (Amount).
c. Explain how this grant would be used to fund either: (Choose one).
i. New capital projects for which seed funding is requested.
ii. Established program expenses other than payroll or stipends.
iii. Participant discounts and/or scholarships.
iv. Events, conferences, or meetings.
v. Capacity building and expansion of services.
IV. Provide a detailed and itemized budget of exactly how the requested funds will be to be used. (Please read TYPES OF FUNDING carefully to understand what SCHIP will fund and the limitations to funding) In addition, provide the following:
a. If this grant is partially funded, do you have the funds available from other sources to complete the program/project described in IIIa above.
b. If this grant request exceeds $10,000, it should be accompanied with a detailed business plan showing the sources of future funding, competition, the resumes of key personnel, profit and loss projections and a cash flow analysis. Such a proposal will only be considered if the grantee can demonstrate that the defined project or organization would be self-funded in the future.
V. Provide a description of your organization and geographic area served. In addition:
a. Have you previously received a grant from SCHIP? When?
b. If a grant has previously been received from SCHIP, has a report detailing accomplishments been filed? Unless a timely progress or completion report have been filed, you may be disqualified from future grants.
c. Describe how residents of Shelburne, Charlotte & Hinesburg will benefit, including estimated number to be served.
Please submit your application using the outline structure used for the questions above. All submittals must be in pdf format and can only be accepted when delivered to the following email address Grants@TheSCHIP.org.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Project Evaluation Factors:
The extent to which the grant will foster the SCHIP mission to improve the lives of our neighbors in Shelburne, Charlotte, and Hinesburg and to strengthen our communities.
The extent to which the grant will be used to help people to help themselves
The extent to which the grant will facilitate leveraging of funds from other sources
The extent to which the grant does not duplicate a project or activity previously funded by SCHIP
Processing Grant Applications:
All applications will be read by the members of the SCHIP Grants Committee.
The status of all 501(c)(3) organizations will be checked.
Those applications selected for funding will be forwarded to the next meeting of the full Board of Directors.
All applicants will be notified within a few days after a full Board of Directors meeting. The entire process will take 40 to 45 days after the close of an application deadline.
Important Stipulations on All Grant Awards
All applications for grants, as well as completion reports must be submitted by email to Grants@TheSCHIP.org in PDF format only.
If funded, the grantee must use the funds in a manner that was described in the original grant application, or the funds must be returned.
No new grant will be made until a Progress/Completion/Publicity Report is filed with SCHIP concerning a previous grant. In addition, the report must detail how the grantee has publicized the award of the grant via advertising, social media, and/or press releases. Reports are due prior to six months after the award of any grant. Failure to make a timely filing of a Progress/Completion/Publicity Report may affect the eligibility of future grants. See the form below.
Questions? Email us at Grants@TheSCHIP.org
