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REQUEST FOR LETTERS OF INTENT

Program Year 2023-2024 Funding - Leading Families Forward Initiative

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The Purpose

 

United Way of the CSRA is requesting Letters of Intent (LOI) for the Leading Families Forward Initiative for Program Year 2023-2024. Under the Leading Families Forward initiative, we seek to fund coordinated services specifically to families struggling to overcome barriers to success. Working in collaborative partnerships, agencies seeking funding should support a multi-generational service model that provides education to parents, encourages parental involvement in the education of their children, and invests in children becoming more productive adults in the future. 

 

Agencies should demonstrate how they work collectively on issues most strongly affecting

under-resourced children and families, target specific issues in a holistic approach, and convene volunteers, community leaders, and key stakeholders in an effort to raise awareness and advocate for more economic mobility opportunities across the region.

 

Our goal is to provide families living in poverty with the resources and services that allow them to move from poverty into self-sufficiency, crossing that poverty threshold for a more successful life.

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In order to truly lead families out of the situation of being the “working poor” or living below the poverty line, we must break the cycle of poverty by working with young children to get them ready to learn, to work with youth to maintain a level of engagement that leads to self-sufficiency, and to support working parents by removing barriers that prevent them from gainful employment and further education.

 

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1

Childhood Success (ages 0-11)

2

Youth Success (ages 12-24)

3

Workforce Development

4

Access to Resources (including healthcare, food, and other basic needs)

This new model will focus on a targeted population within 4 (four) main areas of services:

Our funded partners will align with a set of strategic community outcomes, demonstrating an array of services designed to measure indicators that are specific to this set of common outcomes. And while not all programs will select all of the outcomes, they will be asked to specify which outcomes are being impacted by their services. They will also be encouraged to work collaboratively with other partners in order to provide a more holistic set of services to families.  These strategic community outcomes include the following:

Children are born healthy

Children experience age-appropriate learning from birth

Young adults are educated and career-ready

Young adults experience positive and engaged adults

Families are able to support themselves through gainful employment

3

Families in crisis easily access resources they need

Adults and children have access to mental health services

Adults and children live a healthy lifestyle

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

  1. Agencies must be designated as a 501c(3) nonprofit by the IRS. If applying as a collaboration of agencies, they will identify the primary 501c(3) agency for the purpose of submitting the application and future reporting. Not every agency within the collaboration is required to be designated as a 501c(3).

  2. Agencies must maintain an established and voluntary board of directors that meets regularly.

  3. Agencies must be established and functional for a minimum of two (2) years.

  4. Agencies must provide services that contribute to the health and welfare of individuals and families residing within at least one of the twelve (12) counties that are a part of United Way of the CSRA's service area. Those counties include: in Georgia, Burke, Columbia, Glascock, Jefferson, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond, Taliaferro, Warren, and Wilkes; and in South Carolina, Aiken and McCormick.

  5. Agencies must demonstrate a capacity for capturing results data for the services provided under this funding and agree to track data for the required indicators.

  6. No program funding request can be for an amount greater than 45% of the agency’s total budget. This refers to the agency’s overall budget, not the budget specific to the program.

  7. No funds may be used for capital projects. United Way will only fund program expenses. This may include salaries directly related to the program.

  8. Agencies who are awarded funding are required to submit: a.) an annual audit conducted by an independent CPA; or b.) for agencies whose total budget is under $500,000, an evaluation of Agreed-Upon Procedures conducted by an independent CPA.

  9. All programs in the request must contribute to the improvement in the lives of families under one or more of the four key focus areas.

  10. Agencies who are invited to submit a full application must agree to host a panel of 6-8 volunteers at their site as a part of the annual evaluation process.

Additional terms for awarded agencies will be available if invited to apply. Submission of this Letter of Intent does not constitute a binding agreement and does not enter into the review of a subsequent application.

Funding

  1. By submitting this letter, you are asking for an invitation to apply for funding in our next application cycle. 

  2. Available funding is based on the results of the current year’s campaign. For example, the dollars raised through the 2022 Campaign are allocated to programs that start July 2023 and run through June 2024. Campaign results and funded partners from prior years may be on our website at www.uwcsra.org. 

Selection Process for Letters of Intent

  1. Please use the LOI Submission & Content Guidelines listed below for details on what should be included in your letter. 

  2. Each letter will be reviewed for responsiveness based on the eligibility criteria above. 

  3. The Community Investment Committee of our Board of Directors will review the LOIs for the detailed information about the program as outlined by the LOI template. The Committee will select the agencies who will be invited to submit a full application.

  4. Agencies that show close collaborative relationships will be looked upon favorably.

Timeline

The LOI deadline for submission is Friday, November 4, 2022 at 5 p.m. EST.

 

All applicants will be notified of the Committee’s decision by November 18, 2022. The agencies who are invited to submit a full application will have specific instructions and a separate application timeline included in their letter. 

 

Applications are expected to be released in January with a due date of early February. 

 

Volunteer Panel site visits are generally conducted from late February and March. Agencies are notified of funding decisions in June 2023. All program activity should begin, if awarded, on July 1, 2023 and agencies will receive monthly payments through June 2024.

Letter of Intent Submission & Content Guidelines

Leading Families Forward Initiative Funding

  1. Cover Page​ ​(NOTE: A table or list format is acceptable for this page.)​

    • Agency submitting the letter (should be the same agency that will be the primary applicant if invited to apply)

    • Primary Agency’s Address and Website

    • Primary Contact Person for the Application Process (Full Name, Position Title, Mailing Address, Email, and Phone Number)

    • Agencies collaborating on this program and the primary contact of each (Full Name, Position Title, Mailing Address, Email, and Phone Number for each contact)

  2. Proposal Summary (body of letter)

  • Agency’s mission and years in service as a 501c(3)

    • What is the mission and how will this program support that mission? Describe the expertise of the agency to provide the services being proposed and the counties served. Does the agency have specific accreditation or credentials? Has the agency been in service for a length of time that supports a broad network of partners? Does the agency have the capacity to carry out the proposed services? Please keep the descriptions brief and specific.​

  • Program Title and Description

    • Explain the proposed services and the location of the proposed services. How long has the agency been providing these specific services? Briefly describe past performance of the program: numbers served, impact on the community, how have the provided services changed lives quantitatively?​

  • Proposed Impact

    • What is the proposed objective if funded by United Way? Describe the expected outcome as it relates to the key focus areas of United Way (Childhood Success, Youth Success, Workforce Development, and Access to Resources). What is the benefit to United Way's Collective Impact Goal?

  • Collaboration and Partners

    • Explain how the services offer a holistic approach to meeting the needs of families and children. If this program targets only one area of need for a family or child, describe how the services will be coordinated with other services or partners to address any other needs. Who are the partner agencies or stakeholders committed to the success of this program? If this is a collaborative application, briefly describe the role of each of the partners.​ 

   3. Funding Request (last paragraph of the body)

  • At this time, you may not have a full budget for the proposed services. However, please indicate approximately what you expect to request should you be invited to apply. If this is a collaborative application, define which agency will act as the fiscal agent for this program. Explain how this program budget stands alone and separate from the agency’s overall budget. 

  • Defend the need for United Way's funding. How will the program services benefit from receiving these funds. 

   4. Please limit the letter to a maximum of two (2) pages plus the cover page (3 pages maximum total).

   5. The letter must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. EST on Friday, November 4, 2022.

  • If mailed, please allow time for the mailing process, but it must be postmarked on or before November 4th. 

   6. Submissions can be emailed to Angela Collins at acollins@uwcsra.org or mailed to: 

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ATTN: Angela Collins

Letter of Intent to Apply

United Way of the CSRA

1765 Broad Street

Augusta, GA 30904

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   7. All submissions will receive a response no later than November 18, 2022. 

  • Those who will be invited to submit a full application will receive further instructions with that correspondence. Full proposals can only be submitted by invitation. 

   8. A grant seekers' workshop will be available for those invited to apply. 

  • Details will be included in the invitation.

 

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2023-2024 Funding Application Q & A will be offered virtually on Thursday, October 6, 2022 at 2:00 PM.
To attend via Zoom, please register by clicking the button below!
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