Charter Foundation, Inc.

Guidelines

Grant Application

There is no formal procedure or application for making a grant request to the Foundation. Letters of request should briefly and clearly state the purpose of the project and amount being requested. Requests should be concise and include only necessary documents. If needed, the screening committee will request additional documentation.

During the evaluation process, members of this committee may request an interview with you and other members of your organization. Occasionally, a visit to your location may help the committee determine your ability to complete the project you are attempting to undertake.

The Foundation can only make grants to qualified nonprofit organizations. As evidence of this, you should include a copy of your organization's 501(c )(3) authorization letter or other acceptable evidence of your qualified nonprofit status. Start up organizations that do not have proper IRS designation should consider affiliating with another organization that qualifies with the IRS.

Review and Approval

Grants will be reviewed by a committee of the Foundation's Board of Directors. This screening committee will evaluate the request based on how well it meets the objectives of the Foundation. Grants will be approved and funded in the fall of each year. Grant requests must be received several weeks prior to this meeting. To be considered, a written grant request must be made prior to the deadline set each year and specified in the Annual Report. The Board of Directors will make the final decision on all grants based on the evaluation and recommendations of the Committee.

The following questions need not be answered individually, but they indicate the types of concerns the screening committee will have in mind when reviewing requests:

• What problem does the project address? Why is this issue significant? What is the relationship of the problem/issue to the foundation's mission?
• How will the project or activity deal with the stated problem? What do you intend to accomplish? What means will you use? If the project is already under way, what have you accomplished so far?
• What immediate and long-term outcomes do you expect for the project? How will you assess the success or effectiveness of your work?
• What strengths and skills do the organization and personnel bring to this project? In short, what makes your organization the right choice to conduct this project? What is the mission of your organization and how does this project fit into the mission?
• What is the overall cost of the project? How much are you requesting from the Charter Foundation? What other sources of support are you pursuing for this project? How will the project be funded in the future?

Grant requests should be mailed or delivered to:

The Charter Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 472, 1233 O.G. Skinner Drive
West Point, Georgia 31833
Phone (706) 645-1391