PHOENIXVILLE COMMUNITY HEALTH FOUNDATION
GRANT DISTRIBUTION GUIDELINES
Requests for funding support generally far exceed the funds available. For this reason, criteria have been established to assist the Directors and staff in deciding where the funds may be most effectively employed for the betterment of the community.
For its grant making program, the Foundation has adopted the same geographical area as served by the Phoenixville Hospital. This area is defined as follows:
CHESTER COUNTY
| Charlestown Township | Phoenixville Borough |
| East Coventry Township | Schuylkill Township |
| East Nantmeal Township | Spring City Borough |
| East Vincent Township | South Coventry Township |
| East Pikeland Township | West Vincent Township |
| North Coventry Township | West Pikeland Township |
MONTGOMERY COUNTY
| Collegeville Borough | Royersford Borough |
| Limerick Township | Trappe Borough |
| Lower Pottsgrove Township | Upper Providence Township |
| Lower Providence Township |
The impact of the Foundation’s grant making will be judged not only by the financial resources given to the community organizations, but also by the innovative and collaborative relationships the Foundation has with its grant recipients and the impact that the grants have had on the community-at-large.
FUNDING PRIORITIES
In an effort to deal efficiently and effectively with the large volume of requests presented to the Foundation, the Directors have established funding priorities. Consequently, grants generally are made within the following categories:
Level 1
Health care access
Level 2
Health & Human services
Level 3
Civic/Social/Economic/Technical Assistance
LEVEL 1
Direct Health Care Access
Creating avenues for, or improving access to,
direct health care services:
- Physical Health
- Mental Health
- Dental Health
- Health-related Support Services
LEVEL 2
Health & Human Services
Services addressing health & quality of life
issues for the fragile, disabled, and those at
risk of falling further behind socially &
economically … including:
- Food & Shelter
- Support Services for Families and Children
- Public Safety
- Educational Services & Opportunities
LEVEL 3
Health & Human Services
Civic/Social/Economic/Technical Assistance
Non-health & human service-oriented
assistance and services
- Civic
- Recreation
- Community & Economic Development
- Non-profit Capacity Building:
- Board Training
- Strategic Planning
- Endowment Building
- Staff Services
REQUEST PROCEDURES
Organizations interested in submitting a grant request are strongly encouraged to call or visit the Foundation’s office to discuss their funding proposal with Foundation staff. A grant request will be accepted if the proposed initiative fits within the Foundation’s guidelines.The Grant Request Form and Proposal Budget Form must be completed and sent with the proposal. Proposals should be written according to the Grant Proposal Guidelines and submitted with the following attachments:
- IRS Section 501[c][3] Tax Determination Letter
- Pennsylvania Charitable Organizations Bureau Registration Certificate
- Current Annual Report
- Article of Incorporation and by-laws
- List of current Board of Directors – with professional affiliation
- Current IRS Form 990
- Current independent financial audit and management letter
- Current operating budget
- List of public/private funding sources during the past fiscal year
- Strategic Plan
- Statement of no change in tax-exemption with the IRS certified by the Board Chairman/President
GRANTMAKING CONSIDERATIONS
The Directors have determined that all grant awards are subject to the vote of the full Board of Directors. Further, it is not the intention of the Directors to establish a permanent and dependent grant relationship with grantees. Likewise, with regard to types of grants and organizations supported, the Directors, as a rule, do not make awards for:- Direct scholarship support to individuals
- Purchase of tickets or advertising for benefit purposes
- Coverage of continuing operating deficits
- Document publication
- Pass-through grant support through a third party
- Groups such as fraternal organizations, political parties or candidates, veterans, labor or local civic groups, and groups engaged in influencing legislation.
REVIEW PROCESS
The Board of Directors meets quarterly. The Foundation accepts proposals year round and requests are generally addresses at the next available Board meeting.The Foundation staff puts forth its best effort to prepare grant requests as comprehensively as possible for review at an upcoming Board meeting. At staff’s discretion, a site visit may be requested as part of the proposal evaluation process. Staff will contact the requesting organization during the proposal analysis process if it has any questions to be answered.
GRANT AWARD PROCEDURES
Upon making a grant, the staff, on behalf of the Board of Directors, will send a grant award packet to the grantee containing the following items:- Grant Award Letter indicating the Board’s positive response to the request and the amount awarded
- Grant Agreement to be signed and returned promptly to the Foundation by the grantee. The Grant Agreement outlines the mutual responsibilities of both the grantor and the grantee. When the grantee returns a signed original Grant Agreement to the Foundation, the grant award check will be sent promptly to the grantee.
- Guidelines for Preparing Progress Reports. The Foundation requires grantees to file interim [six months] and a final report [twelve months] on the use of the grant award. These guidelines explain the Programmatic and financial information that should be included in the reports.