P4P Grant Application: Round 19

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Introduction
Applications are to:

Create or improve collaborative partnerships between a local government sustainability and/or water department(s), frontline community group(s), and place-based funder(s).

Advance Equitable Climate Action (ECA) and/or Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) projects that addresses frontline community priorities.

Apply a racial equity approach to both the collaboration and the project planning / implementation.

Eligibility
To be eligible, all applications must comply with each of the following requirements:

A one-to-one cash match has been identified.
•  A one-to-one funding match from at least one place-based funder is required. Place-based funders must provide evidence of a one-to-one match, by including either: (1) a signed grant letter or grant agreement; or (2) a signed letter showing a strong intention to approve the matching grant within three months, should Partners for Places approve the application for funding. If proposing a two-year project, ensure the letter provides a commitment for both years of the project.
•  In-kind support will not be counted toward the one-to-one cash match. The local match may not be provided by a national funder that currently invests in Partners for Places.

There are no open grants with Partners for Places.
•  Proposing teams that currently have an open Partners for Places award are not eligible to apply to this call for applications. Only one application per grant cycle has been submitted by each collaborative partnership.
•  Partners for Places supports planning and implementation processes that all partners consider important in advancing ECA and/or GSI in their communities.

Projects must be undertaken through a collaborative partnership between a local government sustainability or water director, frontline community group, and place-based funder. Any of these partners may apply on behalf of the project team.

The application is submitted by one of the partners and a grant recipient has been identified.
•  A 501c3 non-profit must be identified as the grant recipient, willing to accept and manage grant funds on behalf of the partners post-award. This can be a fiscal sponsor, a place-based foundation, or a non-profit organization. In most cases, one of the partners is already equipped for this role.

Review the Partners for Places Application and Award Guidance for answers to frequent questions.

Available Funding
Applicants can apply for one of the following:
• One-year grants for $25,000-$75,000
• Two-year grants for $75,000-$150,000.

Two-year projects are strongly encouraged, to allow time for partnership building. Hiring an expert to facilitate the integration of equity principles into the partnership’s processes must be included in the budget.

The budget should also be flexible enough to able to accommodate more facilitation if that need becomes evident, to ensure that a solid base of trust is established.

Timeline

February 23, 2022: Invitation to Apply is released

March 10, 2022, at 3 pm ET: Informational webinar for interested applicants

April 13, 2022, by 11:59 pm ET: Applications due

July 12, 2022: Awards announced

Application

Funding Program ID

Grant Round ID

Grant Round

Fields with a red asterisk are required. You may review TFN's Privacy Policy for more information on how these data will be processed.

PARTNER INFORMATION

You will complete this section for each partner. At the end of this section, choose "Add Another Partner Organization" to add information about another partner.

Because trust is so easily lost when partners leave, applicants are encouraged to have more than one person committed to the project work from each of the three partner organizations.

Partner Information

How does this partner relate to the project?
Choose all that apply.

Local Government Sustainability DirectorLocal Water DirectorFrontline Community GroupPlace-Based FunderMain ContactGrantee

Component of work for which the partner is responsible:
For example, "Coordinate neighborhood organizations" or "cross-department collaboration."

First Name

Middle Name

Last Name

Suffix

Work Email Address

Personal Email Address

Work Phone Number

Personal Phone Number

Preferred Email Address

WorkPersonal

Preferred Phone

WorkPersonal

Mailing Address: Country

Mailing Address: Zip / Postal Code

Mailing Address: Street

Mailing Address: City

Mailing Address: State

Mailing Address: State/Province

Optional Demographic Information:
If you are the person indicated above,
would you be willing to tell us a bit
more about yourself?

Yes, I can answer a few more questions.

Preferred Pronouns

Race / Ethnicity

American Indian or Alaska NativeAsianBlack or African AmericanHispanic or LatinxNative Hawaiian or Pacific IslanderNorth African or Middle EasternWhitePrefer not to sayOther

Race / Ethnicity: Other

Is the partner a Current TFN Member Organization?

Current MemberFormer MemberNon-member

Which TFN Member Organization?

Organization Name

Organization's Website URL
(For all URLs on this form, include the "http" part)

Which best describes the organization?

Community FoundationConsulting / AdvisoryCorporate Giving ProgramDonor-advised FundEducational InstitutionFaith-based FoundationFamily FoundationFunding CollaborativeFunding IntermediaryGovernmentMediaNonprofit GrantmakerNonprofit (Non-funder)Operating FoundationPrivate FoundationResearch InstitutionOther

Which best describes the geographic scope of the organization's grant-making activity?

Local (e.g., city- or county-wide)Statewide or Province-wideRegional (e.g., multi-state or multi-province)NationalInternational

EIN Number

Year of Most Recent IRS Form 990

Upload Most Recent IRS Form 990

Link to Most Recent IRS Form 990
(enter a valid URL, including the http part)

The following (optional) information may be used in TFN marketing materials.

If selected as a grantee, the organization may be featured on the TFN website and/or marketing materials (email newsletters, social media posts, etc.)

The information you provide below may be shared publicly. By submitting this information, you consent to allow The Funders Network (TFN) to use your organization's logo and included contact information on its website and marketing materials.

Upload Organizational Logo

Link to Organizational Logo
(enter a valid URL, including the http part)

Twitter Account URL
(include the "http" part)

Instagram Account URL
(include the "http" part)

Facebook Account URL
(include the "http" part)

LinkedIn Account URL
(include the "http" part)

Affiliations
Choose all that apply.

USDN MemberUSDN-Affiliated Regional Network MemberGI Exchange MemberUS Water Alliance Member

USDN Regional Network Affiliation
Choose all that apply.

Canadian Urban Sustainability Practitioners’ Network (CUSP)Carbon Neutral Cities AllianceCascadia NetworkCoalition of Sustainable Communities New Mexico (CSCNM)Great Lakes Climate Adaptation Network (GLCAN)Green Cities California (GCC)MGC (Michigan Green Communities)NEMSN (New England)OKI (Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana)Prairie StateSSDN (Southeast)Virginia Energy & Sustainability Peer Network (VESPN)Western Adaptation Alliance (WAA)

Please click "Add Another Partner Organization" to add information about other applicants.

PROJECT INFORMATION

Does this specific collaborative team have an open grant with Partners for Places?

NoYes

Project Title:
In 10 words or less, please name the work.

Project Purpose:

In 25 words or less, please describe how the grant will be used.

Project Term:
Name a length of months (e.g., "24" for a two-year project).
Two-year projects are strongly encouraged, to allow time for partnership-building.

Amount of Request:

Name an amount in USD.
Enter numbers only (e.g., enter 3056.79 NOT $3,056.79).

Was the development of this application supported by any P4P resources or events, such as reviewing previously successful applications, learning from webinars, or through technical assistance? If so, please explain.

Was the development of this application supported by a Partners for Places Mini Grant? If yes, describe how Mini Grant funds supported the application process and applicant team’s development. Reflect on the value of this support and provide insight about what worked and what could be improved.

May we use selections from this application in TFN marketing materials??

Yes, I agree to have the primary contact person, project title, purpose of the grant, and the need section of the Application Narrative posted to The Funders Network website and other marketing materials.

Local Definition of a Frontline Community:
Please state how a frontline community is defined locally, based on the unique aspects of the area.

Partners for Places defines: (1) a frontline community as those experiencing the most immediate and worst impacts of climate change; and (2) frontline community groups as those whose primary mission is to represent and serve these people, improving living situations by addressing the root causes of oppression and injustice, economic disadvantage, and environmental harm. If the local definition is different, this clarity simply helps create a common understanding between the applicant and the reviewers.

Frontline Community Group Details:
Please describe how the frontline community group serves people on the front lines of climate change by addressing the root causes of oppression and injustice, economic disadvantage, and environmental harm.

Frontline Community Group Mission Statement:
Please provide the mission statement or specific organizational goals of the frontline community group.

Frontline Community Group Mission Statement URL:
Provide a website link if applicable.

Project Type: Please select all that apply.

Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI)-focused projectEquitable Climate Action (ECA)-focused project

Please describe the GSI elements of the proposed work:

PROJECT NARRATIVE

Support for the frontline community partner organization: Describe how the frontline community organization will be resourced to sustain participation, including project management/project coordination roles that support effective communication and inclusive involvement across the partnership. These resources can be built directly into the project budget or other sources.

Team Competencies: Describe the specific competencies and internal structures and practices that each partner has for applying equity principles to their initiatives. List any training programs that team members have completed to improve their equity competencies. Include program name, name of participant, and training date. The USDN Equity Foundations Training is one example.

Trust-Building Plan: Describe the process used by the partnership team to develop a shared purpose and plan for building trust throughout the project.

Leadership Transitions: State if a leadership transition is anticipated in any partner’s organization during the project period, and if so, how this may impact the proposed work.

Community Information: Describe where disproportionate impacts for frontline communities exist the most within the community. Describe how this is being addressed by the proposed work. Include the total population of the city or county, the demographic makeup by race and ethnicity (e.g., census categories), the major immigrant and refugee communities (if applicable), and the percent of low-income residents below the federal poverty level. Tip: Online resources like the U.S. Census Bureau tool here can help calculate this, if the information is not already on hand.

Need Being Addressed: Describe the challenge and opportunity that this collaboration will work to address. Include the social reasons why this a current priority for the community. Identify how this work became a priority, who determined it to be a priority, and if this work prioritizes the needs of frontline communities related to climate and/or water resilience. Provide a quote from the frontline community partner describing how this work addresses a community-identified need.

Project Concept: Describe the concept, what activities will advance the identified priorities, and the anticipated outcomes. If the team is adapting lessons from another community that has successfully done similar work or is building on work already done within the community together, please note. Provide a map of the area where the proposed work will occur. Include any details relevant to the project.

Vision of Success and Desired Outcomes: Describe the vision of success for the collaboration once the project work is complete. State any Procedural, Distributional, and Structural Equity anticipated outcomes. Provide a vision of how this work might continue after the grant term completes.

ADDRESS SCORING CRITERIA

Partners for Places awards are primarily based on compiled and averaged points awarded to each application. For that reason, this application form asks applicants to thoroughly address each score criteria by briefly answering each prompt below. The scoring criteria are given in italics, and prompts are given in bold.

This project will foster a new or strengthen an existing collaborative partnership for equitable sustainable climate action (ECA) and/or Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) work between a local government sustainability and/or water director, a local frontline community group, and a local funder. (30 points)

Please choose one of the following to describe your collaborative partnership:

This is a new partnership – these partners have not worked together beforeThis a developing partnership – all or some of the partners have worked together before, but not in this collaborative partnership modelThis is an existing partnership – all partners are collaborating with each other

A successful collaborative partnership that advances equity must have a purpose for working together, a clear understanding of roles, and an equity analysis to enable accountability. Based on partnership status, describe the plan to build or strengthen these components. Identify limitations of local government leadership structures and the implications these have on decision-making. Include a plan for identifying support through facilitation, training, and/or equity consultation:

Advancing equity and addressing systemic racism and bias within the partnership requires openly and productively addressing culture and power dynamics, like privilege, access, historic harm, and expectations for how work is accomplished.

Describe what the partners have done to be ready for these conversations, individually and/or collectively. Identify what support is needed to further this work, including pandemic considerations, and how this support will be incorporated into the project:

This application succinctly describes how an award will strengthen relationships among a local government, a place-based funder, and local frontline community group. It describes the roles and responsibilities of each partner in: (1) application development, (2) project implementation, and (3) the ongoing partnership. (15 points)

Provide relevant background information about the key staff from the local government, local funder, and frontline community group, including: (1) their goals for being in the collaboration; (2) what they plan to contribute to the partnership; (3) what they hope to learn or gain; and (4) their role in this application process. Ensure that all collaborative partners play an active role in both the application and work.

List any other allies or implementation partners that are critical for advancing the work and describe how will they be included into the project:

State if the team plans to develop a partnership agreement: These kinds of agreements stipulate shared purpose and roles, allow team members to hold each other accountable, and identify actions in transparent ways.

Describe how the collaboration structure will center frontline community perspectives: For example, the collaboration might include those who are actively working on frontline community needs or are already making decisions with the community.

Describe if and how the collaborative team envisions working together and engaging after the grant term:

This project will advance a community-identified goal or create a community plan. (15 points)

Make a convincing case for how this work is vital to achieving the community’s equitable climate action and/or stormwater goals:

This project is strategically designed to achieve its proposed outcomes and impacts. It describes how success will be measured. (20 points)

Describe how the work’s activities are thoughtfully and intentionally designed. Describe how this team will measure success:

This application demonstrates a commitment to use equity principles and tools in project design and implementation. (10 points)

Explain how equity principles are embedded into each key milestone/output in the project work plan:

The applying team is built to supply the skill sets and knowledge base needed to advance local EAC and/or GSI goals and priorities. (5 points)

Describe how the partnership will advance this priority beyond what could be done by any individual entity alone:

This project has the potential to add to the field of practice and/or provide model approaches to advance EAC and/or GSI at the local level. (5 points)

Describe how the work will create lasting change within the community. Identify how other communities could learn from / adopt this work:

DOCUMENT UPLOADS

Document Templates

Budgets are strongly encouraged to have some flexibility built into them, so they can support any additional trust building facilitation that may be needed once the work kicks off.

Detailed Work Plan: Upload an overview of the anticipated work plan using the Work Plan Template posted with the Round 19 Invitation to Apply. If your team already has a work plan in place that addresses all of the items listed in the template, submit that instead of the Work Plan Template.

Budget: Upload Partners for Places budget form, which is an Excel file that highlights projected revenue and expenses posted with the Round 19 Invitation to Apply.

Comments on Budget:

Matching Funder Letter of Support: Upload a letter stating commitment of the local match or intention to provide a local match; and (5) a letter of support from the local government (e.g., the sustainability director and/or any water departments/utilities named).

Local Government Partner Letter of Support: Upload a letter of support from the local government (e.g., the sustainability director and/or any water departments/utilities named).

FEEDBACK

Do you have any suggestions for improving this application?
We appreciate your candid feedback as TFN shifts to an online application process!

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