New Texas Rural Communities, Inc. Grants Available

October 31, 2011 application deadline!

Texas Rural Communities, Inc. (TRC) makes grants to fund community programs in rural areas that advance community development, including but not limited to environmental, economic or educational programs for the benefit of rural communities. TRC makes two kinds of grants, recognition grants of up to $5,000 and impact grants of $5,001 to $25,000. No funds from either type of grant may be used to finance building construction or personnel costs.

Recognition grants may be awarded to new or existing programs that are making or have the potential to make a significant difference in the communities they serve. Impact grants may be awarded to programs that also demonstrate innovation or have the potential to serve as model programs for other communities. .

Eligibility

Eligibility for grants from TRC is limited to Non-Profit Community Based Organizations in rural communities that are not affiliated with governmental or quasi-governmental organization(s). A rural area includes all territory that is not within the extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ) of any city having a population of one hundred thousand or more. Grant requests may be for new or existing programs, but the applicant organization must have been in existence for at least one year and must have an established Board of Directors, current budget, balance sheet and income/expense statement.

Award

TRC may award up to $30,000 in grants, which may be any combination of recognition and impact grants, at the discretion of the TRC Grant Committee. Applicants should state whether they are applying for a recognition grant or an impact grant and whether they would accept a grant of a lesser amount than they have requested. TRC reserves the right to defer funding to the following year if applications do not meet criteria.

Application Process

Applications must be postmarked no later than October 31, 2011. Applications submitted by fax or e-mail will not be accepted. Each application must include 6 additional copies of the application only, and a CD or flash drive with the electronic version of the application only.

Applicants will be notified if they are finalists by approximately January 31, 2012.

Application Format

Applications must be submitted in the following format, by section number, and must not be longer than five (5) pages, single-spaced in size 12 font. All applications must include a cover letter on the organization’s letterhead, a one-page summary of the proposal and contact information. Applications not submitted in the following format will not be considered. Please use the attached checklist to ensure that all required attachments are included.

Program Summary: Include a program summary of no more than one page. Your summary should include an overview of your grant request, including the amount requested; brief program description, community and/or constituency served and expected outcomes. Please do not staple your applications.

Section I: Contact Information

  1. Name, Mailing Address, Telephone Number and e-mail of Contact person for grant
  2. Name and Address of Organization
Section II: Organizational Description

  1. Give a brief overview of your organization, including its mission, purpose, a short history and any major accomplishments.
Section III: Program Description
  1. What community and/or constituency needs will your program meet? How did you identify the need?
  2. Give a brief description of your program. What are its primary goals? How will you accomplish them?
  3. Describe the program participants or beneficiaries. Are you planning to serve people of a particular age group, ethnic background or income level? How many people will your program serve?
  4. If you are requesting an impact grant, please describe aspects of your program that are unique or innovative. Is your program a model for other communities? How will you communicate your program’s success to other communities?
  5. Include a proposed budget for your program, including the total budget for each line item and how TRC funds would be used. Are you requesting a recognition grant or an impact grant? If TRC were unable to fund the total amount you have requested, would you accept a smaller grant?
  6. Describe the expected outcomes or accomplishments for your program. How will you measure these outcomes?
  7. Give a proposed timeline for your project or program and expenditure of proposed grant funds.
Attachments
  1. List of Board of Directors
  2. Current fiscal year budget, balance sheet, income/expense statement
  3. Letters of Recommendation—(Limit 2)
Note: TRC reserves the right to publish applications and/or project descriptions on its web site, even if the project is not selected as the recipient of the funds.

Applications should be mailed to:

Texas Rural Communities, Inc.
Attn: Sandra Tenorio
168 Cimarron Park Loop
Buda, Texas 78610

Complete grant application procedures may be downloaded here.