Fund Your Program

Become A Funded Program for 2023 School Year

Each year Closing the Gap selects, supports and funds local programs that provide college readiness services to underserved public high school students in the Sacramento area.

We are most interested in programs that work collaboratively and support developing college-going cultures while providing academic services such as tutoring, counseling and SAT preparation. Closing the Gap focuses funding for programs in areas where they are most needed and can be most impactful – working collaboratively for the students’ best interests.

Applications are currently being accepted for the 2023 school year. Please review the application requirements below for submitting proposals.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Application Contents

Scope of Program for 2023
Selection Criteria
Eligibility

General Information
Executive Summary
Community Need
Purpose of the Project
Impact
Collaboration
Action Plan
Project Funding Plan
Sustainability
Evaluation
Organizational Competence
Financial Information for Organization
Board of Directors
Verification of 501(c)3 status
Schedule and Format Guidelines
Final Selected Organizations
Where to send proposals

SCOPE OF PROGRAM FOR 2023

This Request for Proposal invites the non-profit community to apply for grants in the amount of $1,000 to $10,000. Closing the Gap (CTG) intends to award grants to as many organizations as possible that provide measurable impact on the education achievement gap in the Sacramento region. While CTG’s vision is to support youth of all ages to achieve by reaching their highest potential, the focus in 2023 is to support college readiness activities for junior high and high school students.

Selection Criteria
In 2023, CTG will focus on programs assisting students in grades eight through twelve,
that address:

The academic achievement gap in critical need areas in the community and
Prepare and inspire junior high and high school students to attend college or vocational schools

Special interest will be given to proposals that offer opportunities to leverage other funds
or forge partnerships that will increase the impact of CTG funds.

Eligibility

Only organizations that qualify as 501(c)3 entities under the Internal Revenue Service Code will be considered for funding.
Funding requests for endowments and projects outside of the Sacramento area will not be considered.
Organizations that discriminate on the basis of age, race, national origin, ethnicity, gender physical ability, sexual orientation, political affiliation or religious belief and organizations that serve an exclusively sectarian purpose will not be considered.

PROPOSAL

Please follow the guidelines below. A committee will review each proposal based on your ability to address the criteria and guidelines listed below.
Please present information in the following order:

General Information should be identified on page one.
Name and address of organization submitting the proposal
Name, email and telephone number of executive director and the primary contact person
Year of incorporation
Mission of organization
Population and number of people served by organization
Size of organization’s budget
Size of project budget, if different
Number of staff – full time and part time
Number of volunteers
Brief (one or two sentence) summary of the purpose of the project
Executive Summary: Provide a summary of the proposal, not to exceed half a page. Include the amount of funds you are requesting and describe how these funds will be used to assist you in carrying out your mission.
Community Need: Provide a brief description of the community needs, not to exceed one half of a page. Please include a description of the challenges in the community that this project proposes to address.
Purpose of the Project: Describe your program mission, program goals and activities in two to three pages in length. You should address how this project will address the criteria identified by the Closing the Gap Foundation as well as how this proposal will address the community need(s) identified in item number three. In addition to this please discuss the following:

Program Impact:
What is the anticipated impact of this project on those you will be serving?
How will the CTG funding assist you in addressing your long-term project goals?

Collaboration:
Are there any similar existing projects or organizations that are addressing the same need?
If so, please identify them, and describe how you are or might collaborate with these other programs to address your program goals.
If not, how is your project unique?
Action Plan: Describe the how the activities, staff needs, and timeline for this project will assist you in meeting the goals of this project.
Project Budget: Provide a project budget, aligned with the action plan above including how a CTG grant would be used. (CTG will give special attention to organizations that utilize funding provided by CTG within one year.)
Sustainability:Please address plans for the long-term sustainability of this project. If applicable, identify other sources of funding that you have applied for or have received in support of this project.
Evaluation: Provide a description of your evaluation plan which includes:
A formative (5-month review) and summative overview of your project.
A list of activities and outcomes.
The measurements used to ensure that the outcomes are met through the activities identified in this project.
Organizational Competence: Describe your programs capacity to implement the project you are proposing. You should address the following:
Governance structure
Staffing
Familiarity with the target population, track record of success, etc.
Please include a short (one paragraph)biography of the Executive Director and/or the project/program manager.
Financial Information for Organization:
Include the organization’s currentyear operating budget;
A summary of actual income and expenses for the past two years;
The most recent balance sheet; and a list of funding sources and amounts received from these sources over the past two years.
Board of Directors: Include a list of the current officers and directors of the organization and their affiliations.
Verification of 501(c)3 status: Include a letter from the IRS confirming your tax-exempt status

SCHEDULE AND FORMAT GUIDELINES

Deadline: Friday, October 21, 2022.

The proposal and all supporting materials must be received by email or in the Closing the Gap Foundation Office no later than 5 p.m. on October 21, 2022.

Submit 2 copies. Do not bind or staple the proposal or attachments.
Please paginate the proposal including all attachments, handwritten page numbers are acceptable.
Proposal must be signed by one of the following: The Executive Director, CEO of the organization, or the Chair/President of the Board of Directors.
There is no page limit, but completeness and brevity are appreciated.

All proposals and supplemental information will be reviewed in full by the Closing the Gap Grant Committee.

Site Visits
Organizations selected from the committee’s initial assessment will have site visits and/or presentations scheduled TBD. Site visits are an opportunity to highlight your program and allow evaluators to ask questions and request additional information.

Announcement of Awards
The grant awards for Closing the Gap will be announced by end of year, 2022. Grant awards will be distributed in January, 2023.

Final Selected Organizations
Final organizations selected for a CTG award are required to submit a project overview that specifies the main goals of the program and how progress will be measured. This information will be included in CTG marketing materials and featured in the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the selected organization and Closing the Gap.

CTG requests a progress report one year after receiving the grant and may request a site visit to discuss the on-going impact of the grant on the program and the community.

Send completed & signed proposals by October 21, 2022 to:

MAIL
Closing the Gap
c/o Delegata
2450 Venture Oaks Way, Suite 400
Sacramento, CA 95833

Or EMAIL
[email protected]