The Covenant Foundation

Apply for a Grant | How to Apply 2: The Full Proposal

How to Apply for a Covenant Grant

Part 2. Full Proposal

By the end of May 2012, The Covenant Foundation Grants Selection Committee will invite those applicants whose letters are judged to be most promising to submit full proposals. As with the letter of inquiry, the Covenant Foundation requires submission of six hard copies of the full proposal as well the emailed copy.

Full proposals for Ignition or Signature Grants should include the following:

1. Cover Sheet.The cover sheet for the full proposal is based on the cover sheet for the letter of inquiry, but contains additional information. The first page should be submitted on the sponsoring organization's letterhead. The cover sheet should be two to three pages long in total.

   Applicants should begin by copying the following information from the cover sheet of their letter of inquiry and making any necessary corrections:

   • The name, mailing address, and telephone number of the sponsoring institution. This is the contact information we will use to contact the project director for the duration of the grant process.
   • The name of the project director and the e-mail address where he or she can be reached.
   • The type of grant being requested (Ignition or Signature).
   • The title of the proposed project.
   • One sentence that explains what the organization hopes to accomplish with a Covenant Grant: "[name of institution] requests $[x] over [x] years to fund [or support, disseminate, create, expand]…. [x]." Please make sure that the total dollar amount matches the "Amount Requested from the Covenant Foundation" on the Project Budget Form.
   • A brief description of the institution where the program will be housed. Please add a brief description of any partnering organization that will be critical to the completion of this project.
   • An approximate annual operating budget for this institution.
   • The signature of the person authorized to approve the submission of the proposal, such as the executive director of an organization or the principal of a school. This is only required on printed copies.

   Below this information, the applicant should add:

   • The dates of the requested grant period: "from [month, year] to [month, year]." Please note that Covenant Grants commence January 1.
   • The estimated number of participants involved in the program during the grant period.
   • A brief abstract of the proposal. In three to five short paragraphs, please provide the following:
     1. Need addressed by the project. Please define the need with care.
     2. Target population.
     3. Summary of the project, including the proposed activities.
     4. Intended outcomes.
     5. Staff/leadership of the project.
     6. Planned partnerships with other organizations or communities, if any.
     7. List of other foundations from which you are currently seeking funding, if any.

   Prepare this abstract with care; it will be used by the Covenant Foundation as a distillation of your proposal.

2. Narrative.The narrative portion of the Signature Grant full proposal should not exceed ten 8 ½" x 11" double-spaced typed pages. The narrative portion of the Ignition Grant full proposal should not exceed five 8 ½" x 11" double-spaced typed pages. Please complete your proposals using the following outlines for Signature and Ignition Grants respectively:

   For Covenant Signature Grant full proposals please use the following outline:

   • Statement of Need: Document the need for the proposed project. Statements of need must be supported by consideration of available research. Where possible, applicants should provide statistical or numerical data. Avoid using conjecture or opinion. Furnish a list of existing programs with similar goals, and show how this project will meet this need while they do not.
   • Description of the Project: Include specific activities (e.g., recruitment, hiring, marketing, courses, sessions, or curriculum development). What, specifically, will be done during the course of the project, who will do it, and in what order?
   • Timeline of the Project: Include a timeline for the proposed project with dates (as accurate as possible) outcomes, deliverables, major activities and milestones.
   • Intended Results: Document the specific, measurable, attainable results or outcomes of the proposed project. Indicate which results are likely to be attained in the short, intermediate, and/or long terms. Specify the likely indicators and evidence that will be used to measure the proposed project’s success.
   • Innovation: Explain, using concrete examples, the innovative aspects of the proposed project and how it differs from similar existing programs. In what way does the proposed project represent an innovation in current practice?
   • Challenges/Pitfalls: What are the biggest challenges you anticipate facing in executing your project? Consider the contextual factors that are likely to impede progress toward your goal and explain how you plan to account for and overcome them.
   • Contribution to the Field: Describe the potential contributions of the project to the field of Jewish education (i.e., if the project is successful, how might other Jewish educational institutions and organizations benefit from your experience in ways that would enable them to improve their own programs?).
   • Staff: List the project staff and institutions involved, including any outside partnering institutions.
   • Mission Relevance: Discuss the relationship of the proposed project to the overall activities and mission of your organization.
   • Organizational Capacity: Describe and provide evidence of the applicant's ability to complete the proposed project.
   • Sustainability: If the proposed program is to continue after the grant period ends, indicate the plans for sustainability.

   For Covenant Ignition Grant full proposals please use the following outline:

   • Statement of Need: Document the need for the proposed project. Statements of need must be supported by consideration of available research. Where possible, applicants should provide statistical or numerical data. Avoid using conjecture or opinion.
   • Ignition Rationale: What will the proposed work ignite? The narrative should explain how this grant will serve as a catalyst for further work that you are considering and/or already planning.
   • Description of the Project: Include specific activities (e.g., recruitment, hiring, marketing, courses, sessions, or curriculum development) and timetables for those activities. What, specifically, will be done during the course of the project, who will do it, and in what order?
   • Innovation: Explain, using concrete examples, the innovative aspects of the proposed project and how it differs from similar existing programs. In what way does the proposed project represent an innovation in current practice?
   • Staff: List the project staff and institutions involved, including any outside partnering institutions.
   • Mission Relevance: Discuss the relationship of the proposed project to the overall activities and mission of your organization.
   • Organizational Capacity: Describe and provide evidence for the applicant's ability to execute the proposed project.
   • Learning: Explain what you envision learning from this Ignition Grant, and how this learning will come about.
3. Staff Information.Please attach a brief resume for each key member of the project staff that includes:
   • Name
   • Current position in the organization (or partnering organization)
   • Education
   • Last three professional positions held
   • Community service, including dates performed
   • Awards, including dates received
   • Listing of up to three recent publications
4. Appendix. Applicants may submit an appendix with information about their organization's history and record in the area of the proposed project. The appendix should not exceed ten 8 ½" x 11" double-spaced typed sheets. All paper materials, except for printed brochures, must be on 8 ½" x 11" paper. Note that appendix materials printed on larger paper may not be sent out for review.
5. Project Budget. Applicants who are invited to submit full proposals will be provided with the Foundation's Full Proposal Budget Form, an .xls document, along with instructions for completing it. The project budget must supply details of expenditures for salaries, supplies, travel, etc. Please note that the Foundation's fiscal year runs from January to December. Please feel free to contact us with questions about completing the Budget Form by emailing grants@covenantfn.org or calling 212-245-3500.
6. Narrative Budget Statement. The narrative budget statement should explain the basis used to estimate all costs and how the major items requested relate to the proposed project activities. Please reference specific line items in your completed Full Proposal Budget Form. A sample Narrative Budget Statement is included with documents available for the preparation of the full proposal .
7. Audited Financial Statement. Please send only one copy of the institution's two most recent years’ audited financial statements.
8. IRS Tax Exemption Letter. Please include only one copy of the IRS tax exemption letter or another document showing the institution's tax identification number indicating that the institution is exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is not classified as a private foundation under section 509(a) of the Code. Canadian applicants must supply proof of nonprofit status from Revenue Canada.

   Important notes on formatting and submitting your proposal:

   • All pages submitted must be numbered continuously (handwritten numbering is acceptable).
   • Proposals must be securely bound, whether stapled, placed in a sturdy three-ring binder, or held together by other means.
   • All sheets of paper submitted, except for printed brochures, must be 8 ½ " x 11". Appendix materials printed on larger paper may not be sent out for review.
   • You must submit six copies of the entire full proposal, except for the audited financial statements and the IRS tax exemption letter (one copy of each).

   The full proposal with all appendices should be mailed in a single package, in time for receipt by 5:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday, July 3, 2012, to:

   2012 Grants Selection Committee
   The Covenant Foundation
   1270 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 304
   New York, NY 10020-1702

   The full proposal and completed budget form must also be submitted as e-mail attachments to grants@covenantfn.org.

   Materials not received by 5:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday, July 3, 2012, will not be considered.

   Review of Full Proposals

   The Covenant Foundation staff; professional, academic, and lay leaders of Jewish education; and the Covenant Foundation Selection Committee will review all complete proposals in the summer and fall of 2012. During the review process, members of the Covenant Foundation staff may visit applicant institutions to discuss aspects of the proposed program. The Foundation staff might also ask for additional materials to supplement your proposal. The Executive Director of the Covenant Foundation will advise all applicants of the final determinations in late December 2012.