UNITED WAY OF HALL COUNTY Request for Proposals for 2013 Community Investment Funding
The mission of United Way of Hall County is to unite people, organizations and resources to improve lives in Hall County. This is accomplished by encouraging all facets of the community to give, advocate and volunteer. For 65 years, United Way of Hall County has focused on issues that are important and vital to every resident having a good life. United Way of Hall County believes education, income and health are the building blocks of a good life. One method United Way of Hall County utilizes to improve lives is by investing financial resources in programs collaborative efforts and initiatives that serve Hall County residents and address board approved community investment priorities.
United Way of Hall County has established the following as strategic areas of priority: Education – helping people, from birth through adult, achieve their potential through learning. We believe that learning begins at birth and continues throughout life. Our aspiration is that all residents of Hall County will have opportunities to learn which help them achieve their potential. Therefore, we will invest in: Early learning The well-being of school age children and adolescents Basic literary and comprehension development skills Income – supporting families while they actively achieve financial stability and independence We believe families and individuals face obstacles to achieving financial stability and independence. Our aspiration is that all residents of Hall County have opportunities to meet their basic needs and self-sufficiency. Therefore, we will invest in: Resources providing food, shelter and clothing Addressing barriers to self-sufficiency Promotion of financial security Health – improving people’s physical, mental and social well-being We believe in improving everyone’s health and safety. Our aspiration is that all residents of Hall County are healthy and safe. Therefore, we will invest in: Efforts to break the cycle of domestic violence, abuse and neglect Improving access to primary medical, behavioral and dental care Prevention of and intervention in unsafe or unhealthy behaviors
United Way of Hall County cannot achieve its mission of improving lives alone. We believe that through the alignment of community resources and working toward a common goal, we can achieve more than any single organization can alone. As such, United Way of Hall County seeks partners that share our commitment. Every year, individuals and companies throughout Hall County make an investment in our community by supporting the annual campaign. These dollars are invested in the community via a volunteer driven process that provides ongoing, programmatic funding to local health and human service agencies/organizations that effectively address one of United Way’s strategic areas of education, income and health.
United Way of Hall County will solicit the participation of the very best potential partners to achieve its goals within the areas of education, income and health. Programs seeking funding are requested to submit an initial Letter of Intent (LOI) that contains a program description, amount of funding requested, and an explanation of how the program aligns with one of United Way of Hall County’s strategic areas. An organization may submit multiple LOIs as long as each LOI is for a different program. However, each program must select only one of United Way’s strategic areas. For example, ABC organization may submit a LOI for program #1 and program #2 under the same or different strategic area. But ABC may not submit a LOI for program #1 in more than one strategic area. Those programs determined to have the ability to best achieve impact will be invited to submit a complete application package.
The criteria required to submit a LOI are: Agency/organization must have a current 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status Agency/organization must have been have providing services to residents of Hall County for a minimum of three years and have an active and unaffiliated board of directors Agency/program must be able to demonstrate broad community support and a record of fiscal and administrative stability Collaborative efforts or initiatives are required to have a fiscal agent that meets the standard described above Collaborative efforts or initiatives must have a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that includes agencies/organizations that are well established, reputable and able to provide oversight to the effort Request for funding may not be less than $5000 or exceed $25,000 Funding requests are for one year A LOI should not be more than three pages in length. The deadline for submission of a LOI is 5:00 pm on November 1, 2012. Any late submission will not be considered. No emails will be accepted. The LOI should be on the organization’s letterhead and signed by the Executive Director and Chairperson of the board of directors and include contact information. The LOI should be mailed or delivered to: Community Investment Committee United Way of Hall County 527 Oak Street Gainesville, GA 30501 There will be an informational session held on Thursday, October 18, 2012 @ 10:00 am. All interested organizations are invited. The meeting will be at the United Way of Hall County office at 527 Oak Street, Gainesville, GA. By November 15, 2012, qualifying organizations will be invited to submit a full proposal for funding. Denial letters will also be sent at this time.