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#1511480 - 02/17/11 06:06 PM
Grants for Charitable Organizations - experience?
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Diamond Poster
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,407
Midwest
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Hello,
I know that so many of my fellow BOL'ers are involved in work with various charitable foundations. I work with a local homeless shelter organization (PADS - Public Action to Deliver Shelter). They are struggling to keep enough bed linens and towels for the overnight guests in the shelters. I volunteered to try and find out how to apply for and obtain grants for money to obtain these types of operational items.
If anyone knows of an organization that may provide grants or knows of a good resource for finding out about grants, that would be wonderful and I would really appreciate the input.
I have searched the internet, but it seems that a lot of the grant info online is just advertisements where they want me to pay their company money to search for grants for us.
Thanks!
_________________________
"Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." - Melody Beattie
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#1511614 - 02/17/11 08:10 PM
Re: Grants for Charitable Organizations - experience?
BurntSienna
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10K Club
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 10,124
Way, way south.
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Hello. I have been on the board of a homeless shelter in Naples, FL for the last 7 years and we only have one grant which is through HUD.
The process is onerous and maintaining their standards isn't always that easy, but it got us through a tough time when we needed it. Although, now we'd really like to be through with it and hopefully we will be in the relative near future.
I would search HUD's website and contact them.
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Giddy up.
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#1511655 - 02/17/11 08:57 PM
Re: Grants for Charitable Organizations - experience?
renniks
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Power Poster
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 5,063
Pennsylvania
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I know you have probably already thought of this but I'll throw it out there anyway - you may want to check with local hotels, hospitals, and if you have a large scale linen rental place (that may supply hospitals and such) to see if they have items that may be too worn for their use but serve the purpose for your organization. Just a thought.....
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Knowledge is knowing what to say. Wisdom is knowing when to say it.
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#1511692 - 02/17/11 09:41 PM
Re: Grants for Charitable Organizations - experience?
madukes
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Diamond Poster
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,407
Midwest
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You guys are amazing. All great ideas that I will be looking into, thank you! 
_________________________
"Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." - Melody Beattie
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#1513118 - 02/22/11 08:52 PM
Re: Grants for Charitable Organizations - experience?
BurntSienna
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10K Club
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 34,318
under the Lone Star
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When approaching a bank or its private Foundation, make sure you use the argument that it is CRA eligible.
Providing shelter fits neighborhood revitalization/affordable housing, which is one of the four community development purposes under the CRA....so it is not only the right thing to do, but it is CRA eligible.
_________________________
Societies that do not find work in and of itself "pleasing to God and requisite to Man," tend to be highly corrupt.
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#1517816 - 03/04/11 06:55 PM
Re: Grants for Charitable Organizations - experience?
Pale Rider
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Diamond Poster
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,407
Midwest
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Thanks, Pale! Thank you so much to everyone else for all the great links and ideas!
_________________________
"Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." - Melody Beattie
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#1518187 - 03/07/11 03:44 PM
Re: Grants for Charitable Organizations - experience?
BurntSienna
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10K Club
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 10,124
Way, way south.
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Pale makes an excellent, excellent point!
So many banks are searching for CRA-qualified investments, that is definitely the way to go when approaching them.
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#1518438 - 03/07/11 09:17 PM
Re: Grants for Charitable Organizations - experience?
MB Guy
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Power Poster
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 8,272
Where the heart is
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Here's a useful website: http://foundationcenter.org/A couple of caveats about approaching banks - while a donation qualifies as a Community Development Investment, many smaller banks are not in a position to make a donation large enough to be appreciated by their examiners. Nothing like having an examiner "sniff" at a $2,500 donation.  As a result, many banks are gun-shy about donations because they didn't do them much good in the last exam. However, if you are lucky enough to obtain a donation from a bank, be sure to provide them with the paperwork they will need to get CRA credit - i.e. document that the people receiving services are homeless and are also low- or moderate-income. Believe it or not, just because you say you are a homeless shelter doesn't mean an examiner will take it on face value.
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CRCM,CAMS
Regulations are a poor substitute for ethics.
Just sayin'
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#1518478 - 03/07/11 10:10 PM
Re: Grants for Charitable Organizations - experience?
Princess Romeo
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10K Club
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 10,124
Way, way south.
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Someone sounds bitter...
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#1518623 - 03/08/11 02:27 PM
Re: Grants for Charitable Organizations - experience?
MB Guy
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10K Club
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 34,318
under the Lone Star
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^^^ never had an examiner ask for documentation that foster kids aging out of the system or families staying down at the Twin City Mission actually had no income....his Chamber of Commerce insists there are no homeless!!!
_________________________
Societies that do not find work in and of itself "pleasing to God and requisite to Man," tend to be highly corrupt.
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