Apply to Basic Needs/Direct Service Grants Program

Overview

The Basic Needs/Direct Service Grants Program is a competitive grants program in which applicants can seek grants of $500 to $5,000. Organizations that provide direct service in the form of material aid such as food, personal needs items, and emergency assistance to poor and vulnerable populations in our service area are encouraged to apply. Those who currently have such programs will indicate how their work helps strengthen individuals and families receiving basic needs services take a step forward. In addition to helping people on the brink of crisis, this grant program serves as an opportunity to connect families with needed services.

The Basic Needs/Direct Service Grants Program is a one-stage process which consists of submitting the full application.

Eligibility

Your organization is eligible if all of the following are true:

1. Applicant organization is a tax-exempt nonprofit under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or a public institution.
2. The project will positively impact residents in one or more of the counties in our service area:
   • West Virginia: Calhoun, Jackson, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Tyler, Wirt, Wood
   • Ohio: Athens, Meigs, Washington
3. Provision of basic needs is already a demonstrated and integral part of the mission and activities of the organization.

However, we are unable to make grants to:

• Endowment funds
• Individuals
• Organizations seeking retroactive funding for projects that have been completed or will be complete prior to the grant decision date
• Organizations that engage in proselytizing as part of their mission or programs

Guidelines

• Funds shall be used solely for the granted purpose.
• Funded activities shall commence in a timely manner and expenditures shall be made within the period agreed to by the agency and the Sisters Health Foundation.
• Grantee organizations shall submit an activity and budget report within 30 days of grant completion.
• Grant requests should range between $500 and $5,000.
• Up to 10% of the grant can be used for administrative purposes.
• Organizations may apply once a year and are limited to a maximum of $5,000 per 12-month period.

Deadlines

The Sisters Health Foundation has two grant cycles per year. Materials should be submitted online no later than midnight on the respective deadline date.

To Apply

1. Prior to starting your application, a requirement is to contact Sr. Molly Bauer, Program Officer, at 304-424-6080 Ext. 103 or mbauer@sistershealthfdn.org to discuss your project idea.
2. Click here to start your application or to log in to your existing account. Please read the instructions and enter the appropriate access code (BNDS). You will only need to enter this access code once as your saved application can be found under the Dashboard section. You may wish to view the following to assist you in the application process:

• Basic Needs/Direct Service Application Question List
• Applicant Registration Tutorial, Applicant Workflow and Applicant Dashboard videos
• Frequently Asked Questions about using the online system

For any questions about using the online application system, please contact Shei Sanchez at 304-424-6080 Ext. 101 or ssanchez@sistershealthfdn.org.

Evaluation Criteria

All Basic Needs/Direct Service applications are evaluated on the basis of the quality of the proposal, its practical approach, how it will advance the larger mission of the organization, the organization’s capacity and budget, and the cost to achieve results.