Smaller Opportunities Grant Program
Background:
The Staten Island Foundation Smaller Opportunities Grant Program offers grants in the range of $5,000 for Staten Island based, not-for-profit organizations whose work in the community in the fields of education, health and human services, and arts and culture is making a measurable difference in the lives of Staten Islanders. The Smaller Opportunities Grant Program is intended to enable outcomes through a wide range of projects undertaken by local community-based organizations or schools seeking to improve direct services or meet other organizational or community needs.
Categories of Investments through the Smaller Opportunities Grant Program:
- Training and Professional Development
- Organizational Capacity
- Short-term or Smaller-Focus Projects
- Innovation and Collaboration
- Literacy Enhancement
- Evaluation and Learning
Following are potential small needs to be supported by the Smaller Opportunities Grant Program provided a request indicates the funded activity/item leads to verifiable outcomes:
- Leadership development
- Temporary or short-term projects
- Hiring a development consultant or a specialist in your field
- Existing programs with an emergency that could not be reasonably anticipated
- Evaluation of a project
- Publishing a report about a project
- Special speakers fees
- Small equipment, software, technology
- Cost not covered by the original funding source, a “gap” or an “enhancement”, particularly as part of government contracts
- “Brilliant” ideas that an individual member of the community brings to a local non-profit to implement
- A literacy enhancement to an existing program
- Planning process, particularly for a project that will be implemented by multiple agencies
- Short-term initiatives that bring together various sectors of the community (different ethnic groups, parents and children, seniors and teens, students and community leaders) that may serve as a template/pilot for larger project
- Projects, programs or needs not listed but are approved for consideration/submission by Foundation staff
Application Criteria:
The applicant must be a Staten Island organization whose particular project/mission fits any of the areas mentioned in our guidelines. To be eligible for consideration, an applicant must be a not-for-profit community-based organization or school with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. Funding of athletic programs is limited to outcomes for low income and disabled youth. Smaller grants are not intended to support start up costs for new organizations. Funds may not be applied to projects already funded by a grant from The Staten Island Foundation.
Ineligible Requests:
All current Foundation funding limitations apply as well as:
- Activities for which no measurable outcome has been articulated
- Activities that are part of a current open grant from the Foundation
- Multiple small requests in a year
- Requests from organizations that have not submitted required reports on prior grants
Deadlines:
There are no deadlines for Smaller Opportunities Grant applications. Applications are reviewed throughout the year as funds are available. If requests are for time-limited opportunities, please leave two to three weeks for appropriate consideration and processing.
Final Report:
Upon completion of the project a short narrative and financial report must be submitted that describes how funds were spent and verifies completion of the project as well as the outcome(s) in relation to what was stated in the original request. The Foundation will regularly compile reports to evaluate the effectiveness of the Smaller Opportunities Grant Program and the information you submit will greatly assist us in this effort.
Application:
A phone call to discuss your request is recommended if you are unclear whether your program/organization fits our funding priorities before clicking on the application link.
Click here for the Online Grant Application.
Click here for the Budget Form. When completed, please submit by attaching to the online application.
*To return to an onlline application in progress or to view one already submitted, click here.