Grant Application Guidelines — For 2008-09 Projects

TG's Public Benefit Program will support efforts by non-profit entities that declare intent to use grant funding to improve access to, or participation in, postsecondary education, college retention, and student success. TG intends that the primary beneficiaries of these efforts, either directly or indirectly, be students who are from low- to moderate-income families. TG neither lends nor grants money to individuals through this program.

Grant categories and priority areas
For proposals received in 2008, TG will consider applications for projects in the following three public benefit categories:

1. Need-based financial aid to students
   Within this category, priority will be given to proposals that serve:
   1. First-generation college students; and/or
   2. Students who are from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in undergraduate and graduate education (may include nontraditional/adult learners).
2. Direct services to students and families
   Within this category, priority will be given to proposals that address:
   1. Access — Pre-collegiate outreach services to
      1. First-generation college students; and/or
      2. Students (and their parents) who are from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in higher education (may include nontraditional/adult learners)
   2. Success — Services to increase retention and graduation for
      1. First-generation college students; and/or
      2. Students who are from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in undergraduate and graduate education (may include nontraditional/adult learners)
3. Education research
   Within this category, priority will be given to research proposals that inform practices affecting:
   1. College access and retention among first-generation college students and/or students from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in higher education (may include nontraditional/adult learners); or
   2. Financial aid policies and practices; or
   3. Student/Parent borrowing.

Please note: Proposals for educational research projects must be submitted separately using the research grant application.

Evaluation of proposals
In reviewing the proposals received, TG evaluates the strength and ability of the applicant to ensure that:

• There is a compelling rationale and need for the proposed program or research.
• The project's goals/objectives are clearly and directly tied to deliverables/outcomes/expectations.
• Collaborative partnerships exist that will help augment the impact of the grant and that the efforts will promote increased coordination among organizations and institutions within the community.
• Sufficient institutional/organizational or other support exists to ensure that the efforts will be implemented and continue if the project intends to remain in place beyond the grant period.
• The efforts have the potential to inform practices or increase knowledge across the higher education community or could be adapted by other organizations or institutions.

In general, TG will not make grants for purposes of:

• Annual fund-raising events or general sustentation drives
• Performances or competition expenses
• Building infrastructure, physical plant, and brick-and-mortar construction
• Motor vehicles
• Endowments
• Debt retirements

Grant application process

• Determine if the proposed project is a match with one or more of the three public benefit categories and corresponding priority areas.
• Complete and submit an electronic application and any required supporting documentation on or before the deadline.
• Respond to TG's request for additional information or a site visit, if necessary.

Please note: Applying organizations are limited to two applications per competition. University applicants are encouraged to coordinate applications through their respective sponsored projects, corporate/foundation relations, or advancement/development offices. If TG receives more than two applications from the same organization, we will notify the organization and ask them which proposal(s) they wish to withdraw.

Information required on the grant application

1. Project title, organization name, name of entity to sign a grant agreement, contact information, and brief description of organization.
2. Written description of the proposed project, including a statement of need and well-defined project objectives/goals.
3. Identification of specific deliverables or outcomes that are anticipated.
4. Amount of funding sought from TG.
5. Actual start date and end date for the project.
6. Primary beneficiaries of the project.
7. Project budget attachment. (See additional information below.)
8. List of organization's board of directors, trustees, and officers.
9. Copy of the most recent audited annual financial statement, IRS determination letter, and copy of most recent IRS Form 990. (State-supported postsecondary education institutions are exempt from this requirement).
10. Names and contact information of other financial partners.
11. Sources of future support, if applicable.
12. Affirmation that the applicant has reviewed the sample grant agreement and that the organization is in compliance with the federal Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity requirements referenced therein. (See Grant Agreement section below for additional information regarding this requirement.)

Project budget
When preparing the project budget to be submitted with the grant application form, please include all expenses for which TG funding is being requested as well as any in-kind or other contributions which will be used to support the project. As a reminder, TG will not consider requests to cover indirect costs. All costs for which TG funding is requested must be incurred solely for work on the proposed project and be specifically documented as such by recordkeeping on invoices and timesheets.

Please submit your project budget as a separate attachment. Word® and Excel® are the preferred formats for project budgets, but other file types may be accepted as well. There is no page limit for the budget attachment; however, the total file size for the application and any attachments should not exceed 2 Mb.

The following guidelines are meant to serve as a reference only. The proposed budget should reflect the nature of the project and may include additional line items or omit line items listed here:

• Personnel salaries/wages/fringe benefits
  Include current salaries and wages for personnel whose time will be dedicated to the project. If these costs are being covered through in-kind contribution or as indirect expenses that would otherwise be covered by your organization, indicate that on the budget.
• Equipment
  For purposes of TG's grant program, equipment is defined as nonexpendable, tangible property that exceeds a cost of $1,000.
• Supplies
  Generally, general office supplies are not included in grant budgets, as they are likely to fall into the category of indirect costs. However, certain types of supplies may be needed, based on a project's scope and objectives. In these cases, funding may be requested for supplies for project participants (e.g., school supplies for student participants), communication/telephone/fax, long-distance charges, computers/printers, peripherals. Printing and duplication costs may be included only if these expenses can be directly attributed to the proposed project.
• Travel
  If travel is essential to the proposed project, please include estimates and calculations for all related costs involved (e.g., airfare, ground transportation, per diem, conference registration fees, lodging, mileage for personal vehicle usage, etc.)
• Specific assistance to individuals
  This line item relates to those grant proposals seeking to provide tuition support, books/materials stipends, or participation stipends. Please designate the type of support involved and the number of students to be supported.
• Other expenses
  As much as possible, please limit the number of items that would fall into this category. If used, please provide detail and justification for any items that are expected to be funded through TG in this category.
• Indirect costs
  Any indirect costs attributed to the project can be noted, but TG funding CANNOT be used to cover these costs. It is permissible for the applicant organization to demonstrate in-kind or other support for these costs.

Grant agreement
Organizations whose proposals are approved for funding must execute a grant agreement with TG. A sample of this document can be found online at www.tgslc.org/pdf/GrantAwardAgreement.pdf.

TG is required by federal law and U.S. Department of Labor directives to include the Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Program notification (set forth in Section 8.10 of the Sample Grant Agreement) in all its contracts, including these Grant Agreements. Applicant organizations should review this section carefully to determine whether the provision applies to their organization and, if so, whether their organization is in compliance with the section's requirements. TG is not able to delete or revise the language in this section; accordingly, if an organization is unable or unwilling to comply with the requirements, TG will not review any grant applications submitted. Please note that this provision is related to employment practices, not admissions-related criteria.

TG strongly encourages applicants to thoroughly review the sample grant agreement prior to submitting a grant proposal. TG is not likely to consider significant amendment to the Grant Agreement.

Application deadline and format
Applications for funding from the TG Public Benefit Program must be received at TG on or before Friday, March 7, 2008. Applications must be submitted in an electronic format using the application form provided.

Grants period and awards schedule
TG intends to notify successful applicants of its funding decisions by June 30, 2008. In general, grants will be awarded for a period beginning on or after August 1, 2008 and ending on or before August 30, 2009. In certain circumstances, TG may approve a request to extend the grant period from 12 months to up to 24 months, if requested in writing by the grantee and a determination is made that the extension will improve the project's potential for success.

In most cases, however, TG will make grant awards for only one year at a time. Applicants seeking multiple years of funding must apply for additional funding through subsequent grant competitions. Please note that receiving grant funding for a prior year does not guarantee or place the applicant in a preferred position to be awarded additional grant funding in subsequent years. It is also important to note that grant proposals to continue funding for the same program are limited to less than or equal to 25 percent of total project budget. That is, current grantees applying for a second- or third-year grant for the same or similar project must demonstrate that 75 percent of the total project budget will be funded from sources other than TG's Public Benefit Program.

Site visits
TG may conduct a site visit to the applicant organization before making a funding decision. TG may also conduct site visits to successful applicant organizations after a funding decision has been announced.

Requirements of grantees
Successful applicants will be required to submit to TG interim and final reports on the status of the project. Reports must include progress toward project objectives and an accounting of funds expended. Successful applicants also may be invited to share their project's efforts, experiences, and successes, through presentations and publications, as requested by TG.

Prior grant awards funded
In total, TG has awarded nearly $10 million in grant funding through the TG Public Benefit Grant Program. For listings of prior grant awards, please visit the links at left.

Inquiries regarding the grant program should be sent to public.benefit@tgslc.org.

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Sample Grant Agreement
(122k)

Want to know more about the TG Public Benefit Grant Program? Call (800) 252-9743, ext. 4518, or send an e-mail to public.benefit@tgslc.org.