Grant Applications
Does My Organization Qualify for a Grant from MCCF?
Criteria
The criteria for grant funding are as follows:
- Preference is given to eligible proposals demonstrating the most urgent and immediate need for funding.
- Grant awards must be directed to programs benefiting residents, groups, or organizations serving the City of Santa Clara and the surrounding Silicon Valley.
- Grants may be requested to initiate a project or program, to support the further development of a current service, or to purchase equipment.
- Recipients who have received grants twice consecutively may not receive a grant for a third consecutive funding cycle. They must sit out at least one funding cycle before reapplying.
- Within six months of receiving funding, grant recipients must demonstrate that the MCCF grant has been expended in a manner consistent with the purposes indicated in the grant application submitted.
MCCF and our Bentzien Endowment Trust Fund do not make grants to the following types of organizations and uses:
- Political or lobbying organizations
- Organizations or foundations that distribute money to charity (pass through)
- Private foundations or endowments
- Sponsorships of fundraising events
- Beauty or talent pageants
- Salaries or Wages of employees
- Purchases already made or services already rendered
Files to be included & uploaded as part of the Grant Application
To facilitate advanced preparation of the required documents, here is a list of the documents that are requested as part of the online application:
Project Budget (Required only when requesting more than $5,000)
Specification of each category of spending needed for enabling a successful project.
Detailed Project Description (Required)
Provide details of the specific project, including: its scope, number of clients served, start and end dates, number of people involved, whether paid or volunteers, how effectiveness/success will be measured. Include what specific portions of the project will be funding by this requested grant. Include the history of similar or identical instances of this project
Organizational History and Grant Details (Required)
History of the organization and details of the grant as it applies to the mission of the organization.
Most Recent Financial Statement (Required)
Accounting statements for the previous year, using generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). For larger non-profits it is expected that these would be audited statements.
Articles of Incorporation (Required)
A copy of the letter from the state government certifying the incorporation of the nonprofit organization.
501(c)3 Status (Required)
A copy of the letter from the Internal Revenue Service certifying the 501(c)3 status of the organization, including the Tax Identification number.
Current Board of Directors (Required)
A list of the current Board, including the Officers of the organization
Organizational Chart (Required)
Specifies how the Non Profit is organized, providing all the individuals’ names for all levels of the organization, with a notation as appropriate of the paid and volunteer positions.
Brochure/Program Information (Required)
These are marketing materials produced to introduce potential clients to the deliverables/services that are available. In addition, if there are marketing materials used to solicit donations from other corporations or individuals, those should be included.
Letter(s) of Evidence of Community Support (Required)
In essence, this is a letter of recommendation from a satisfied client. These are written by an organization or individual who has received products or services from organization making this grant request and attesting to its value and effectiveness in making a positive difference in the community it is serving.
Most Recent Form 990 (Including Schedule A) (Required)
A copy of the most recently filed Federal tax return. The only exception to this requirement is that of government agencies (such as school districts) for whom this does not apply.
Grant Application Form
Mission City Community Fund has two funding cycles. Final grant application submission for the first (Spring) cycle is January 31, with approved funds distributed during April. Final grant application submission for the second (Fall) cycle is July 31, with approved funds distributed during October.
Effective July 1, 2024, all MCCF grant applications are to be completed online via this website, and paper applications sent via the US Mail will no longer be accepted. The January 31 and July 31 deadlines will continue to apply, but the timestamp recorded at the submission will be used as the official date and time of submission. Note that applications that are submitted late are not rejected but are automatically deferred to the following application/funding cycle.
For any questions regarding grants, contact the Allocations Chairperson at allocations@missioncityfund.org.