NFC State/Local Chapter-Level Grants
Background
While National NFC will continue to raise money through memberships, donations, and merchandise sales, as well as apply for administration/staffing grants and certain research and habitat grants, chapters will need to help raise money for their own information and education, research, and habitat related projects. State and local level grants applied for at the chapter level is a good way to to do that.
Issue
Many grants require matching contributions. This can be monetary or what is referred to as “in-kind contribution” such as research, planning, project management, and boots-on-the-ground manpower.
As a volunteer centric organization, NFC will always focus on in-kind contributions to projects first. Providing monetary support is a secondary focus, and will only be approved when it is done in conjunction with in-kind contribution and matching funds. Chapters are encouraged to seek state and local project-specific grants to cover NFC’s portion of project costs.
While chapters may commit to whatever level of in-kind support they will be able to provide, no commitment of monetary support on the part of NFC can be made at the chapter level without expressed and formal approval of the Executive Director.
policy
Chapter Requirements
When partnering with other organizations, in-kind contribution may vary by organization based on resource availability. If in-kind contribution is tilted notably toward NFC, other organization(s) will be expected to provide additional support where they can, including monetary.
When in-kind support is required, the sponsoring chapter will be required to provide a running tally of detailed hours contributed, along with what our partner organizations have contributed to date.
When partnering with other organizations, where monetary contributions are required, each entity must contribute at least an equal amount of support. Exceptions must be pre-approved by the Executive Director, and will not be granted except in extreme cases where a partner is unable to contribute and the amount required of NFC is minimal. In most cases, NFC monetary contributions shall not exceed that paid by other project partners.
Requests for monetary contribution from national NFC must be presented independent of, and in advance of a grant application for visibility and clarity purposes. This will be subject to approval by the Executive Director. In some cases, chapters may be asked to find additional grants, or funds, to lessen the amount needed to be paid by national.
If NFC is contributing monetary support for services rendered, it must be done at the invoice level and only for services provided by a 3rd-party. NFC will not pay invoices sent to a partner organization. If previously approved, NFC will pay our share of invoices direct to the entity providing the product or service. Payment for services provided by a partner organization will not be allowed.
The chapter will be required to provide invoices, along with proof of equal contribution from partner organizations for all monetary contributions. While funds will be housed at the national level, and checks written by national NFC, all other functions will be the responsibility of the local chapter(s).
Applying, Accounting, Tracking, and Reporting
National NFC will provide assistance in regard to developing grant applications where needed.
All grant applications must be approved by National NFC prior to submission.
National NFC will create a spreadsheet to track each grant obtained at the state level. Expenses will be tracked and reported back to the chapter and grant source where required.
SUMMARY
Due to the small size of our state boards, and the difficulty and overhead associated with administration at the chapter level, National NFC funds most chapter expenses including website hosting and maintenance, email and newsletter processing, logo merchandise procurement and shipping, shows and events fees, and small projects.
With more than 20 chapters and growing, NFC needs to be very careful with regard to cash contributions to projects, including those that are funded by outside grants. Failure to do so could deplete our financial resources and put projects, daily operations, and the organization as a whole at risk.
