Application

Established in 1998, The Denver Foundation's Strengthening Neighborhoods Program (SNP) works with residents of partner neighborhoods to help them make their communities better places to live.

We believe that residents themselves should decide what happens in their communities. We also believe that al communities have assets which include the community's people, institutions, and public resources. We believe that all residents have the ability to work together to strengthen their neighborhoods.

Goals

SNP has five goals. When you apply for funding from SNP, your group will be asked to think about how the project will advance one or more of these goals.

To support positive relationships among residents in our partner neighborhoods based on equality and the valuing of everyone's contributions. To meet this goal your project might help people in the neighborhood who didn't know each other beforehand get to know one another. It might help people develop stronger relationships with their neighbors. Or it might help build relationships across racial, age, gender, or socioeconomic boundaries.
To support resident leaders in our partner neighborhoods. To meet this goal your project might identify and develop the skills of new leaders in your neighborhood, especially from diverse groups. Or it might help existing leaders become more skilled.
To help residents organize to create positive change in their communities. To meet this goal your project might help to create or strengthen a neighborhood group that can take action on important community issues, or it might help an existing group meet its neighborhood change goals.
To connect residents and resident-led groups across neighborhoods so they can learn from one another and take action on common concerns. To meet this goal, your project might reach out to residents from another neighborhood to find out how they addressed a common community issue, or it might organize several groups from different neighborhoods to take action on a regional issue.
To bring new partners to the work of resident-centered community building. To meet this goal your group might help institutions or organizations in your community that are not led by residents - such as churches, schools, non-profits, and businesses - give residents a voice in their work or a seat at their decision-making table.

Guidelines

SNP awards grants up to $5,000 directly to residents for use in resident-led projects that address one or more of the goals mentioned above.
Grants are limited to residents and projects in Commerce City, Original Aurora, and the eight North Denver neighborhoods of Clayton, Elyria Swansea, Globeville, Highland, Northeast Park Hill, Skyland, Sunnyside, and Whittier.
All proposed projects must be planned and led by three or more unrelated residents of the neighborhood.
Projects must make use of the strengths and assets that already exist in the community, such as residents' skills or neighborhood institutions (like businesses, schools, churches, or parks).
Projects can include one-time events such as cultural fairs or block parties, as well as long-term activities such as after-school programs or a community organizing campaign.

How to Apply for a Grant

To apply for a grant, please enter your group’s information in the fields below. When you are finished, submit the application by clicking on the “Submit Application” button at the end.

If you have questions or need help completing the application, please call LaDawn Sullivan at 303.300.1790 ext. 118 or email lsullivan@denverfoundation.org.

How to Prepare a Budget

Please enter your project budget in the worksheet at the end of this application. Please try to use the actual expected cost of the items. This may require some research. We encourage you to use resources in your neighborhood when possible, and try to get items donated (such as food or space for the event). Try to think creatively about how you can use neighborhood assets to accomplish your project.

Tell Us About Your Project Today's Date
What is this project called? (Please give it a name.)
When will this project take place?

Are you working with any other groups, organizations, or institutions on this project? Yes No

If "Yes," please provide the following: Name of group:
Address:
Contact Person:
Contact Phone:

Describe Your Project What is your idea for strengthening your neighborhood?

Did you receive a planning grant for this project? Yes No Don't Know

Describe your project in steps. What will you do first? What will you do second, etc.?

All neighborhoods have assets. Examples might include the volunteer efforts of residents; physical assets such as parks and public buildings; and institutional resources like businesses, nonprofit organizations, and churches.

Please list each asset this project will use and explain how the asset will be used to accomplish project goals.
If this project is successful, how will your neighborhood be stronger?

Check the box for each goal that you think your project will accomplish, and explain how in the space provided:

Goal 1 - It will support positive relationships among residents based on equality and the valuing of everyone’s contributions.
Goal 2 - It will support resident leaders.
Goal 3 - It will help residents organize to create positive change in our community.
Goal 4 - It will connect residents and resident-led groups across different neighborhoods so they can learn from one another and take action on common concerns.
Goal 5 - It will bring new partners to the work of resident-centered community-building.

Tell Us About You and Your Group Your group's name:

Has your group ever received a grant from Strengthening Neighborhoods? Yes No Don't Know

If "Yes," please provide name of project and year of grant. Project Name:
Year:

Who are the key leaders of this project?

These are the people who will plan and carry out the project. Please do not include people who will volunteer briefly or who will attend your event. You must have at least three unrelated leaders who will be responsible for this project. Those listed should expect to be contacted by Strengthening Neighborhoods staff as we evaluate the application. Please indicate if the person does not speak English, and specify the language that person speaks. Project leaders MUST live in one of our partner neighborhoods!

Please tell us about the backgrounds of the people listed above by placing a check mark in every box that applies.

If more than one person fits in a category, put the number in the box. For example, if you have two male project leaders, put the number 2 in the box next to Male.

Is Anyone Getting Paid?

If you are planning to pay anyone with money from this grant, please complete the following worksheet. If you cannot check the boxes that match the type of payment you are considering, please do not include this in your budget.

Are You Paying a Professional?

We are hiring a professional, such as an artist, musician, landscape designer, licensed caterer, trained teacher, etc., whose skills are necessary for us to complete our project successfully.
The services of this professional are not available in our neighborhood through volunteer help.

If you checked both of the above boxes you can include this in your budget.

Are You Paying a Resident Who is Not a Professional?

We have a leadership group of residents (three or more people) who will decide who gets hired/paid.
Our leadership group will advertise the job to two or more residents who are not part of the group.
Those interested in the job will tell us in writing why they are qualified and how much they will charge.
The leadership group will review the applications and choose the one who will best meet the project's needs.
The leadership group will get an invoice or bill from the person getting paid, will review that invoice, and will make sure the work has been done properly before paying the person.

If you checked ALL of the above boxes you can include this in your budget.

Are You Planning to Buy Equipment that Will Last Awhile?

If you are planning to buy anything with your grant dollars that will still be useful after the project is over, such as tools, electronic devices, furniture, sports or outdoor equipment, please complete the following worksheet.

This equipment is necessary for us to do our project.
This equipment cannot be found through a loan or donation.
At the end of our project, this equipment will be available for use by anyone in our neighborhood who needs it. We will store the equipment at the following location, and make sure that people who might want to use it can have access to it.

If you cannot check ALL of the boxes above, please do not include this in your budget.

Description of equipment
Address of place where equipment will be stored: Street

City
Zip Code

Budget Worksheet

Please enter your estimated project budget in the table below. Try to organize your expenses by the categories provided under “EXPENSE ITEM.” In the column called “THIS GRANT,” enter the dollar amount that you are requesting for each item. In “EXPLANATION OF EXPENSE ITEM,” explain how you arrived at this figure. In the column called “OTHER SOURCES,” enter the dollar amount that you will obtain through another source, like a donation. For example, if you receive $100.00 worth of food from a local restaurant, you would enter $100.00 in the “OTHER SOURCES” column next to “Food.”

In the column called “TOTAL,” please enter the total cost for each item. Then total all columns and enter the amounts at the bottom of the table. The figure in the “TOTAL” box for the column titled “THIS GRANT” should be the amount you are requesting for this grant.

EXPENSE ITEM	THIS GRANT	EXPLANATION OF EXPENSE ITEM	OTHER SOURCES	TOTAL
1. Food	$		$	$
2. Materials (supplies for project)	$		$	$
3. Printing (flyers, invitations)	$		$	$
4. Fees / permits (meeting space)	$		$	$
5. Hired help *	$		$	$
6. Equipment *	$		$	$
7. Other (please describe)	$		$	$
8. Other (please describe)	$		$	$
9. Other (please describe)	$		$	$
TOTAL	$		$	$

*Please answer the questions under "Is Anyone Getting Paid?" and "Are You Planning to Buy Equipment that Will Last Awhile?" which can be found immediately before the budget worksheet before you enter any amount for these categories.

TOTAL AMOUNT REQUESTED:
$ This number should match the total in the column labeled “THIS GRANT.”

Who will be responsible for handling the money if this grant request is awarded?

To whom should the grant check be made payable?

Payee Name
Address:

City:
State:
Zip:

By what date do you need to know if this project will be funded?

Your E-mail: Verify Your E-mail:

To receive a copy of this application for your records, please make sure your e-mail address is entered correctly. You will receive a copy once you click the Submit Application button below.