Emergency Capital Grants
In keeping with the Franklin Square House’s Foundation’s mission of funding capital projects that support women and their families, the Franklin Square House Foundation has decided to continue its emergency capital grants program for the 2024 calendar year. This program is restricted to existing grantees of the Foundation (both shelter and childcare). These grants will operate on a rolling basis throughout the 2024 calendar year or until the allocated program funds are exhausted. The program, as in the past two years, will adhere to a very strict definition of the term “Emergency”, with no exceptions.
Threshold Criteria
1. All prospective grant applicants are required to contact the Executive Director of the Foundation prior to submitting application materials. Grant applications will not be considered without explicit consent of the Executive Director of the Foundation.
2. Grants requests are only for “emergency” capital improvements. Other types of requests will not be considered.
3. Requests must meet a strict definition of an emergency. Emergencies include (but are not limited to) improvements and repairs and/or replacements of building components that, without intervention paid for by this grant, would put the health, safety, or wellbeing of the women and families you serve in immediately jeopardy.
4. All applicants must be in good standing with the Foundation. For existing grantees, this entails that all previous grant reporting has been completed in a timely and appropriate manner.
5. Grant applicants are only permitted one Emergency capital grant award per calendar year.
6. This emergency program exists independent of all other funding programs of the Foundation and does not impact a grantee’s ability to apply for a scheduled funding round. Emergency grants will not have an impact on a grantee’s ability to apply for regularly scheduled grant rounds.
Application Requirements
1. Following a conversation with the Executive Director of the Foundation a potential emergency grant applicant must submit a letter of request to the Foundation.This letter and all attachments should be emailed to robertg@franklinsquarehousefoundation.org. The letter should include the following information:
• The address of the facility you are seeking funding for
• What that facility does and the clients serve, (childcare, shelter, homeless families, homeless individuals, victims of domestic violence, women in recovery, etc.)
• A description of the work that needs to be done
• A contractor’s bid for the proposed work to be done (estimated amounts will not be accepted)
• An explanation of why this work qualifies as an emergency
• If the full project exceeds the program limit of $50,000, a budget will be required showing the total cost of the work and how you will pay for any work that exceeds the program limit.
2. The maximum program grant is $50,000.
3. Grantees must own the facility they are proposing to improve, or have a minimum of 10 years left on the lease. In the case of a lease, it is required to provide a copy of the lease.
Things We Do Not Fund
1. Operating costs
2. Landscaping
3. Project design, management, or overhead
4. Relocation
5. Vehicles
6. Computers
7. Manipulatives and teaching materials
8. Requests to reduce mortgage debt
9. Requests to fund already completed work
Next Steps
1. Once you contact the Foundation, you will receive a verbal assessment of the request. This feedback will be based on the above program guidelines and the likelihood that the request will be funded. If that response is positive, then a letter as outlined above will be requested. If not advised to proceed with your request, you may be invited to apply again in a non-emergency scheduled funding round. More information on scheduled funding rounds is available under Grant Guidelines.
2. Once your letter is received by the Foundation, the information will be disseminated to the Foundation’s Executive Committee for review.
3. If we have an interest in finding out more about your project you will get a call seeking more information or to set-up a site visit.
4. This is an emergency program. We expect that once we receive a request letter, the anticipated grant turnaround time will be three to five days.