Talk to Gifford: Micro Capacity
Capacity Building &
Community Growth
The primary goal of Talk to Gifford: Micro Capacity is to start conversations that will help us understand an organization’s capacity and potential. With this knowledge, Gifford can offer guidance on resources, contacts, and partnerships that can maximize an organization’s impact.
These discussions can also serve to identify targeted needs that will allow an organization to serve community members most effectively. We are committed to supporting these types of capacity-building and community growth efforts by focusing on grants that fall into the following areas of focus:
- Projects that allow organizations to become more efficient. This may include improved technology, staff development, software, energy/environmental changes, exploration of strategic partnerships, evaluations of existing programs, collaborations, etc.
- Projects that engage and develop board capacity. This may include board training, retreats, conferences, consulting assistance, etc.
- Projects that diversify revenue streams. This may include business planning, development of fee for service, fundraising avenues, etc.
Eligible organizations have 501(c)3 status or a fiscal agent with such status and operate primarily in Onondaga, Madison and/or Oswego Counties. Explore our process below to get started, we look forward to connecting with you and your organization.
Submit an Inquiry
Interested organizations should first log in to their account in Foundant, our online grants management system. If you aren’t sure if you have an account or would like to reset your password, please contact Sheria Walker.
Once the Letter of Inquiry is submitted a Foundation team member will reach out, usually within 2 weeks, to set up a Talk to Gifford: Micro Capacity intake meeting. Intake meetings help us learn more about an organization, receive any updates, and identify challenges that Gifford can help find solutions to.
We will also use this discussion to recommend upcoming Gifford programs that may of a strong fit for you or your agency.
The next step may include an invitation to submit a proposal, follow-up questions, or connections to other organizations or leaders in town. While the Foundation does not have deadlines, organizations should expect to submit a proposal within 6 months of receiving application guidelines. If the applicant takes longer than 6 months to submit a proposal, the Foundation will require additional conversations.
Start Here
If you are interested in submitting a Letter of Inquiry for Talk to Gifford: Micro Capacity, we would love to hear from you! Use the button below to access Foundant – our grants management system.
- If you have applied in the past, log in using your username and password.
- If you are applying for the first time, simply follow the instructions for creating an account.
Use this to create an account, log in, start a letter of inquiry, or edit an application in progress.
FAQs
What areas do you fund?
As a place-based funder, we specifically focus on Onondaga, Madison and Oswego counties. This means that we fund a variety of types of organizations, and we don’t focus on a specific population. If your organization serves people/animals/the environment in this geographic area feel free to reach out to us. The Foundation looks to fund projects that will build an organization’s internal capacity, so requests vary drastically from organization to organization. That being said, feel free to check out some recent grants, and make sure that your request fits into one of our three Community Grantmaking focus areas.
What is a Letter of Inquiry (LOI)? How formal does it need to be?
The Letter of Inquiry (LOI) is really just an online form – it’s not even technically a letter. There’s no need to be formal when you fill it out. Please do make sure that you answer all of the questions, but don’t feel like you need to sweat over every phrase and word.
Should I call the Foundation for an introductory phone call before I submit an LOI?
Nope! No need. Your submitted Letter of Inquiry indicates to us that you’re ready to have a meeting and talk more about your needs. We look forward to meeting with you.
Do I need to have a specific project in mind to submit an LOI?
Nope! You should have a general idea of what you’d like to talk to us about, but it’s absolutely okay to fill out an LOI if you just want to have an introductory conversation or talk through some ideas with us. Just let us know in the LOI what the purpose of the conversation will be.
Help! I don’t know if my organization has a Foundant account.
If you don’t know if your organization already has an account, please reach out to Sheria Walker so that she can get you set up and logged in.
Help! I forgot my password.
No worries! Contact Sheria Walker.
What should I expect to happen in the intake meeting?
Organizations should be prepared to answer general questions about their organization, update the Foundation, and share details regarding their request for help. Typical questions will include:
- What kinds of programs and services does your organization offer? Who do you primarily serve?
- What is your organization’s overall budget? Where does your funding come from?
- How big is your Board of Directors? Do they meet regularly? Are they representative of the population you serve?
How long does the Micro Capacity Grant process take?
Honestly, it depends. Everyone’s favorite answer, right? The Foundation works hard to maintain a flexible approach, and as such, the Micro Capacity grantmaking timeline can vary significantly. Below are some general timeline guides:
- If you’ve submitted the initial LOI to begin the grantmaking process, you will hear back from the Foundation within 2 weeks to set up an intake meeting.
- If you’re waiting to hear the result of an intake meeting, you should expect to hear from the Foundation within 2-3 weeks.
- If you’ve submitted an application, decisions are usually made within 2-3 months.
What are your grant deadlines?
Micro Capacity Grants don’t have deadlines – we have conversations with organizations on a rolling basis. We want organizations to approach us when they are ready for a conversation, not based on a deadline. If you’re interested in talking to the Foundation, and feel like the timing is right for your organization, just go ahead and fill out an LOI.
What’s the difference between Micro Capacity Grants and What If Mini Grants? Can I apply for both?
Micro Capacity grants and What If… mini grants are two very different grants with two very different audiences. As such, organizations may not apply for both. Micro Capacity grantmaking is meant for more established organizations in our tri-county service area (Onondaga, Madison and Oswego counties) and has a direct focus on supporting requests that address organizational capacity building. What If… mini grants are specific to grassroots groups within the City of Syracuse.
What is the typical grant size?
Micro Capacity grants vary in size, but in general the average community grant falls between $7,000 and $15,000.
My LOI got declined, now what?
Unfortunately we receive many more requests than we are able to fund, and we often have to make tough decisions regarding funding. If your LOI is declined, you can always reach back out to the Foundation to get further clarity on why the decline happened. We try and be as transparent as possible – if there is something your organization could do to strengthen an LOI, we will let you know!
A declined LOI doesn’t mean an organization can never approach us again. Feel free to reach back out with different ideas and projects in the future.
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