Grantseeker's Guidelines

General:

1. Permian Basin Area Foundation makes grants to qualified nonprofit organizations serving the Permian Basin region through which a broad range of philanthropic purposes are furthered and supported in the areas of education, arts and culture, health, social services, community development, and civic affairs. In addition to these broad purposes, certain Midland based organizations are eligible for grants from the Midland Housing Trust Fund to address needs for safe, clean and affordable housing.
   
   
2. Grant awards are determined through a competitive application and review process facilitated by Foundation staff and volunteer Grants Committees whose recommendations must be be approved by the Foundation’s Board of Governors.
   
   
3. The Foundation awards grants in semi-annual cycles occurring in the spring and fall. Grant recipients are not eligible for reapplication until the fourth cycle following the cycle in which the most recent grant was awarded.
   
   
4. Information regarding all grants made by the Foundation becomes a matter of public information and recipient organizations are encouraged to publicly acknowledge the Foundation’s support.
   
   
5. The Foundation has adopted Standard Forms Promulgated by the Funders Roundtable, which are referred to as “Standard Forms.” These forms are for use in application processes.

Priorities:

The Foundation generally awards grants with priority given to those applicants that:

1. Demonstrate the potential significant and long-term impact achieved by funding their project,
   
   
2. Communicate a clear plan for timely implementation,
   
   
3. Promote volunteer participation and citizen involvement,
   
   
4. Address relevant issues and identify legitimate problems affecting the community,
   
   
5. Demonstrate that the project cannot be accomplished without external funding, and
   
   
6. Exhibit effective and resourceful fundraising practices, such as matching grants and contributions from other donors, benefiting both the organization and the community.
   
   
7. Evidence their compliance with Accountability Indicators for Nonprofit Organizations as prescribed by the Nonprofit Management Center of the Permian Basin.

Application Procedures:

1. (Revised 10/20/09) An organization wishing to apply for a grant must fully complete and submit one (1) copy of Pre-Application Summary (SF-1) to the Foundation no later than the Pre-Application due dates of April 1 for the spring cycle or October 1 for the fall cycle. Organizations that have received funding during a previous grant cycle must also complete and submit the Grant Award Follow-up Form (SF-FW) by the deadline. Please do not include a cover letter with application.
   
   
2. The Foundation will review the Pre-Application Summary and notify the organization within approximately 30 days if a full application is requested and the due date by which it must be submitted.
   
   
3. A “full application” will be complete when one (1) copy of the appropriate Standard Forms and additional documents indicated on the Standard Form Checklist are completed and submitted to the Foundation by the full application due date. Note that the list of required forms differs depending on the purpose of the grant request.
   
   
4. Upon receiving a full application, the Foundation will conduct a full application review which may include an applicant interview, a site visit, and/or a request for additional information.
   
   
5. Applicants will be notified in writing of the results of their application in late June for spring applications and late December for fall applications.
   
   
6. All required forms are available here.

Grant Confirmation and Follow-up:

1. Within one year of the award of a grant, the recipient organization must report to the Foundation confirming the use of grant funds in accordance with the application for which the grant was awarded and advising the status of the outcomes from the use of grant funds.
   
   
2. The organization must report any variances or unanticipated results from the use of grant funds.
   
   
3. The Foundation may conduct site visits at any time prior, during or after use of grant funds to observe operational and project activities and to interview staff, volunteers or clients affected by the grant.
   
   
4. The organization must respond to any requests for information from the Foundation for historical or trend analysis, subject to any client privacy issues that may apply.