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WELCOME!

Keys to a Successful Grant Application

YVCF 2025 Community Grant Cycle

YVCF Nonprofit Fundamentals

2025 Training Series

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Keys to a Successful Grant Application

About YVCF
Our Community Grant Cycle
What’s new for 2025
General Operating vs. Program Grants
Keys to a Successful Application
Webpage for this Grant
2025 Rubric
2025 Application
Impact Grants
Your Questions
Other Grant-seeking Resources

NEXT PRESENTATION (11-11:30am): Financials for Applicants

1-2. Today we’ll share a little about us as a foundation and the background of this grant cycle – which should be helpful knowing what the intent of these funds is.

3-5. We’ll share what’s new for this year, what you won’t want to forget in preparing your application.

11. We’ll try to save a little time at the end for a few questions.

An hour goes fast, so if you have a question that would be good for the whole group –ask away.
If it’s something very specific to your own organization, either of us – Camille and I – are available over the next week or two to connect one-on-one.

A little housekeeping: for those on Zoom, we want to hear your questions: please type them in the chat or unmute to speak up.

13. And please stick around after this first presentation to hear from our finance director Karen and the head of our grant finance review committee, Chris.

They’ll share what you need to know about the financial documents and budgets you’ll be uploading as part of this grant application.

Takeaways: we hope you’ll improve your application scores and get more money out of us this year!

We also hope that what we share today will prove useful in your other grant applications.

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1. About Us

Yampa Valley Community Foundation

OUR VISION: A thriving and connected Yampa Valley�where there are opportunities and resources for all.
What is a community foundation?
What we do:

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SUSTAINING NONPROFITS

IMPACTFUL GRANTMAKING

MEANINGFUL PHILANTHROPY

BUILDING�COMMUNITY

1979 – Founded to save what is now Colorado Mountain College

Today we work across Routt and Moffat counties with a vision that tends to the whole patchwork quilt of all that makes our valley special for everyone.

What is a Community Foundation? We steward funds for charitable purposes – so that means investing some of them in ways that protect them for the future – but also granting some of them out for the needs we face today.

• Like most of you, we’re a 501(c)(3) nonprofit

• One thing that makes a community foundation different than, say, a private family foundation is that no more than 30% of our funds can come from the same single donor. So our grantmaking is as diverse and eclectic as the many different donors who trust us with their gifts.

We’ve broken down what we do into 4 categories:

Trainings like this plus one-on-one support and year-round availability to help you all be better at the good work you do.
When we grant money out, there is a lot going on behind the scenes to make it easier on you as the grantseekers, to make competitive grant cycles like this one equitable and responsive to your needs, to track the impact that these gifts are actually making, and to do our due diligence that everyone receiving these charitable grants—gifts, basically—are doing what they promised, filing their tax returns, registering with the secretary of state, all that fun stuff.
We connect with the donors to encourage them to donate – and then to help them target those donations to the organizations best aligned with the positive impact they want to see.
The final category is where all the BHAGs go: those “big hairy audacious goals” that try to get ahead of reacting to current problems by creating solutions for the future. This is where we might make an impact grant for affordable housing or launch a new vocational training scholarship, or help convene the people who can bring us better transportation – like commuter rail or a regional transit district -- across the valley.

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YVCF Staff

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Tim Wohlgenant

Chief Executive Officer

Traci Hiatt

Director of Philanthropy

Greg Hamilton

Director of Grantmaking

Karen O’Connor

Finance & �HR Director

Holly Wilson

Philanthropic Services Manager

Jenny Campbell

Scholarship Program Manager & Communications Coordinator

Carrie Douglass

Office Manager & Administrative Specialist

Camille Sachs

Grantmaking Manager

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2. Our Community Grant Cycle

Largest competitive grant cycle in Routt and Moffat counties
$656,068 to 81 applications last year
Most funds raised through YVCF’s own fundraising

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Health & Human Services

Education

Arts, Culture, & Humanities

Environment

Recreation

Youth

Animals

Other

So today we’re talking about the biggest annual competitive grant cycle in our part of the state: the Community Grant Cycle from YVCF.

To raise these funds every year, we’ve established endowments that help generate funds, but we also reach out to our fund holders as well as our friends at Steamboat Resort who have made funding this a priority.
All those folks who contribute toward this recognize that this carefully managed, multiple-month-long process is the best way to learn about both the strengths and the needs of more than 80 organizations who will be applying.
Our job today (and throughout this process) is to set you up for success: so you can wow our grant reviewers with all that you’re capable of ... but also compel them to support the funding needs that you all are facing.

The pie chart reflects how eclectic and far-reaching these grants are.

While Health & Human services is the biggest slice, with pretty big chunks for Education, Arts, or Environment, you’ll see every sector is represented.�(By the way: these categories are pretty arbitrary: some of you might protest that you fit in more than one. This year we’re redoing all the categories to better reflect the vast array of services you all provide.)
We also tune into geography: trying to cover the whole valley, from west to east, north to south.
We want to fund any organization doing good work: $3 million budget to $30,000. Big staff or all-volunteer.
80 years in business or just launched last year. If you’re doing good, we want you applying for this money!

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3. What’s New for 2025

Longer word limits
Earlier reporting (on last year's grant): June 2
New guidelines for those with services outside Routt/Moffat (General Operating might be option)

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All guidelines, application questions, and scoring rubrics are updated with you in mind.

We especially try to be clear about how your answers will be evaluated.
Also: we only want to ask questions that might affect your amount of funding.
So if a question is in there and doesn't seem to apply to you, make sure to check the rubric to see how you're going to be scored.

Here's what's specifically new this year:

Due to popular demand, you have a few more words to answer most questions.�• The word limits proved challenging for a number of applicants last year and they let us hear about it 😉�• In many cases if you had 100 words for an answer last year, this year you'll have 150.�• So you've still got to keep it brief: Reviewers have limited time for each application.�• Read the scoring rubric – you’ll hear this from us multiple times today – so that you can tell reviewers only what they need to know to give you a great score.
We're collecting reports on the previous year's grant at the same time that you submit your application.�• We sure hope that sharing the results of your last grant will improve the score of your new application!�• If you haven't spent all of last year's funds yet, we still need a report.�• Some of you might not have spent any of the funds. This is common for summer programs.�• Just update us on your plans for the funds, including how they'll all be spent by early September.
We've made it simpler (we hope) for organizations who work not just in Routt or Moffat county, but also elsewhere in the state.�• In the past you were required to apply for a program grant restricted to our two counties.�• Now you *may* qualify to apply for general operating dollars. We'll cover who qualifies and who doesn't on the next slide.

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4. General Operating vs. Programs

Program Grants

You must apply if:

Annual budget >$1M
Faith-based�

Program application includes�different questions!

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General Operating

Hardest dollars to raise?
Most are unrestricted:�use where needed�(salaries, overhead, ...)
Can be restricted�(e.g., by geography)

If eligible for General Operating, you could choose�to apply for a program ... but why would you?!

One of the hallmarks of our annual grant cycle is our focus on funding general operating expenses.

Research shows these are some of the toughest dollars for nonprofits to raise.
They include all-important salaries, overhead expenses, almost anything that keeps your organization ticking.

The alternative is a programmatic grant, one that proposes one or more specific programs that these funds would be used for.

As a community foundation—we talked about this earlier—we aim to fund pretty much every patch in the quilt that is our nonprofit sector.

Something we’ve noticed in many years managing this process is that bigger organizations (maybe with enough funding to have a development director) have kind of an unfair advantage.
This advantage, this unlevel playing field, is against, say, a little all-volunteer organization that has no paid staff at all!
Here at the community foundation we believe in both kinds of organization. So to level that playing field, we require programmatic grants from two types of organizations:
Those with annual operating budgets over $1 million.�• What do we mean by your operating budget? It's everything you spend to do your work.�• It should be approved by your board for the current fiscal year (the one you find yourself in when you hit 'submit' on this application between now and June 2).�• And it should cover the whole organization, not just one region or program.
Faith-based organizations.

Before you start writing your application, you must determine which type of grant to apply for. This is because the questions—at least a few of them—are different for program grants.

If your budget’s over a million (or you have a faith-based mission), it’s clear cut.
If you qualify to ask for general operating, technically you could apply for a program grant – but Camille and I will pretty much always advise you to ask for general operating. Why would you restrict this grant if you don’t have to?!
Some applicants in the past have chosen to specify a program thinking it would make their application more specific, maybe more competitive and compelling. I would suggest instead of that, apply for general operating then offer a sample of how the funds *might* be spent and the specific impact that would create. Then you’re giving specifics without the money being restricted to that.

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5. Keys to a Successful Application

Review committee are volunteers: respect their time
Funding is competitive: show impact
What you do is important: take heart!
Stand out (Be yourself: everyone else is taken)

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Now to the things we think are key to success in winning grants:

Remember that you’re writing this application for community members who are volunteering a lot of their own personal time.�• They’ll be reading more than 30 applications each!�• Don’t badger them with repeated information.�• Don’t force what you want to tell them into a question that asks what they want to know.�• Watch your acronyms and jargon! Use simple language or explain any term that has any chance of being misunderstood. Someone once said: “Don’t write to be understood – write so you can’t be misunderstood.”
“Evidence” is a common term you’ll see in the scoring rubric – you’re expected to demonstrate in concrete ways how your work will create positive impacts. You’ll need to prove to us that this is real and measurable. Hard numbers can be effective, but there are other ways to prove impact – testimonials and real peoples’ stories can be just as powerful as numbers.
This grant cycle uses charitable money to support the kind of work that each and every one of your organizations does. So if it’s all feeling like a lot of time and effort to get this application put together, don’t forget that we actually want to grant to you! We ask a lot of practical questions about the methods you use and the impact you make, and we require detailed financials and budgets, but we hope that your passion for this work will show through it all.
Finally, since we’re receiving more than 80 applications per year these days, I encourage you to find ways your one application can stand out from the others. Best way to stand out is be authentic. Be you. Know your unique mission, your points of difference, your reason for being, your "why" and make sure our grant committee knows it too.

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6. The Webpage for this Grant

All you need to know for a successful grant in 6 minutes:�yvcf.org/yvcf-community-grant-cycle

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7. Important Reminders

Eligibility:

One application for each single legal entity�(plus one Impact Grant)
Funds must serve only Routt and/or Moffat Counties
501(c)(3) or fiscally sponsored

Dates:

Wed, May 28: deadline for your questions
Application closes Monday, June 2
Site visits happen 7/30-8/19
Notifications 9/5; winners’ checks sent mid-September

Tips, Technical Assistance, FAQs, Helpful Links

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Earlier we shared what’s new this year ... as far as what's not new, many things have not changed – and some of these can majorly improve your application:

Eligibility:�• In this particular grant cycle we only fund public tax-exempt charities. If that’s not you we better talk as there might be an option to go through what’s called a fiscal sponsor.�• These funds may only be used in Routt and/or Moffat County. If you offer services beyond those two counties, your application will have to demonstrate how the funds will stay here: you’ll need some accounting practices in place—they can actually be fairly simple, but there has to be some sort of reliable system—to segregate the funds and track how they were used.�• We only accept one application per “entity.” By that we mean the legal entity—like the name attached to your federal identification number—your EIN.�• This means umbrella organizations with multiple programs that function almost like their own organizations can only apply once per year. Better Tomorrow comes to mind, home of Advocates, Brighter World, Comma, and Queer Futures. Four very cohesive programs there but Better Tomorrow can only apply once per year. That is, unless they also apply for an Impact Grant, as Queer Futures did a couple years ago. In that case you can apply both for one impact grant and one regular grant.
Dates:�• After May 28, we only offer technical assistance with the online grant application system. Get your questions in to us before then!�• This is in your interest: if we gave you answers after that, there's not enough time to act on them!�• Deadline Monday, 6/2�• A key part of our process is a site visit, conducted by one of our volunteer reviewers, through the first few weeks of August.�- They’ll ask questions raised by your application—so this is your chance to improve your score!�- Plan to make the most of this one-on-one opportunity to share your story with a community member who can, in turn, pass that story along to the rest of our committee.�- Site visits are best in-person but they can be virtual if absolutely needed.�• Checks sent by mid-September!
Also in the bottom half of this page: lots of additional info that will set you up for success and may provide self-service answers to your questions.

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8. The Rubric

yvcf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/YVCF_CGC_Rubric_2025.pdf

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9. The Application

Must apply online through web portal
Can collaborate with more than one person contributing (you control who has access to your application)
Can download all questions in advance (minus tips/links)
Do this soon: Review guidelines, eligibility, and rubric!

yvcfgrants.communityforce.com/Funds/Search.aspx

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LOG IN: Create New Account | Forgot Password
TAB 1: PreQual, Fiscal Sponsors, Counties Served } G.O./Prog (some questions open up other questions or notes)
TAB 2: short essays: keep formatting minimal (bold, bullets, numbered lists all good) | Paste from Word or Past as plain text options
Q.16 – HR special circumstances, an example of where you should anticipate questions and address them
Q 16-21: 150 word counts on most of these
Q19+ note program vs. org-wide focus. Check the rubric!
Q22: shared goals/collab: intent – not working in a vacuum, not addressing too niche an audience for charitable funding, see the larger impact of what you do

examples: animals and landscape conservation benefit people too;
Rubric: "meaningful numbers" of people – consider efficiency, ROI. 1:1 human service: can't compete with that? Make your case!

TAB 3: document uploads: 1 combined PDF; title it, annotate big things that might be questioned

Difference between org budget and program
Financials: just balance sheet and P&L – make sure titled with years and no glitched calculations or cut-off data
Cash on hand: liquid assets (need an explanation? see optional Q 28 or cover sheet for financials or budget)
Supporting documents? Only if needed to clarify anything – please don't just throw the kitchen sink at us (e.g., annual report, last newsletter, 5 letters of support). More is not necessarily better as it may reduce the time committee spends on the critical parts of your application.

TAB 4: DASH: Add Collaborator

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10. Impact Grants

Up to $30,000
Application opens later this week (contact Greg or Camille first)
Due June 2
Must be:

Impactful: positive change or transformation within our Valley: build new capability, address unmet needs, significantly expand access to existing resources ...
Transformative within and/or outside an organization.�How is program an exceptional one-time boost in capacity and/or reach?

yvcf.org/impact-grants

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11. Q&A

Your questions?�email: greg@yvcf.org and/or camille@yvcf.org

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12. Other Grant-seeking Resources

Your grantmaking team:

Plus: Bud Werner Library’s reference librarians�(and their magical databases)

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Camille Sachs�Grantmaking

camille@yvcf.org

Greg Hamilton

Director of�Grantmaking

greg@yvcf.org

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Yampa Valley Community Foundation

yvcf.org

970.879.8632

THANK YOU

... and good luck on your application!

NEXT UP:

Budget and financial documents�for grant applicants (30 minutes)