Grant Applications Made Easy: �Tips on making your application stand out

Rich Longer Laura Whitford Ron Sutton

Twin Tiers Disc Golf Assoc. Dr. Lyle F. Renodin Foundation Manley Trust

Rich Longer

Benefits to Community

• Family Activity
• Competitive Activity – Leagues
• Recreation and Exercise for all ages
• Low Barrier of Entry
• Disc Golfers Travel from surrounding areas and bring revenue to local business

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Twin Tiers Disc Golf Association

Est. 2020

• Rich Longer President
• Natalie Montague Treasurer
• Jim Hines Secretary
• Darrell Klute Communications
• Kevin Bigham Events Director
• Michael Culliton Course Superintendent

Events

Course Development

Grant Tips

the Applicant Perspective

Amount Date Project Grant

• $500 6/13/2021 Gargoyle Park Walmart Community Grants

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• $1,000 11/19/2021 Gargoyle Park CRCF Community Fund

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• $1,000 4/22/2022 Franchot Park United Way of Cattaraugus

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• $15,000 5/6/2022 Franchot Park RCW Legacy Funds

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• $16,000 5/6/2022 Youth Sports RCW Legacy Funds

Twin Tiers Disc Golf Grant Timeline

What Makes an App Stand Out?

• Funder Relationship
• Collaboration
• Strong Data

Relationship with Funder

• Emails, phone calls, meetings
• Follow Ups
• Welcome feedback

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Collaboration with other Organizations

• Collaboration multiplies the impact

• Diversified Sources of Funding

Family of Noah Boser

Strong Data emphasizing need for Project/Program

• What is Grant looking for? Information Sessions
• What need are you filling (public health, etc.)
• Can you incorporate data from Foundation Report?
• Example: State of Play Report
• Sometimes you need to create your own data

What specific community need does this program address?

• “Every time a person ventures outside to play disc golf, they take an average of 6064 steps. Cattaraugus County has some of the worst health statistics due to high levels of obesity and smoking. The State Department of Health obesity data shows one-third of the students in grades 6 to 12 in Cattaraugus County are overweight or obese according to their body mass index, or BMI.”
• “According to the State of Play, only 16% percent of Western New York youth get one hour of daily physical activity. All you need to play disc golf is a frisbee and access to a public course. Its affordability and accessibility offer youth a more reliable viable source of daily exercise than the congregation of neighborhood groups necessary for traditional team sports. This is especially important during a pandemic.”
• “Disc golf has one of the lowest financial barriers to entry as 95% of disc golf courses are free to the public. Participants only need a means of transportation to access the sport. As a result, disc golf has experienced most of its explosive growth among adults. The incorporation of disc golf into public school physical education has been much slower. To add to the growth gap, less than 10% of disc golf courses on the Disc Golf Course Review Registry are beginner friendly with average hole length under 150 suitable for children under the age of fourteen. There are only a handful of beginner-friendly courses in Western New York: Tonawanda, Livonia, Brockport and Corfu. There are zero youth courses in the lower half of Western New York. Franchot Park will be the first youth disc golf centrally located in Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties. As a result, WNY youth disc golf is in its infancy stages.”

Other Tips

• Persistence is key – keep applying, following up and using opportunities to build a stronger case

“The squeaky wheel gets oiled”

• Believe in your project 100% - if you don’t believe in it, noone else will
• Show sustainability after funding period (training, low maintenance)
• Show benefit to the community & stakeholders

Dr. Lyle F. �Renodin Foundation

Affiliated with the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany

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Laura Whitford, President

Mission

• Attentive to the religious tradition and pastoral mission of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, New York, is committed to the Gospel stance of social justice, which is lived out in a spirit of love, healing and compassion.

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Grant Applications

• Improve the quality of life of our poor and marginalized neighbors.
• Orgs in Cattaraugus/Allegany Co. in NY and McKean Co. in PA
• Must be a 501c3 organization
• Maximum: $5,000
• Online applications due Feb 1 and August 1
• www.RenodinFoundation.org

Research the Funder

• Visit the Foundation’s website or grant portal
• What are their mission and values?
• Review the guidelines and procedures
• Familiarize yourself with who and what they have funded in the past

Educate!

• Keep it relevant
• Funders have a lot to learn from grantees
• Define your role and what you hold yourself accountable for when looking at community indicators.
• What are the defined needs of the community and how do/will you have an impact in addressing them?

Helpful Hints

• Be clear and concise
• Give yourself plenty of time – to gather info, proofread, etc.
• Make an outline and/or checklist of items needed
• Pick the appropriate funding opportunity
• Follow directions!
• Only submit what is requested
• Submit by the deadline

5 Key Elements

• Well-planned Project
• Clarity
• Educational/Informational
• Well-defined Outcomes and Evaluation Process
• Innovative/Inspirational

Post Approval

• Steward the relationship
• Treat the grant like any other gift of that size
• Keep the funder apprised of any challenges or updates
• Share newsworthy stories that are associated with the grant
• Complete the grant report

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F.T. & Anna C. Manley Charitable Trust

Ron Sutton

Trust, estate & tax attorney

Applications due June 1, 2022!

Applications due June 1, 2022!