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Rise’s mission is to work in partnership with community-based and other organizations to redevelop and strengthen neighborhoods and communities.  By providing capacity-building assistance, housing development services and access to financing, we make the connections between non-profit community organizations, financial institutions and government that make successful neighborhood revitalization possible.  Our CDC Capacity Building and Collaborative Grant Program is designed to build the capacity of local community development corporations (CDCs) through a combination of organizational development initiatives and financial support.

Rise recognizes that the financial support necessary for CDCs to build organizational capacity and achieve community development goals is not as widely available as it might be.  To address this need, we have allocated funding in 2014 to provide a limited number of competitive Collaborative Grants to selected community development corporations.  Collaborative Grants will be outcome-based and awarded to help CDCs complete a specific goal or neighborhood objective.

Applications are being made available on a competitive basis to CDCs serving St. Louis County, the City of St. Louis, Madison County, IL and St. Clair County, IL.

A grant workshop for CDCs that may seek to apply for a 2014 Rise Collaborative Grant will be held Friday, October 3, 2014 from 10:00 am to 11:30 am at the Thomas Dunn Learning Center. It is not required but it is strongly encouraged that eligible CDCs attend the workshop.  Please contact Brian Hurd ([email protected]) to RSVP for the workshop.

Letters of Intent are due October 17, 2014.

Fully completed applications must be delivered to Rise by 4:00 PM Friday, November 21, 2014, 1672 Washington Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63103, attention Rick Bonasch ([email protected]) or Brian Hurd ([email protected]).  Email submissions are encouraged.

Award announcements will be made Monday, December 15, 2014.

Grant Instructions & Application Forms

Collaborative Grant Application Instructions 2015

Collaborative Grant Letter of Intent Form 2015

Collaborative Grant Program Application Form 2015

Training Workshop Materials

Collaborative Grant Training Workshop 2015 – Announcement

Grant Frequently Asked Questions

To submit questions e-mail Noel McKay [email protected]

Questions about the budget requirement:

Question: Does the 2015 budget that we submit (with the Collaborative Grant amount included) need to be approved by our board?

Answer: No. We understand that this will be a preliminary budget, contingent upon being awarded a grant.

Question: Must we include profit/loss statements?

Answer: The profit and loss statement is not required for submission. However, the organization’s 2014 approved operating budget is required.

Question: Do these grants need to be spent in 2015 or 2016?

Answer: 2015

Collaboration Questions:

Question: My CDC has formed a collaboration with another agency for this application. If my partnering agency has the stronger capacity to serve as the fiscal agent for the grant, should they serve as the lead applicant?

Answer: No. The CDC should serve as the lead applicant and the fiscal agent. Remember that Rise will support you through the process.

Questions about Measuring Outcomes:

Question: Do proposals need to be restricted to smaller geographic areas? (For example, would an organization be eligible if it wants to provide financial counseling to low-income residents throughout St. Louis city?)

Answer: This grant program is for place-based initiatives, so proposals need to be able show how they would affect measurable outcomes to benefit a defined geographic neighborhood or community. The example in the question does not meet this criterion, and would not be eligible.

Question: What happens if I achieve outcomes that are unexpected?

Answer: Track them! Often there are unexpected outcomes but they still help to show the effectiveness of your efforts.

General Questions:

Question: Should I submit my application via email or as a hard copy?

Answer: Submit the Letter of Intent via email, but the Full Application may be submitted by email or as a hard copy. Each must be received no later than the stated times and dates.

Question: Does the amount of technical assistance that a grantee receives depend on the size of their financial award?

Answer: No

Question: Is a client-based project appropriate for this grant program?

Answer: It depends. The focus of the Collaborative Grant Program is on place-based initiatives, so we want to be able to see how the project outcomes will extend beyond the individual to benefit the community as a whole.

Additional Resources

Below are links to materials from a Saint Louis University School of Law Legal Clinic training on collaboration in the non-profit sector. These materials are not a formal part of the Collaborative Grant application package, but may be useful to applicants.

SLU Law Clinic Presentation Slides

SLU Law Clinic Collaboration Checklist

7-30-2014 This seminar is now full and therefore enrollment is CLOSED. Look for announcements of upcoming trainings and seminars in the near future.

Social Enterprise Advancing Sustainable Community Development

Please join Rise as we collaborate and share information among community development professionals, bankers, investors and other engaged stakeholders to identify innovative social enterprise models that advance sustainable community development.

Under reduced federal funding support and economic challenges in neighborhoods and communities, some community development corporations are supporting enterprises or launching their own to address these issues.

One of the biggest challenges in today’s economy is the alleviation of poverty. Unemployment, lack of economic opportunities and the inability to provide for one’s needs and those of one’s family, lead to destructive consequences at the individual level and can lead to crime and armed conflict at the community level.

While the latest development theory recognizes the importance of entrepreneurship and micro-enterprise generation in combating poverty, providing employment and increasing income, in order to address poverty at the grass-roots level, community development professionals need to explore the intersection of traditional business concepts with social venturing. This training seminar aims to provide a basic understanding of social entrepreneurship that will help participants assist with putting theory into practice in a meaningful way.

Through a diverse group of guest presenters, this training seminar will examine entrepreneurship and enterprise generation as a key foundation of sustainable community development of both economic and social capital in urban core communities, as well as individual self-sufficiency and community empowerment. Its main emphasis will be the exploration of entrepreneurship with an imperative to drive social change and build sustainable ventures. Its focus will be on understanding enterprises in the context of disadvantaged communities. Information will be shared by those owning, operating and financing social enterprises so that community development professionals participating in this training seminar will gain valuable insights into fostering the development of new enterprises —– and potentially owning and operating their own enterprises within their communities.

Date:	Friday, August 22, 2014
Time:	9:30 a.m. – Noon
Location:	Thomas Dunn Learning Center, 3113 Gasconade Street, St Louis, MO 63118
RSVP	Contact Brian Hurd Technical Assistance Program Manager 333-7012 (tel) or brian@risestl.org (email)

Outcomes for Participants:

• Understanding the role of enterprise development in poverty reduction
• Identifying key elements to designing a successful social venture
• Analyzing social entrepreneurship in the context of developing sustainable businesses
• Networking with resource organizations for social enterprise development projects

Please continue to visit Rise’s website at risestl.org for updated information of confirmed speakers and other important information.