NOTICE OF SUSPENSION OF GRANTS FOR 3RD CYCLE 2008 AND FOR YEAR 2009
Because of the recovery efforts in which the Foundation must engage for its own operations as a result of damages from Hurricane Ike, together with the negative impact of the downturn in financial markets on the Foundation's corpus, the Stark Foundation will continue the prior suspension of the grant-making aspect of its operations through the entirety of Year 2009.
Therefore, the Stark Foundation will not accept any grant applications for Year 2009, nor will be able to consider any grant applications that may be submitted notwithstanding this suspension.
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Grant Application Guidelines for the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation
The Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation (“Stark Foundation”) is a private foundation established in 1961 to encourage and assist education and to improve and enrich the quality of life in Southeast Texas.
In addition to its direct programs, the Stark Foundation endeavors to uphold the legacy of its founders through grants to education and qualified scholarship programs, organizations that seek to improve local health care, and organizations with a focus on local community and social needs. Preference is afforded to programs and organizations that directly influence Orange County, Texas, as well as to those organizations that have secured a minimum of one-third to one-half of the needed project funds prior to making application.
To be eligible for a grant, an organization must (1) be exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and (2) not be a private foundation within the meaning of Section 509(a) of the Code. No grants are made (1) for endowment purposes, (2) to individuals, or (3) to supporting organizations as described in Section 509(a)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Grant request deadlines are March 1, June 1 and October 1 of each year. A grant request should specify the grant cycle for which the request is submitted. Proposals received after the deadline for the cycle submitted may be returned without review. A Proposal should not be submitted earlier than 4-6 weeks before the cycle deadline for which the proposal is submitted. Applications are generally processed within 6-10 weeks following a request deadline, subject to the receipt of all documentation from the applicant.
An organization should limit its grant applications to one application per 12-month period, regardless of whether an application was approved or declined during the prior 12-month period. An organization that has been previously funded must submit a final report and/or an evaluation before additional funds may be requested. For an organization receiving a multi-year grant, the Stark Foundation prefers to defer consideration of any additional grant applications from that organization until after the organization’s multi-year grant is completed and proper evaluation reports have been submitted to the Foundation.
The Stark Foundation has no formal application form. However, to determine interest, the Grant Committee requests that applicants submit a Proposal Letter containing the following required information and attachments:
- Grant cycle for which proposal is submitted (March, June, October)
- Brief history, description, programs, mission and accomplishments of the organization
- Current copy of IRS Determination Letter certifying organization’s tax-exempt status
- List of members of the Board of Directors of the requesting organization and their respective occupations
- Description of the proposed project signed by the President or CEO of the requesting organization, with such description to include (1) documentation establishing need for the proposed project, (2) an explanation of how the proposed project will address such need, (3) the target audience to be served, (4) the names, professions and qualifications of the key individuals of the organization slated to be involved with the proposed project, (5) a line-item budget for the proposed project with income and expenses, (6) the timeline (beginning and ending dates) for the proposed project, and (7) the planned methodology for ascertaining and evaluating progress and outcome of the proposed project
- Specific dollar amount requested from the Stark Foundation for the proposed project and date payment is needed
- List of all other entities and organizations asked to give financial support to the proposed project, including responses to date and respective dollar amounts committed
- List of other funding sources and amounts for the proposed project, including percentage of funding support provided by members of the organization’s Board of Directors for the proposed project
- Sources and levels of financial support for the proposed project after the grant period
- Current operating budget and year-to-date financial statements of requesting organization
- Copy of signed Form 990 for most recent year-end of the requesting organization
- Most recent audited financial statements OR organization-prepared statements. All financial statements submitted must be prepared in accordance with generally-accepted accounting principles
- Copy of signed IRS Form 1023, if the organization is within an advance ruling period
- Copy of certified audits for the last three years (if a young organization, submit last fiscal year’s statements and last IRS Form 990 filed)
ALL of the foregoing requested material must be submitted with the Proposal Letter. Failure to include all information may result in immediate declination. Elaborate submissions are unnecessary, and the substance of the proposal is more important than the form. Submitted materials will become the property of the Foundation and will not be returned, unless the request is not timely received with regard to the application grant cycle.
The Stark Foundation looks for one or more of the following conditions in a grant application:
- The proposed project is well planned and the applicant has the capacity to execute the plan
- Financial support from other sources exists to ensure that the proposed project will be implemented and will continue after the grant period. (Note: As stated above, it will facilitate the review process if applicants have secured a minimum of one-third to one-half of the needed project funds prior to application with the Stark Foundation)
- Stark Foundation support would be vital or catalytic to execute the proposed project
Grant applications and related correspondence should be addressed to the Stark Foundation, c/o Grant Department at the following contact:
U.S. Mail: P. O. Box 909, Orange, Texas 77631-0909
Courier Delivery: 601 W. Green Ave., Orange, Texas 77630-5718
Electronic submittals of grant applications are not permitted. Receipt of a grant application is generally acknowledged within 7-14 days. Personal contact beyond the submission of a Proposal Letter is discouraged and may not be acknowledged unless initiated by representatives of the Stark Foundation.
If the Grant Committee determines the proposed project is within the scope of Stark Foundation interests and funding, it may request that the applicant organization furnish additional information and/or documentation relative to its proposal, the project, and/or the organization itself. Following receipt and review of an application that is determined to warrant further review, representatives of the Stark Foundation’s Grant Committee may contact the applicant to discuss the application, request additional information, schedule a pre-grant interview, and/or request a site visit.
If a grant application is ultimately approved, a grant agreement must be completed and, further, a grantee will be required to submit reports on expenditures of grant funds and the status of the project.
Revised Effective April 1, 2008