INITIATIVE GRANTS
The Foundation aims to devote a third of its annual grants budget to larger initiatives serving the same geographic areas served through its Community Grants.
The Board of Directors periodically establishes specific areas of interest for Initiative Grants (although it may consider other areas). The current Board is especially interested in grants:
01. Serving the rural areas of our footprint, such as projects related to broadband access, economic development, healthcare access, and nonprofit capacity.
02. Serving veterans and military families through coordinated service delivery, mental health services, and homelessness prevention.
03. Serving youth and adults who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
INITIATIVE GRANTS OVERVIEW
01. APPLICATION FORMAT – Online Portal Only
02. DEADLINE FOR LETTERS OF INQUIRY (LOIs)
LOIs are accepted on a rolling basis after first speaking with President.
03. OTHER KEY DATES
Grants are awarded at quarterly board meetings (generally first Friday in March and June, second Friday in September and December)
04. TYPES OF GRANTS AVAILABLE
Program
Capital
Nonprofit Capacity
Program-Related Investments
05. WAITING PERIOD
May be renewed annually
06. GRANT AVERAGE & RANGE
Range: $50,000 to $250,000
Average: $125,000
07. PRE-PROPOSAL CALLS & MEETINGS – Yes
INITIATIVE GRANTS GUIDELINES
Arkansas + North Texas + West Texas
The Initiative Grant requests most compelling to the Board will have some of the following characteristics:
01. They complement our Community Grants.
02. They are a collaboration among service providers or funders.
03. They deliver services in an innovative way.
04. They cover the “last mile,” bridging a gap that otherwise prevents clients from receiving services.
05. They have some “ripple effect,” benefitting clients or communities far beyond the immediate service.
06. They enable the grantee to access public funds, such as providing private match dollars for government grants.
Agencies interested in Initiative Grants should contact Michelle Monse, President of the Foundation, to discuss the potential project and the grant application process in further detail.
RECENT INITIATIVE GRANTS
Rural
Arkansas Impact Philanthropy (AIP): AIP is a collaborative of funders working together to create a prosperous Arkansas for all. In 2017, the King Foundation and the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation funded AIP’s market study of the 12,000 nonprofit organizations of all sizes operating in Arkansas, to determine the scope of the nonprofit sector, specific barriers to growth, and capacity needs. Communities Unlimited of Fayetteville conducted the study, which was published in 2018.
West Texas Rural Philanthropy Days: The Foundation has been the lead sponsor of this multiday rural philanthropy conference, held biennially, since 2011. The conference provides management training for West Texas nonprofits and opportunities to connect with urban-based funders.
Veterans
Endeavors: This San Antonio-based agency is one of the largest providers in the country under the VA’s Supportive Services for Veterans and Families (SSVF) program to address veteran homelessness. King Foundation grants have supplemented Endeavors’ SSVF dollars in North Texas by serving veterans who are on the verge of homelessness yet cannot be served because of current SSVF grant policies or priorities.
With King Foundation grant support, Endeavors also coordinates with the Department of Social Work at the North Texas VA Health System to serve patients with short-term financial needs that hinder medical treatment or hospital discharge, such as paying rent while the patient is undergoing rehabilitative therapy and unable to work. Separately, the King Foundation provides hundreds of DART transit passes each year directly to the Department of Social Work to enable veterans to access treatment.
Youth & Adult Homelessness
After8toEducate: Since 2015, the Foundation has focused a portion of its North Texas Community Grants on young adults aging out of the foster care system, experiencing homelessness, or living at risk of homelessness. In a complementary 2018 Initiative Grant, the Foundation awarded $150,000 toward the new Fannie C. Harris Youth Center in Fair Park. The Harris Center houses a drop-in center for homeless youth and will open an overnight emergency shelter later in 2019. The project is a collaboration among After8, City Square, Dallas ISD, Promise House, and Social Venture Partners of Dallas.
Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance (MDHA): Since 2016, the King Foundation has provided $145,000 for the MDHA Flex Fund, an emergency fund of last resort for social workers at agencies within the Dallas-Collin County Continuum of Care. (The CoC coordinates application for and disbursement of $16 million in federal housing grants.) The Fund covers small but pivotal expenditures that would otherwise prevent clients from obtaining permanent housing, such as the cost of identity documents, security deposits, transportation, medical care, food, legal services, basic furniture, and household items.