2011 Impact Fund
Request for Proposals
Impact Fund: Sparking Innovation and Improving Access to Outdoor Experiences
The Impact Fund is designed to support youth-serving organizations with the resources they need
to get underserved youth connected to the outdoors. This round of funding is only open to
organizations whose annual operating budgets are more than $250,000. If your organization has
an annual operating budget of less than $250,000 you may not apply to the Impact Fund; you are
eligible to apply to the Catalyst Fund. Please note this is a change from our previous years. These
grants have the potential to provide resources to overcome some of the obstacles and barriers
identified in the Stewardship Council’s background research. In particular, these funds have the
potential for improving access to high-quality outdoor experiences, enhancing the cultural
relevancy of the programming offered by the grant-seeking organization, or creating an
innovative approach to reaching this population. These funds may be used for, but are not limited
to, dedicated programming or operations, program staff, program development, and capacity
building.
The Stewardship Council will target up to $500,000 to Impact Fund awards in 2011.* Grants of
up to $50,000 will be awarded during two funding cycles. Impact Fund awards are targeted
program grants, and the Stewardship Council will not consider general operating requests in the
Impact Fund grant rounds.
Please note for 2011, the Impact Fund is only open to organizations whose annual operating
budgets are $250,000 and more. If your organization has an annual operating budget of less than
$250,000 you may not apply to the Impact Fund; you are eligible to apply to the Catalyst Fund.
*N.B. Organizations may apply to only one program grant round (Catalyst and Impact Funds)
per year. Therefore, an organization that submits a proposal for an Impact Fund grant may not
apply for a Catalyst Fund grant in the same year, and vice versa.
TIMELINE
Round 1
Request for Proposals Available: January 7, 2011
Application Available: January 19, 2011
Proposal Deadline: March 11, 2011
Awards Announced: June 2011
Impact Fund RFP 2011 Page 1 of 11 January 2011
Round 2
Application Available: April 18, 2011
Proposal Deadline: June 10, 2011
Awards Announced: October 2011
2010 STATISTICS
In 2010, the Stewardship Council received 140 Impact Fund proposals, requesting a total of more
than $5 million. Impact Fund proposals came from the following geographic regions:
Region Counties # %
Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Mateo, Santa
Bay Area 56 40%
Clara, Solano, Sonoma
San Francisco San Francisco 13 9%
Sacramento Sacramento 9 6%
Central Valley: Butte, Colusa, Glen, Placer, Shasta, Sutter, Tehama, Yuba,
6 4%
North Yolo
Central Valley:
Fresno, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Yuba 12 9%
Central
Central Valley:
Kern, Kings, Tulare 7 5%
South
Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Lassen, Mariposa,
Mountain 5 4%
Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiuou, Tuolumne
North Coast Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Trinity, 13 9%
Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa
South Coast 12 9%
Cruz
Multi-region multiple counties in multiple regions 7 5%
Total 140 100%
The Stewardship Council awarded 18 Impact grants in 2010; the average grant size was $27,889.
13% of organizations who applied to the 2010 Impact Fund received grants; 67% of those
grantee organizations had previously received grants from the Stewardship Council.
Impact Fund RFP 2011 Page 2 of 11 January 2011
ELIGIBILITY QUIZ
Prior to beginning the application process, organizations should complete the following quiz to
ensure that they are eligible and qualified to receive grant funding from the Stewardship Council.
The Stewardship Council has a targeted scope of giving. In order to be considered for a grant,
applicant organizations must answer “yes” to all of the questions below.
1. Is the applicant organization: a federal and California tax-exempt organization under IRS Sec
501(c)(3); a public agency, school district, or federally recognized tribe; or a fiscally-
sponsored project of a tax-exempt organization?
2. Has the organization been in operation for at least one full calendar year?
3. Does the organization have an annual operating budget of $250,000 or more?
4. Does the proposed project meet one or more of the following Stewardship Council
objectives?
Increase the participation of underserved youth in successful outdoor urban and
wilderness programs
Improve the cultural relevance of outdoor and park programs to better serve and reflect
the diverse youth of California
Make the outdoors a more integral part of youth’s lives to improve their general health
and well-being
Support coordinated approaches to helping youth get outdoors and to increase their well-
being through partnerships among diverse sectors involved in youth development (e.g.,
health, environmental justice, mental health, education, and juvenile justice)
4. Does the proposed program serve youth within the geographic scope of the Stewardship
Council in Northern and Central California?
Please review the Stewardship Council Service Territory on the research and materials page of
the Stewardship Council website. Because the Stewardship Council’s funding comes from
the 2003 settlement between the California Public Utilities Commission and Pacific Gas and
Electric (PG&E), grant funds can only be awarded to serve youth that live in the PG&E
service area. The Stewardship Council’s geographic scope mirrors that of the PG&E service
territory. Therefore, if the youth served by the applicant organization have PG&E service in
their homes, then the organization is eligible for funding; if not (e.g., if the youth have
Southern California Edison utility service), then the organization is not eligible. The
organization itself does not need to be located within the PG&E service area, as long as the
youth served live within the service area.
Impact Fund RFP 2011 Page 3 of 11 January 2011
5. Do the proposal and requested funds serve youth between the ages of 13 and 18, or for
school-based programs between grades 7 and 12?
An organization that answered “yes” to all of the eligibility questions meets the minimum
criteria for applying for an Impact Fund grant.
APPLICATION
Please read through the rest of the application. The Stewardship Council recommends that
applicants draft proposal responses in the Word template on the website, or in a text document
before copying and pasting the responses into the online application form.
Sections I and II of the application are located online and request contact and organization
information.
III. PROPOSAL INFORMATION AND GRANT REQUEST
Project Title.
Total requested grant amount.* (Impact Fund requests may not exceed $50,000.)
*N.B. Due to the competitive nature of grant funding, the Stewardship Council may use its
discretion to award grants for less than the amount requested. Grantee organizations may be
requested to adjust their proposal budgets to reflect a reduced award amount.
IV. PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Please provide a one to two sentence description of the proposed project. This description
should clearly and concisely summarize the intent and purpose of the project. (75 words / 600
characters)
Please describe the purpose of the proposed project. Explain how the proposal will connect
youth to the outdoors and open space in their community and how youth will benefit from
these connections. (250 words / 2,000 characters)
Please describe the project’s major activities. Clearly explain the activities and programming
for participants. Responses should explain how the proposal will provide multiple
experiences and/or ongoing engagement with the outdoors. (250 words/2,000 characters)
Impact Fund RFP 2011 Page 4 of 11 January 2011
Explain how the program design incorporates best practices or other research-based
approaches. (150 words/1,200 characters)
Describe how the project would be sustained, both financially and programmatically, beyond
this grant year. (150 Words/1,200 characters)
V. PROGRAM INTENSITY AND LENGTH
The Stewardship Council gives priority to organizations that provide ongoing opportunities for
connecting youth to the outdoors that go beyond a one-time outdoor experience. Please answer
the following questions about the proposed project experience for a typical participant:
Over what period will the typical youth participant in the funded program engage in outdoor
experiences?
One or two times only
Ongoing, less than 3 months
Ongoing, 3-6 months
Ongoing, 6–9 months
Ongoing, more than 9 months
For what duration, on average during the period above, will typical participants engage in
outdoor experiences?
Less than 2 hours per week
2–4 hours per week
More than 4 hours per week
Will typical participants have overnight outdoor experiences?
Y/N
If yes, for how many nights (in total)?
3 nights or fewer
4–5 nights
More than 5 nights
Will typical participants have more than one opportunity to have an overnight outdoor
experience?
Impact Fund RFP 2011 Page 5 of 11 January 2011
Y/N
If yes, how many separate overnights will they experience?
1
2
3 or more
VI. PROGRAM CAPACITY
Key Project Staff
List key staff, consultants, volunteers, partners, and other vendors and their roles. (Upload)
Collaboration and Partnerships
The Stewardship Council gives priority to organizations that collaborate with appropriate
partners (who are not paid vendors or contractors) to achieve their goals. Please list and
describe any collaborative partnerships that will support the development and execution of
the proposed project. (250 words/2,000 characters)
Cultural Relevance
The Stewardship Council gives priority to organizations that demonstrate understanding and
commitment to addressing cultural needs within the communities in which the youth
participants reside. Please describe the steps the organization has taken through both
programs and operations to be more responsive to the diverse cultural context and needs
within these communities. Responses may address (but are not limited to): staff and board
representation from the community, professional development, youth empowerment and
development models, and outreach efforts. (250 words / 2,000 characters)
VII. OUTCOMES AND EVALUATION
What benefits will youth participants experience as a result of participating in the proposed
activities? Please select all that apply. (Academic achievement; Career development; Civic
engagement; Environmental stewardship; Health and wellness; Youth development)
What are the primary participant outcomes expected from the proposed project? How will
youth change as a result of their participation? How will these outcomes be achieved? Please
be as specific as possible in describing expected outcomes. (200 words/1,600 characters)
Impact Fund RFP 2011 Page 6 of 11 January 2011
What are the primary community outcomes expected from the proposed project? How will
the project benefit members of the community who did not directly participate? Please be as
specific as possible in describing expected outcomes. (200 words/1,600 characters)
If there is existing outcomes data for the proposed project, please include a short description
of results to date and how these findings have been incorporated into the program. If not,
please describe how the program outcomes will be measured and how findings will be
incorporated into the program. (200 words/1,600 characters)
VIII. DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
Population Served
Population Served - The Stewardship Council gives priority to projects that target
underserved youth, as defined within the context of the applicant organization’s service area,
and are able to demonstrate competency in providing program services to the underserved
population. Please explain the specific need of the youth and the community that will directly
benefit from this proposal and how the proposed activities address this need. Responses
should clearly articulate the need to connect this specific community of youth to the
outdoors. (200 words/1,600 characters)
Please indicate the total number of youth ages 13–18 (or grades 7–12) that are expected to
participate in the proposed project.
What is/are the primary city/ies the youth come from?
What is/are the primary county/ies the youth come from?
Please estimate the number of youth participants that will actually participate in the
proposed activities, by race/ethnicity.
Race/Ethnicity Number
Alaska Native or American Indian
Asian
Black/African-American
Hispanic/Latino
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
White
Multi-racial
Impact Fund RFP 2011 Page 7 of 11 January 2011
Other – describe:
Unknown
Total (this should be the same as the answer in Q5)
Please estimate the number of youth participants for these activities, by gender.
Gender Number
Male
Female
Total (this should be the same as the answer in Q5)
Please indicate the percentage of participants in this program that are eligible for free and
reduced price meals.
o Please indicate the percentage of program participants, sponsored through this grant
request, that are eligible for free or reduced price meals.
Organization Staff
Please indicate the total number of organization staff:
a. Full-time staff.
b. Part-time staff.
c. Volunteers.
Project Staff
Please indicate the total number of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff employed for this
project. For example, two half-time staff would equal 1 FTE. Do not include volunteers.
Please provide the total number of salaried staff employed for this project, by race/ethnicity.
Race/Ethnicity Number
Alaska Native or American Indian
Asian
Black/African-American
Hispanic/Latino
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
White
Multi-racial
Other – describe:
Please provide the total number of salaried staff employed for this project, by gender.
Impact Fund RFP 2011 Page 8 of 11 January 2011
Gender Number
Male
Female
IX. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Proposed Project Financial Information
Please provide a brief description of how the requested funds will be used. (75 words/600
characters)
Project budget and budget narrative. (Upload)
Please upload a project budget and a budget narrative. For each line item in the budget for
which Stewardship Council funds will be allocated, please provide a brief description of
how the requested funds will be used. To better clarify expenses, please break out line
items as much as possible.
Finally, please show the entire budget for the project in addition to specific budget items that
will be supported by Stewardship Council Impact funds.
See the Stewardship Council website for examples. For example:
Stewardship Council Other Funding
Expenditure Total Cost Narrative
Request Sources
Bus transportation for three trips to the
Transportation $5,000 $2,500 $2,500 wilderness for 35 students to attend a seven-
day outdoor program
50% of the program manager’s time for the
Salaried Staff $20,000 $10,000 $10,000
management of this project
Benefits are calculated at 20% of total salary
Benefits $4,000 $2,000 $2,000
costs
An ecological restoration technician at
$25/hour for 150 hours; technician will assist
Contract Staff $4,000 $2,000 $2,000
youth with planning and coordination of
restoration projects
Totals $33,000 $16,500 $16,500
A note on Administrative/Overhead expenses:
The Stewardship Council asks that applicant organizations limit indirect/overhead expenses
to no more than 15% of the total project budget.
Impact Fund RFP 2011 Page 9 of 11 January 2011
Indirect/overhead expenses are costs not directly related to the project, but necessary to run
the organization. These costs may include rent; salaries of administrative, fundraising, and
executive staff; utilities; mailing supplies; etc. Grantseekers should be careful to separate out
direct and indirect costs in their budgets and make sure that budget items are accounted for in
only one of the categories.
For more financial information and budget templates please visit the website.
Other major funding sources for this project (e.g., grants and contracts from foundations,
corporations, government agencies, individual donors, etc.). Please include the name of the
funding source, the $ amount requested and the status of the request (Pending,
Committed/Received). For example: Company ABC – $5,000 – Pending, Fee for Services –
$10,000, XYZ Foundation – $25,000 – Received.
N.B. The Stewardship Council prefers to support no more than 50% of the financial
investment necessary to implement a project.
Organization Financial Information
Total annual operating budget amount
Total annual operating budget for the current fiscal year (e.g. 6/30/2011 or 12/31/2011),
which includes the program for which you are requesting funding. If the applicant is part of a
larger organization, please use the operating budget for the department or division. (Upload)
A Statement of Financial Position and Statement of Activities for the most recent fiscal year-
end (e.g. 6/30/2010 or 12/31/2010). These documents are also referred to as a Balance Sheet
and Income Statement. (Upload)
A Statement of Financial Position and Statement of Activities for the previous fiscal year
(e.g. 6/30/2009 or 12/31/2009). These documents are also referred to as a Balance Sheet and
Income Statement. (Upload)
Your most recent 990 that has been submitted to the IRS. (Upload)
Please note: we prefer audited financial statements, but it is more important to have recent
information. If you do not have an audit, please send us your unaudited or draft statements.
Other major funding sources for the organization (e.g., grants and contracts from
foundations, corporations, government agencies, individual donors, etc.). Please include the
name of the funding source, the $ amount requested and the status of the request (Pending,
Committed/Received). For example: Company ABC – $5,000 – Pending, Fee for Services –
$10,000, XYZ Foundation – $25,000 – Received.
Impact Fund RFP 2011 Page 10 of 11 January 2011
X. OTHER MATERIALS
Applicant organizations may upload one .pdf document with materials and/or photos of the
proposed project. The .pdf may not be larger than 4mb in size.
PROCESS QUESTION
How long did it take to complete this application?
- less than 4 hours
- 4–8 hours
- 9–16 hours
- 17–24 hours
- more than 24 hours
Impact Fund RFP 2011 Page 11 of 11 January 2011