Guidelines for NEACOL 2015 Project Grants Selection

NEACOL is pleased to announce its grant program for 2015, now with a
substantial increase in the funds that are available for distribution to successful
applicants. As in previous years, grants will be awarded to further NEACOL's
mission to improve the health, nutrition and education of vulnerable children in
Colombia. Key elements of our program include:

Grant submission deadline: June 19th, 2015

Funding priority: Education, Health and Nutrition.
Grant range: starting at $5,000 and up to $20,000, depending on the
scope of project. More than one grant may be awarded during this year.
Organizational budget: Organizations of any size can apply as long as
they meet the eligibility criteria.

Funding Priorities:
The mission of NEACOL's annual awards is to leverage resources to support
social programs and to coordinate efforts that contribute to improving living
conditions of Colombian children in need. We have identified three broad areas
of social services that are in alignment with our mission. Our grant program gives
priority to programs that focus on the following specific areas:

improved nutrition
improved health
improved education

NEACOL believes that its goals can best be achieved by directing its resources
to entities that meet certain requirements. Consequently, grants will NOT be
awarded to the following types of applicants:

Private individuals.
Programs that serve children outside of Colombia.
Programs that serve sectarian or religious purposes.
Programs that serve political purposes.

Grant Range:
NEACOL will award grants starting at $5,000 and up to $20,000, depending on
the scope of project. More than one grant may be awarded during this year.
Funding is limited and the grant program is highly competitive.

Organization Eligibility:
Eligibility is limited to non-profit agencies located in Colombia and serving
Colombian children. Organizations should be working in the broad areas of
education, health and/or nutrition.
NEACOL is committed to non-discrimination. We support organizations that use
all reasonable efforts to recruit, hire, train, promote and serve persons without
regard to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital
status, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law, except where
such status is a bona fide qualification for the service being provided and is
related to the organization's mission.
Standalone programs within umbrella organizations may be eligible for capacity
building support, if they meet the following criteria:

The umbrella organization provides the non-profit [501(c)3] status but not
much more.
The program has a separate budget and must raise its own funds to cover
this budget (The umbrella organization may cover a small proportion of the
administrative costs).
There is a letter of agreement/understanding between the program and
the umbrella organization.
The program is central to the mission of the umbrella organization and
serves a substantial number of its target population.

Selection Criteria:
Projects will be judged on their ability to help organizations serve children in
need. NEACOL seeks to award grants where the amount invested can have an
impact that is significant and verifiable. When reviewing grant proposals, we will
look for the following:

The organization must be a legitimate non-profit charitable organization,

such as a 501(c)(3) corporation.
The organization must have a sound plan for using the funds to strengthen
its capacity as a nonprofit organization serving Colombian children.
Evidence that the grant will help the organization secure future funding,
affiliation, stability or other benefit.
Grant funds are not intended to support annual operating expenses.
Proposal completeness, clarity and conciseness.
Evidence that the project can be reasonably expected to meet its goals.
The requested budget must be consistent with goals of the projects and
with the size of the population that it is expected to benefit.
Size of the population to be benefited by the project.

Evaluation of impact of the project.

Additional considerations:
Ability to increase the impact of the grant requested by sharing program
cost with funds from other organizations.
References or recommendation from a member of NEACOL

Application Deadline
June 19th, 2015. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Proposal Format
Proposals must be submitted through email at: project@neacol.org or through
NEACOL's website at www.neacol.org the proposal must include the following
information:
I. Information about the organization: describe the mission, impact and
profile of the population that the organization benefits. There should be
special emphasis on the needs of the population of children and/or
families that the non-profit organization serves. Please include a copy of
the organizations registration in Colombia.
II. Project management: name, contact information and resume of the
person who is responsible for implementing the project.
III. Project implementation plan that includes:
a. Overall goal of the project or activities to be funded,
b. Population that will benefit from the project (number of people, ages,
needs, etc.),
c. Project Description should provide a clear statement of the work to
be undertaken and must include: objectives for the period of the
proposed work and expected significance, and relation to overall
mission of the organization.
d. Budget related to execution of the projects or activities to be
implemented. It should specify the total cost of the project, the
amount requested from NEACOL, and any supplemental funds from
other organizations.
e. Evaluation and deliverables. The proposal must include an
evaluation strategy to determine the outcomes of the project and the
extent to which its goals were accomplished. It should include:
measurement criteria, data collect and analysis, and final reporting.

Submit a proposal

Process Review:
The NEACOL Project Committee reviews all proposals and makes funding
recommendations to the NEACOL Board of Trustees. The Board makes final
decisions on selection of grantees and amounts of awards.
Our review process takes up to two months to complete. Proposals that do not
meet the submission deadline or grant guidelines will be eliminated. These
applicants will receive early notification of their rejection. Otherwise, email
responses to grant applicants are sent after the Boards final decisions are made.

NEACOL Grant Awards:

All grant awardees will be invited to receive their grant award at the NEACOL
Celebration of Giving Gala in the fall of 2015.
Reporting Requirements:
Agencies receiving grants from NEACOL are expected to report on their progress
as well as the final impact of the project. An initial report should be submitted
within 6 months of implementation, and a second report once all work is
completed. The second report should include an impact evaluation of the project
as well as a financial statement detailing the expenditure of the grant.
If projects are not complete by the deadline, agencies should submit an Interim
Report on their progress and request an extension.

For more information or to discuss a program idea, please contact:

Chair of the Project Committee: Claudia Urrea at calla.urrea@neacol.org