Success by Six Grants

The Success by Six Committee of the Keene and Elm City Rotary Clubs offers mini-grants to local non-profit organizations for programs working with young children to help them start school ready to learn. RFPs will be announced in January.
 
Purpose of Program: The Success by Six Grant Program encourages and facilitates community collaborations and partnerships to ensure that young children are healthy, nurtured and ready to successfully enter school by age 6. Grants may only be used to benefit children aged six and under. 
 
Grant requests from collaborating organizations working jointly to carry out a project or mission, or those focused on diverse or disadvantaged populations are especially welcome.
 
Key Partner: The Keene Rotary and the Elm City Rotary jointly fund the core grants. The grant process is carried out by a joint Rotary Success by Six Committee.
 
Geographic Focus: Grants are made to organizations in the City of Keene and the surrounding communities within the western Monadnock region and are expected to focus primarily on children from this region. Specific communities eligible for this grant are:
 
                                               
1. Alstead                                           8. Marlborough                         15. Surry
2. Chesterfield                                   9. Marlow                                  16. Swanzey
3. Fitzwilliam                                    10. Nelson                                  17. Troy
4. Gilsum                                           11. Richmond                            18. Walpole
5. Harrisville                                     12. Roxbury                               19. Westmoreland
6. Hinsdale                                        13. Stoddard                              20. Winchester
7. Keene                                            14. Sullivan
                                               
 
Criteria: 
In all applications for funding, the non-profit’s request must articulate what the expected impact
of the funded program will be, not just provide a wish-list to be funded.
  • Applications for Success by Six grants must indicate how the grant will improve the ability of children under the age of six to succeed educationally, developmentally or emotionally.
  • Grants are to be used for projects or initiatives, rather than for general operating purposes.
 
Grant Amounts: Grants up to $1,500 will be considered. Organizations should expect to spend the funds within 6-12 months, although exceptions may be granted in unusual circumstances. Any organization receiving funds from either grant pool may not apply for either type of grant in the following grant cycle if a stewardship report has been submitted in a timely manner.
 
Grant Timing: 
Requests for Proposals shall be issued annually at the beginning of the calendar year.  Funds may be used at any time during the year. Rotary will endeavor to adhere as close as possible to the following schedule:
 
  • Request for Grant Proposals to be issued in January.
  • Proposals due no later than the end of business on the last day of February.
  • Committee decisions to be made no later than March 31.
  • Notifications to grant recipients by April 30. Funds will be issued shortly thereafter.
  • Follow-up stewardship reports due by Nov 1 unless the proposal includes a request for a longer timeline, in which case they will be due by a date stipulated to the individual organization when the grant is made.
 
 
Information Required in Grant Application:  
Grant applications may be in any format but should be succinct (no more than 2 pages, not including the budget.) They should include the following information:
  • Pool of Funds: indicate whether you are applying for a Success by Six grant or a Community Reinvestment grant.
  • Project Summary: what are the funds to be used for and why?
  • Impact: what difference will the funds make to the children or individuals being served and how will you know that the funds have been effective?
  • Agency Overview: who is carrying out the work and why are they best qualified to do it? How does the intended use of the grant differ from work being done by other organizations in this region?
  • Grant Time-line: Is there a particular time when the grant funds will be needed to carry out the project for which the organization is applying?
  • Amount being requested and whether it is part of a larger project or standalone; if part of a larger project, please provide a summary budget for the entire project.
  • Contact Information of grant recipient, including non-profit tax identification number.
Reporting Required of Grantees:
Organizations receiving grants must provide a one-page stewardship report as outlined above. This report should briefly outline what specifically the funds were expended upon and when, and what the outcome/impact of the funding has been. Consideration for future grants will be contingent upon timely receipt of grant reports.
 
 
Contact Information for Rotary Success by Six and Community Reinvestment Grants:
Info@KeeneRotary.org  designating in the subject line which grant process is the topic of your email.