COMMUNITY BUILDING MINI-GRANTS PROGRAM
United Way’s Community Building Mini-Grants Program is the only local resource to promote civic involvement and bring about positive change at the grassroots all-volunteer level. The Mini-Grants Program provides financial and technical support to all-volunteer groups working to strengthen the community through projects that address locally identified concerns, issues and events. Through workshops and networking opportunities, grant recipients learn new skills, collaborate and leverage resources. Past projects include: neighborhood events, senior and youth activities, public safety, nonviolence, environmental, performing arts, historical, advocacy and community gardens and more.
ATTENTION:
Mini-Grants Program 2012 Annual Funding cycle is now underway!
2012 Application Deadline: Friday, April 13th
All applicants, including past Mini-Grantees, are required to attend one of the following Orientation Workshops:
(Orientation Workshops cover the A to Z’s of the Mini-Grants Program and provide step by step tips on getting through the application process.)
Pre-registration required for all Orientation Workshops (seating is limited).
New Bedford: Thursday, Feb 23nd @ 6 pm OR Tuesday, Feb 28th @ 10am at the
Salvation Army 619 Purchase Street (please use parking lot entrance)
Wareham: Thursday, March 1st @ 6pm at the Wareham Free Library (59 Marion Rd / Rte. 6)
Acushnet: Wednesday, March 7th @ 6pm at the Acushnet Community Center (232 Middle Rd.
To register or to find out whether your group is eligible, contact Claudia Kirk at 508-994-9625, ext. 13 or at ckirk@unitedwayofgnb.org. Visit the United Way website at www.unitedwayofgnb.org for more details about the Mini-Grants Program.
GRANT CRITERIA
To be eligible for Mini-Grant funding, groups/organizations:
- Must be all-volunteer groups with an established membership
- Have an annual budget/income must not exceed $25,000
- Projects must be specific, small in scale, have a realistic plan and build our local community
- Group must be based in New Bedford, Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Freetown, Mattapoisett, Marion, Rochester, Wareham or Westport
- Legal incorporation 501©(3) is NOT required
- All applicants, including past Mini-Grantees, are required to attend an Orientation Workshop
FUNDING SPECIFICS
- Year-long on-going projects may be funded up to $2,500
- One-time, special events may be eligible for $500 maximum
- Application deadline is in April of each year
- Orientation Workshops are held in February/March – all applicants are required to attend
- Projects must be completed within one (1) year of the grant award.
- Progress Report must be submitted at project completion
For more information about the Community Building Mini-Grants Program, discuss your group /project idea, or pre-register for an Orientation Workshop, please contact Claudia Kirk, Program Director at 508-994-9625, ext. 13 or via email at ckirk@unitedwayofgnb.org.
Click here to download an application in Word or PDF format below:
Click here to download the Mini-Grants Progress Report:
Please do not submit the application or progress report online. Mail or hand deliver only.
TIP FOR FILLING OUT FORMS:
Use your tab key or mouse button to move from field to field.
Remember: Keep us informed of your events by putting us on your e-mail list so that we can support each other and build new partnerships!
2011 MINI-GRANTS AWARDS RECIPIENTS:
| Organization / Group | Project | Award |
|---|---|---|
| A Piece of Cake | Birthday Wishes (birthday party for youth @ Family Homeless Shelter) | $694 |
| A.S.A.P. (All Scholastic Athletic Program) | Inspiring Basic Fundamentals | $1,500 |
| Acushnet Classic Ensemble (ACE) | Colors of the Orchestra | $1,100 |
| Acushnet Historical Society | Audio at the Museum | $500 |
| Bristol County Commission on the Status of Women | ABLE (Achieve, Balance, Lead, Equalize) | $1,500 |
| Busy Hands & Loving Hearts | Circle of Warmth | $1,200 |
| Cove Street Neighborhood Association | Neighborhood Activities & Events | $800 |
| Dartmouth Dog Advisory Work Group | Dartmouth Dog Park | $1,200 |
| Fairhaven Bicentennial Committee | Reenactment of Fairhaven's Founding Ceremony | $500 |
| Freetown Senior Club | "A Quiet Spot" Senior Garden | $1,397 |
| Friends of New Bedford Free Public Library | Library Teen Room at Howland Green Branch | $1,500 |
| GNB Voke Tech After Prom Committee | After Prom Event | $500 |
| Grace Community Breakfast | Sunday Community Breakfast | $600 |
| Holocaust Education Committee | Cultivating A More Tolerant Society | $2,500 |
| Holy Family-Holy Name PTO Health Fair Committee | Get Fit Health Fair | $444 |
| Inner City Youth | Better Me, Better Us | $500 |
| Jireh Swift Elementary School PTO | Family Fun Day! | $500 |
| John W. Decas Community Playground Committee | Community Playground Outreach & Awareness | $1,200 |
| Kaminhu Longi (Long Journey) - Dance Program | Kaminhu Longi (Long Journey) - Dance Project | $1,500 |
| Kids That Grow | Kids That Grow Horticulture Program | $1,000 |
| La Soul Renaissance | The Over Flowing Cup Project | $2,000 |
| Leroy L. Wood School PTO | Sole Sisters | $595 |
| Martha Briggs Educational Club | Sgt. William H. Carney Display | $1,330 |
| Mercy Meals and More | Developing A More Caring and Supportive Community | $2,000 |
| MOMS Club of Fairhaven | The Mom to Mom Baby Comfort Project | $300 |
| Mount Pleasant Street Neighborhood Association | Capacity Building through Volunteerism | $500 |
| Neighborhoods United | Give Peace a Chance | $510 |
| New Bedford High School After Prom Committee | After Prom Event | $500 |
| Nittauke (My Land) Committee | Outreach & Awareness- A Community Clean Up | $500 |
| O.R.P.H. (Orpheum Rising Project Helpers) | Act Now! Before It's Curtains! | $1,200 |
| S.T.E.P. (Success Through Empowerment Partnership) | Empowerment Activities & Events | $500 |
| Serenity Garden Community Garden | Here We Grow Again! | $2,000 |
| Survivors of Victims of Homicide Awareness | Project Hope | $2,000 |
| The Friends of Wareham's Elderly | Senior Nutrition | $2,000 |
| The Women In You | Pay It Forward | $880 |
| V.E.N.C. (Vision, Energy, New Age, Creativity) | Cultural Soul Academy | $1,850 |
| Total | $39,300 |


