last updated: 01/20/23

Grant Guidelines

Social Innovation Guidelines
Special Projects Guidelines
Project ATLAS Grant Guidelines
Social Enterprise Entrepreneurship Development (SE2D) Guidelines
NJ Freedom School Social Innovation Guidelines

 

Schedule of Live Technical Assistance Webinars

The OFBI has scheduled a series of grant specific Zoom training and technical assistance webinars that will provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to register in Blue SAGE, Organization Information, Accessing the Application, & Introduction to Logic Modeling. These sessions are designed to answer questions you might have regarding the OFBI grant guidelines and the application process.

The sessions will also be streamed live on OFBI Facebook page

 

Funding Category	Date	Time	Zoom Link
Project ATLAS	2/6/2023	12p	Project ATLAS Zoom Link
Social Innovation	2/7/2023	12p	Social Innovation Zoom Link
Special Projects	2/8/2023	12p	Special Projects Zoom Link
SE2D	2/10/2023	12p	SE2D Zoom Link
Freedom Schools	2/13/2023	12p	Freedom Schools Zoom Link

 

Supporting Documents

Board Resolution

Project ATLAS Readiness Assessment

SE2D Business Model Canvas

SE2D Revenue Analysis worksheet

SI/SP/PA Logic Model

 

Congressional and Legislative Districts

Congressional districts

Legislative districts

 

Division of Consumer Affairs | Charities Registration:

If you need to apply for your organization’s Charity Registration Number or need to renew, download DCA Portal Filings and Portal Status Definitions for step by step instructions. If you have questions regarding the charity registration process, call the charities hotline at 973-504-6215

Background and Purpose

The New Jersey Department of State, Office of Faith Based Initiatives (OFBI), is soliciting applications for Project ATLAS a capacity building program designed to build the sustainability of faith and community based organizations (FBCOs). The purpose of Project ATLAS is to provide capacity building grants, technical assistance and customized coaching, identified by the OFBI that will strengthen the viability and capacity of participating FBCOs to provide quality social services to the community as specified in this announcement. Grant requests may not exceed $15,000, matching funds are not required. Actual funding levels will depend on the availability of funds.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must be a Faith and/or Community-Based Organization serving low income residents;
• The organization’s budget must be between $0 - $100,000;
• Applicants must have their IRS 501 ( c ) 3 determination letter;
• Applicants must be registered with the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs and have a valid charity registration number;
• Applicants must be registered with the NJ Dept. of Treasury Business Service Center and must have a valid business revenue number;
• Applicants must have their certificate of Incorporation;
• Applicants must be in standing with the NJ Dept of Treasury Business Service Center ;
• Applicant organizations must have been in existence for one (1) year or more;
• Applicants must be willing to actively participate in mandatory training and technical assistance sessions;
• Provides direct services or is in a collaboration with other organizations that provide services specifically based on a community and/or county wide needs assessment.

The Social Innovation (SI) Grant seeks to support creative responses in addressing social issue(s).  The SI grants supports social services targeting individuals that are low income. To determine the income limits for your county.

• Organizations applying for a Social Innovation Grant can only apply for one funding category under Social Innovation;
• Organizations applying for a Social Innovation Grant can also apply for one funding category under Special Projects.

Eligibility Criteria:
Applicant must:

• Be a faith-based non-profit and/or community-based organization;
• Be tax-exempt by determination of the Internal Revenue Service in accordance with Section 501( c )3;
• Be registered with the Department of Treasury,  Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services;
• Be IN GOOD STANDING with the Department of Treasury, Business Service Center;
• Be IN COMPLIANCE with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, Charitable Registration and Investigation Section;   

Ineligible Applicants:

• Houses of Worship;
• Colleges/Universities;
• Public schools, charter schools, or private schools;

College Readiness Program

• The College Readiness grant is designed to create greater access to college targeting the ages between 16 years and 65 years.  Funding can be used but not limited to subsidizing a minimum of 5 college applications fees, college acceptance fees, coordinating college tours, and completion of the students FAFSA application.  The project must report on how many college applications were submitted, how many program participants were accepted and how many will be entering college in the Spring and/or Fall of 2020.

Youth Entrepreneurship:

• The Youth Entrepreneurship grant is designed to develop skills and strategies that equip youth that attend middle school or high school. The goal is to promote entrepreneurial literacy among at risk youth and to help each start his/her own business.  OFBI funds can be used to provide start-up capital (cannot exceed $500 per business idea). The organization will steward the startup capital for program participants.  Organizations applying for this grant must indicate in the application which existing youth entrepreneurship curriculum will be used and why was it chosen.

Science, Technology, Engineering, and/or Arts, and Math (STEM) or (STEAM):

• The STE(A)M grant will create opportunities for at risk youth to creatively explore career pathways in STE(A)M fields.  The goal is to provide high-quality STE(A)M programming that encourages students to incorporate STE(A)M learning in their everyday lives, academic careers and professional endeavors by providing hands-on experience and education in low income communities.  Organization applying for this grant must use relevant, real-world applications of STE(A)M content and involve professionals with STE(A)M backgrounds as part of the program delivery.   Activities may include but are not limited to arts, coding, robotics, astronomy, STE(A)M conferences and gaming, etc.  Collaborating partners must include either a school and/or a school district(s).  The collaboration must indicate how the partnership leverages resources and staff for a successful implementation of the STE(A)M grant.

Download the Social Innovation guidelines

The Social Innovation Special Projects (SSIP) Grant (revised 3/14) supports social services targeting individuals that are low income. To determine the income limits for your county.

• Organizations applying for a Special Projects Grant can only apply for one funding category under Special Projects;
• Organizations applying for a Special Projects Grant can also apply for one funding category under Social Innovation.

Eligibility Criteria:
Applicant must:

• Provide proof of agency budget.  Agency overall budget cannot exceed $1,000,000.
• Be a faith-based non-profit and/or community-based organization;
• Be tax-exempt by determination of the Internal Revenue Service in accordance with Section 501(c)3;
• Be registered with the Department of Treasury,  Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services;
• Be IN GOOD STANDING with the Department of Treasury, Business Service Center;
• Be IN COMPLIANCE with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, Charitable Registration and Investigation Section;

Ineligible Applicants:

• Houses of Worship;
• Colleges/Universities;
• Public schools, charter schools, or private schools;

Funding Categories:
Substance Abuse Recovery Support:  The Substance Recovery Support Services grant is designed to assist low income individuals to recover from the disease of addiction.  The age for program participants is from 10 years – 85 years.  Organization’s applying for this grant category will measure the following:

• What’s the number of unduplicated clients that stay clean/sober for 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, 6 months, 9 months and 1 year? 
• How many have found permanent employment;
• How many remained in school;
• How many have secured permanent housing? 

Civic and Community Engagement: Organization’s applying for Civic and Community Engagement must develop programs that educate community residents on how to effectively work with local government in addressing a social and/or community issue(s).  The age for program participants is from 7 years – 85 years.  Program participants should be introduced to their local and state officials, attend city council meetings and get an appreciation on how government is actually created to serve the public.  Programs should look to show community residents how to advocate for themselves in using government to create progress in their local community.  The project design should indicate quarterly community events that culminate in successfully and collectively addressing a community or social issue with the help of their local publicly elected leaders. 

Tutoring and Homework Assistance Program:  The Tutoring and Homework Assistance Program is designed to focus on the academic needs of students and harness the energies of tutors to assist program participants in completing their homework and/or other school assignments.  The age range is from 5 years - 85 years.  Programs applying for this funding category should be mindful to indicate how the program participants improved their grades in math, reading and science.  Organization’s applying for this funding must have homework assistance and tutorial programming scheduled to start no later than October 1, 2019.   

Services to Seniors: The Services to Seniors grant is designed to provide activities and services that promote aging in place, prevent isolation, and maintain or improve the quality of life of low-income seniors in the community.  The age range for program participants is from 55 years to 100 years. The goal is to prevent, maintain or improve the physical, psychological, and social well-being of older individuals by providing appropriate senior services.  Funds can be used to provide the following programs and services:

• Access to affordable health care and continued participation in a health care program;
• Translation and interpretation services;
• Meals;
• Wellness and fitness;
• Fraud prevention;
• Transportation services;
• Assist in accessing affordable housing.

Download the Social Innovation Special Projects guidelines

Project ATLAS is a capacity building program designed to build the sustainability of faith and community based organizations (FBCOs). The purpose of Project ATLAS is to provide capacity building grants, technical assistance and customized coaching that will strengthen the viability and capacity of participating FBCOs to provide quality social services to the community as specified in this announcement.  Grant requests may not exceed $10,000 matching funds are not required. Actual funding levels will depend on the availability of funds.

Eligibility Requirements

• Applicants must be a Faith and/or Community-Based Organization serving low income residents;
• The organization’s budget must be between $0 - $10,000;
• Applicants must be in standing with the NJ Dept. of Treasury Business Service Center ;
• Applicant organizations must have been in existence for one (1) year or more;
• Applicants must be willing to actively participate in mandatory training and technical assistance sessions;
• Applicants must have an active board of directors or advisory board who have met at least once in the past year;
• Organizations must include a street address where meetings are held and services provided;
• Provides direct services or is in a collaboration of organizations that provide services specifically based on a community and/or county wide needs assessment.

Nature of Capacity Building and Sustainability Activities
Capacity building may be defined as “your organization’s ability to identify and prioritize its development goals and achieve specific improvements that help you more effectively fulfill your mission.”  Sustainability, which results from ongoing capacity building, is the long term stability and viability of your organization in the community.

Project ATLAS applicants will establish “high performing work teams,” referred in this document as Project ATLAS Leadership teams that work with an experienced capacity building coach to improve FBCO sustainability.  A high performing work team is a group of individuals who work interdependently to perform effectively and achieve common goals with each member sharing 100% responsibility for success. 

Specific examples of Project ATLAS’ capacity building and sustainability activities, customized to the specific needs of each organization, are:

• Developing effective boards and board governance processes;
• Building the skills and stewardship abilities of executive leaders ;
• Developing and implementing long-term strategic plans;
• Enhancing technological capacity;
• Building partnerships and collaborations with other community organizations; and
• Learning how to evaluate, document and improve the outcomes and impact of services.

Download the Project ATLAS guidelines

SE2D Project seeks to fund enterprising lead Faith and Community Based Organizations (FCBOs) to implement strategies that address social issues in new and exciting ways.  More than ever nonprofit leaders need to be entrepreneurs. The job of operating a nonprofit organization has become increasingly complicated. Nonprofit leaders face government funding cuts and rising demands for performance and serious questions about the effectiveness and appropriateness of traditional charitable remedies for social problems. These changes pose both opportunities and challenges. The underlying focus of the SE2D Project is to support Faith and Community Based Organizations (FBCOs) to develop and launch social enterprise ventures that employ earned income strategies to directly address social needs through goods and services. 

The SE2D program is competitive and it’s two tiered.  An organization must participate in both tiers to be considered for funding:

Tier 1: Submit the application on SAGE
The maximum score that any one organization can receive for the application is 70.  If the written application scores 39 or below it will not be considered for Tier 2

Tier 2: Pitch
The maximum score that any one organization can receive for the pitch is 30. 

In order to be considered for funding the combination of the written application score and the pitch score cannot be 69 or lower. 

Eligibility Criteria to apply must:

• Be a faith-based non-profit and/or community-based organization;
• Be tax-exempt by determination of the Internal Revenue Service in accordance with Section 501 (c )3;
• Be in good standing with the Department of Treasury, Business Service Center;
• Be registered with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, Charitable Registration and Investigation Section;

Ineligible Applicants:

• Houses of Worship;
• Public/Private/Charter Schools and School Districts;
• Colleges/Universities.

SE2D Project Growth will provide capital formation investments (grants) to existing social enterprise venture (SEV) with the intent to leverage the SE2D Projects capital investment with other private investments designed to grow and eventually scale the enterprise.

• SEV must be beyond the prototype and testing phase and must be at the growth phase;
• They must have been in operation for at least the past two years 2018 – 2019;
• Generating revenue;
• The SEV purpose is to address a social issue;
• Participate in mandatory capacity building entrepreneur training;
• The cost for the business plan development training will be incorporated into the SE2D Project budget at $700 per organization.

SE2D Project Start-up will provide capacity building capital to nonprofit organizations that are in the emergent stage of forming SEVs and require intensive training and technical assistance, business plan development and executive staff mentoring, in an effort to move them from idea creation phase to mission phase.

• Must commit to attend mandatory capacity building entrepreneur training sessions:
• The idea submitted to create the SEV must address a social issue:
• The idea to help people find work will not be funded;
• The idea to help people sell their products separate and apart from the venture will not be funded;
• The idea of helping people create their home based micro businesses will not be funded.
• SE2D II applicants must commit to budget, from the award, $1,400 per organization for staff development.

Download the SE2D guidelines