apply for our grant

Purpose

The purpose of these funds is to support projects that will substantially contribute towards meeting the mpls downtown council’s Intersections: The Downtown 2025 Plan goal of Ending Street Homelessness by 2025. These funds are intended to help people who are experiencing homelessness and living unsheltered. The grants are intended to help launch projects that will help us reach the goal of “Functional Zero”, the point when the number of people experiencing street homelessness is not larger than the number of housing placements available. The funds will support activities such as housing placement, street outreach, daytime activities, or novel support services that will benefit people experiencing street homelessness in downtown Minneapolis. Ultimately, these activities will help people find and retain housing, and improve the livability of downtown Minneapolis. Click Here to download the application.

Background

This request for proposals was made possible by generous corporate and individual donations by members of the mpls downtown council (mdc). The Ending Street Homelessness Committee is a volunteer committee that seeks to find ways to meet the goal of ending street homelessness by 2025.

Criteria and Scoring

Target Population – 10 points

Funded projects will serve people who are currently experiencing homelessness and are unsheltered. Special emphasis will be placed on people experiencing long-term homelessness and living in downtown Minneapolis or spending a large amount of time in downtown Minneapolis. The needs of vulnerable groups within the unsheltered community will also be given special consideration. Here are a few examples:

• Youth, traditionally unsheltered, doubled up, couch hopping, etc.
• LGBTQ people who are unsheltered
• Unsheltered Veterans

Please note this is not an exhaustive list. If you serve a community not listed here, we look forward to hearing how you will help end them to end their homelessness. If you are serving a group that is not receiving services and housing, please highlight that fact and describe the unique characteristics of their need.

Need – 10 points

The need for the project should be well described and specific to your target population. If possible please use available statistics and describe the need specific to downtown Minneapolis.

Activities – 10 points

The actual use of the funds during the one year grant should be described. Please describe the staff involved and their qualifications.

Project Feasibility – 10 points

Successful projects have adequate funding and staff committed to begin as close to the project being awarded as possible. Projects will be judged according to the degree to which projects are ready. If the project is new or a significant expansion, please indicate whether additional funds are secured, pledged, or pending. If you are looking for support for an ongoing project,
please state this in your narrative. Please indicate whether or not staff are hired or not. Please include a timeline with major milestones for your project.

Overall Goals

The goal of the Ending Street Homeless committee is to extend housing and outreach efforts so that the people who sleep outside or in inhumane places have shelter, treatment, and job training to ensure that people can retain their housing and move towards better health and independence. Ending street homelessness is defined as providing shelter for all who sleep on the streets or in other unsuitable places. It also means substance abuse disorder and mental health treatment,
job training and activities to occupy those who are unemployed. Ending street homeless will also decrease the frequency of livability crimes (loitering,
panhandling, public intoxication, etc.) that deter investment in downtown Minneapolis. Eliminating street homelessness will be a huge force in moving forward the other major goals of The 2025 Plan.

Projected Short-Term Results – 10 points

Successful applicants will describe the desired results of the project to be achieved by the end of the one-year grant period. The results should demonstrate a connection towards meeting the goal of ending street homelessness. Here are some examples of potential results:

• Number of people served or reached
• Goals for program and utilization
• Types of services provided
• Neighborhood quality of life improvements
• Improvements to serving an underserved population

Please note this is not an exhaustive list. We encourage you to be creative and look forward to seeing your projected results.

Long-term Outcomes Desired – 10 points

Successful projects will have long-term outcomes that will help to achieve the goal of ending long-term homelessness by 2025. Please describe your long-term outcomes and how your project will benefit the people you serve and downtown Minneapolis. Here are some examples of long-term outcomes:

• Housing retention
• Improvements in the stability and health and independence of the people served
• Neighborhood quality of life improvements
• Reduction in the use of emergency services

Please note this is not an exhaustive list. We encourage you to be creative and look forward to seeing your projected long-term outcomes.

Innovation – Points added throughout (Maximum of 3 per each criteria)

Innovative projects may receive additional points by working towards the goal of ending street homelessness in novel ways that may produce more effective services or produce replicable service models. Innovation for innovation’s sake is not necessary. But if innovative services are proposed, improvements to the methods currently used to provide outreach and other services and housing are welcome.

RFP Details

Deadline – Proposals and attachments must be submitted by email to p.verrette@houseofcharity.org by 4 pm on February 2, 2019. Funds Available - There is $70,000 available. Grants will have one-year terms with no guarantee of renewal. Grants are likely to range in size from $10,000 to $50,000. The Ending Street Homelessness Committee reserves the right to reduce the amount awarded from the proposed amount.

RFP and Grant Distribution Process

The Grants Sub-Committee of the Ending Street Homelessness Committee will make decisions roughly two months after the application deadline. If site visits are required or there is a large number of applications, the process could take longer. Any changes in the schedule will be communicated via email to the applicants. The sub-committee is a group of volunteers that will judge the proposals according to the scoring system described above. Members declared any potential conflicts of interest. When there is a potential conflict of interest, the reviewer will not take part in the scoring of that organization’s proposal. Application Form: Please fill out the attached application form and submit the following attachments:

• Project budget
• Most recent annual report
• Most recent audited financial statements (if applicable)

Eligibility

501(c)(3) nonprofits are eligible to apply. Organizations that are not 501(c)(3) nonprofits must have a fiscal agent to receive a grant.

Contact Information for Questions

Please send in your questions by email to Paul Verrette at p.verrette@houseofcharity.org. If you would like to receive the responses to all questions, please email Paul Verrette at the address above. He will send out the answers to all the questions to anyone who is interested. If you have not completed a grant application before, please contact us well in advance of the deadline to get adequate help.