Sarasota County Foundation

[Updated January 2008]
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:  Administration of this Foundation is moving to Wachovia. Please refer to the information for questions on grant applications, guidelines and administration.

Please click here to view the FAQ Sheet on the transition to Wachovia Administration.

Cordelia Lee Beattie was a concert violinist who retired to Sarasota and became a musician in the Florida West Coast Symphony.  Mrs. Beattie established this foundation in 1973 in memory of her husband, Edward William Beattie.  The grantor's lifelong interest was in music and fine arts and requested that the Foundation focus on the various area organizations in Sarasota County.

In 1958, Palmer First National Bank and Trust (now Wachovia) established this foundation to facilitate the administration of donations for charitable purposes in Sarasota County. Since being funded in 1967, this foundation has made grants for programs and capital projects in Sarasota County. This Foundation does not make grants to capital campaigns or multi-year commitments.

 
Average Grant Size $9,142
Average # of Grants 7
Application Deadline November 15th
Notification Date January 30th




 


 



 

Grants Awarded in January 2008 Grant Cycle

Organization Amount Purpose
     
Community Foundation of Sarasota County   $   9,000 To support the 2007/2008 Season of Sharing Fund
Community Haven for Adults and Children with Disabilities   $   6,000 To support teachers earning Montessori teacher credentials
Mental Health Community Centers   $ 12,000

To provide funding to replace plumbing and air handler/exchanger for Prospect House
Pines of Sarasota Foundation   $ 14,600

To purchase 40 dining room chairs for the Garden (Alzheimer's/Dementia Facility)
Resurrection House   $ 7,500 To purchase milk every week for one year for the breakfast program
Samaritan Counseling Services of the Gulf Coast   $ 9,000 To support the Client Assistance Fund to assist low income, underinsured and uninsured clients
Thaise Educational and Exposure Tours   $ 6,500 To purchase lap tops and peripherals and learning materials

Click here to view prior grant history

GUIDELINES FOR GRANT PROPOSALS

To assist you through the process of applying for a grant, when application is made to the Foundation, all required documentation (Items 1-19 attached) must be submitted in the quantities indicated. This information will not be returned to the applicant. Please be sure to show the Foundation's name at the top of your application.

Foundation funding should be considered part of the strategic plan of your organization.  Advanced planning on any request is beneficial because you can then contact the Foundation office with any clarifying questions well ahead of the deadline.

Priority will be given to those organizations that are smaller in size as defined by budget size, number of paid staff and/or program diversity and whose funding alternatives are more limited in size and diversity.

Organizations may not apply to both the Sarasota County Foundation and Cordelia Lee Beattie Foundation in the same year.

Generally the Foundation will not provide grants for:

- Endowments, deficit financing, debt reduction, or ordinary operating expenses
- Conferences, seminars, workshops, travel, surveys, advertising, fund-raising costs or research
- Annual giving campaigns
- Individuals
- Projects that have already been completed
- Public or private school
- Child care facilities

Organizations are encouraged to compile a list of their future needs and meet with Foundation staff to explore possible fits.  There is no need to have an appointment to discuss your grant prior to application, but you are encouraged to contact the Foundation office if you have any questions. After your application is received, you will be contacted for a telephone interview. It is requested that the Executive Director of the organization participate in the scheduled appointment along with any other appropriate staff or board members.

Personal conversations about the grant application or process with any of the members of the grantmaking decision panels or boards are discouraged.

The Foundation has a firm deadline date which means that the application must be in the Foundation Office before 5:00 p.m. EST on November 15th. Postmarks and electronic transmittals are not acceptable. If the deadline falls on a weekend or a holiday, the deadline is advanced to the next business day. All information required in an application must be complete at time of submittal. Applicants are encouraged to submit their completed applications in advance of the deadline.

When evaluating the application, the grant-making body attempts to determine the value of the project, the soundness of the sponsoring organization and the assurance of future maintenance and funding of the project.

Applicants will be notified in writing of the acceptance or rejection of their request by January 31st.

After the grant is made, the organization is required to complete a Final Report of Grant  Expenditure (sample attached) with certain financial and programmatic information. Future grant requests will not be considered if reports on previous grants are not completed.

 

REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION
 No more than five (5) pages  -  Font size no smaller than 11
 Do not include a cover page.

Please use 8 ½" x 11" paper using the number and letter sequence shown below for identification purposes. Each copy of Items 1-10 are to be paper clipped together (no staples). Please do not bind copies or put into folders.  If a question is not applicable to your grant request, please list the number of the question and state "NA".

ITEMS 1-10 (Seven [7] copies)

ITEMS 11-19 (One [1] copy)
  1. Legal name of organization (name on IRS exemption letter)
  2.  Physical address and mailing address
  3. Contact person, title (including e-mail address, if available)
  4. Telephone number
  5. Fax number and web site address
  6. Amount of money requested for this grant application and total cost of the project     
  7.  Using no more than three (3) sentences, describe how grant funds will be used
  8. Mission of organization, primary goals, and recent major accomplishments of the organization.

  9. Project description (description must, at a minimum, address the following):

  1. Number of clients to be served by this grant

  2. The community need met by the proposal

  3. What other local agencies or services address the same problem(s) and how they do so—a statement of how your approach differs from or augments these services

  4. Plan for output measurement: the direct product of program operation (e.g. # of classes taught, # of participants served)

  5.  Plan for outcomes measurement: the benefit to participants during or after participating in the program

  6. A timetable and/or work plan for the project

  7. If your project/program will cost more than you are requesting from us, indicate how you will fund the balance.  Show any in-kind support, other grants applied for and/or funds already received on your project budget.

  8. If the program is ongoing, indicate a plan for continuing to fund the project after the initial grant period is over.

  1. A line item budget for the project in which you are applying.  Include both revenue and expenses (sample format attached and on website)

 

  1. If applicable, letters of agreement from collaborating organization(s).

  2. Quotations from three separate sources for any individual item or system over $1,000 requested in the grant and outlined in the budget

  3. Amount of your agency’s endowment, if any; AND amount of endowment of affiliated organization and/or foundation, if any

  4. Where applicable, the percent of your annual budget that goes to your national affiliate.  Will any percent of THIS grant go to your national affiliate?

  5. A copy of your organization’s audit or statement of income and expenses for the previous two years AND most recent 990 if applicable

  6. Current annual agency budget with year to date actual and variances (revenue and expenses).  Include next year’s budget if available.

  7. A copy of the organization’s most recent 501(c)(3) determination letter, which is the IRS letter of exemption from federal income tax (not state sales tax exemption certificate) or other proof of federal tax-exempt status

  8. A list of the Board of Directors, their addresses and occupations

  9. A letter signed by the President/ Chairman of the Board  authorizing submission of the proposal

 

For printable budget forms click on the form name below

Sample Capital Budget [Excel]    Sample Program Budget [Excel]

Sample Capital Budget [pdf]                 Sample Program Budget [pdf]

Download Adobe
Acrobat Reader
 Download Acrobat Reader

Final Report of Grant Expenditure

A final report of grant expenditure must be completed and returned to the Sarasota County Foundation office as soon as all funds have been expended or by November 1st, whichever comes first. If the organization wishes to extend the grant period, it must secure  permissions to do so by writing to the Foundation at the address below.  Please be sure to show the Foundation's name at the top of your report.

Include the following information in the Final Report of Grant Expenditure:

  1. Organization Name, address, email address and website address

  2. Grant Number

  3. Amount of Grant

  4. Description of Grant

  5. Name and telephone number of person administering the grant

  6. A financial accounting of how the funds were expended, in addition to copies of receipts and invoices over $1,000.  This should be presented in the form of your budget as shown in the original grant request.  It should include Income and Expenses both Projected and Actual.

  7. Outcomes Measurement is a tool all agencies should use to ensure effectiveness of their programs. You must refer to the outcomes as listed in the grant contract and explain how this grant did or did not meet the outcomes.

    Program/project goal: A broad statement that describes what you accomplished with the funding

    Outputs: Direct products of program/project operation (e.g. number of classes taught, number of participants)

    Outcomes: Benefit to participants during or after participation in the program/project.

  8. Provide an explanation of changes you are making or considering as a result of analyzing your outcomes measurement data.

  9. A candid assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the project. This evaluation will help us as a Foundation improve our grantmaking.

  10. Publicity generated from or for your organization about this award, if applicable (enclose newspaper clippings, newsletter articles, photos, etc.)

Completing this Final Report is a very important responsibility of a grantee. An incomplete, late, or missing report may delay opportunities to apply for grants in the future.
 

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1800 Second Street, Suite 750
Sarasota, Florida  34236
941.957.0442