First 5 LA Community Opportunities Fund Cycle 2

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First 5 LA Community Opportunities FundCycle 2

• Information Session

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Agenda

• About First 5 LA
• Community Opportunities Fund
• Types of grants
• Long-term impact
• Application Information
• Eligibility
• Application process
• Review criteria
• QA
• Project planning

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About First 5 LA

• First 5 LA is committed to creating a future
  throughout Los Angeles' diverse communities where
  all young children are born healthy and raised in
  a nurturing environment so that they grow up
  healthy, are eager to learn and reach their full
  potential.

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What We Do

• Educate and support parents and caregivers
• Provide health insurance coverage for children,
  prenatal to age five
• Increase access to preschool
• Research issues that affect young children and
  their families
• Invest in and collaborate with community
  organizations

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What is the Community Opportunities Fund?

• Based on a responsive grantmaking philosophy.
  Awards two different types of grants intended to
  produce long-term impact on outcomes related to
  supportive parents and caregivers, good health,
  and prevention of unintentional injuries that are
  sustainable beyond the funding term.
• ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING
• POLICY AND ADVOCACY

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Types of Grants

• What is organizational capacity building?
• Organizational development activities that build
  and sustain growth and effectiveness of an
  organization or collaborative with the intention
  of impacting a long-term outcome.
• Maximum amount 150,000
• Maximum duration 3 years

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Capacity Building Project Examples

• Programmatic
• Developing cultural competency of staff
• Staff adoption of new knowledge or skill set
• Operational
• Strategic planning
• Board development
• Developing staff retention plan
• Policy and Advocacy
• Coalition building
• Advocacy 101
• Learning best practices in mobilizing

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Types of Grants

• What is policy and advocacy?
• Advocacy is the effort to raise public awareness
  and influence public policy through various forms
  of persuasive communication and education.
• Policy is a plan of action to guide decisions and
  actions.
• Maximum amount 500,000
• Maximum duration 5 years

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Policy and Advocacy Project Examples

• Conduct asset mapping and use it to inform
  policymakers of community needs
• Write white paper to inform policymakers of a
  policy issue important to your community
• Mobilize community around a policy issue
• Work with policymakers or public institutions to
  draft policy or changes in policy

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What do We Want to Achieve?

• Capacity building to what end?

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What do We Want to Achieve?

• Policy and advocacy to what end?

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What do We Want to Achieve?

• CAPACITY BUILDING
• POLICY AND ADVOCACY

Prevention of Unintentional Injuries
Supportive Parents and Caregivers
Good Health
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Supportive Parents and Caregivers

• Long-Term Outcomes
• Community residents, including parents and
  caregivers, socialize regularly and have strong
  relationships
• Parents and caregivers have knowledge of
  parenting and developmental milestones
• Communities provide parents and caregivers with
  concrete support in times of need

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Good Health

• Long-Term Outcomes Nutrition
• Children consume the recommended daily intake of
  nutrients
• Children and families have access to fruits and
  vegetables within their community

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Good Health

• Long-Term Outcomes Physical Activity
• Children and families have access to appropriate
  locations and opportunities for physical activity
• Children participate in age-appropriate physical
  activity

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Good Health

• Long-Term Outomes Oral Health
• Families have access to appropriate oral health
  care resources
• Parents are aware of early childhood oral health
  needs and milestones
• Families utilize preventative and therapeutic
  dental health services

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Prevention of Unintentional Injuries

• Long-Term Outcomes
• Parents and caregivers are aware of how to keep
  children safe at every stage of development
• Child safety is regulated (i.e. the use of car
  seats, pedestrian safety laws, product safety
  requirements, etc.)
• Communities provide a safe environment where
  young children can grow and thrive (i.e.
  pedestrian safety, safe play equipment at parks,
  etc.)

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The Whole Picture
EXPECTED CHANGE IN THE LONG-TERM

• Sustainable
• outcomes for
• children and
• Families
• Supportive Parents and Caregivers
• Good Health
• Unintentional Injuries

EXPECTED CHANGE BY CLOSE OF GRANT
TYPE OF GRANT
Improved organizational effectiveness

• Organizational Capacity Building

First 5 LA Grant
Policy change
Policy and Advocacy
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Community Opportunities Fund

• Application Information

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Eligibility Requirements

• Policy and Advocacy grants Applicants may be a
  nonprofit organization OR a public agency
• Capacity building grants Only private nonprofit
  organizations may apply (public entities are not
  eligible)
• Applicant organization must reside within and
  serve residents of Los Angeles County and
• Proposed project activities must benefit children
  age prenatal through five years old.

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Agencies New to First 5 LA

• In order to diversify First 5 LA funding, a
  portion of second cycle funding will be granted
  only to
• Applicants without a prior grant from First 5 LA.
• Past and current First 5 LA grantees partnering
  with an agency new to First 5 LA.
• In cycles 3 and 4, past and current grantees will
  not be eligible for COF grants without partnering
  with an agency new to First 5 LA.

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Restricted Activities

• Direct services
• Political campaigns, voter registration drives,
  and lobbying
• Capital improvements
• Salaries for new or existing staff to provide
  direct services
• Curricula to be used for direct services
• Endowments or other fundraising events
• Support solely for existing operations
• Activities with religious purposes
• Grants to individuals
• Operating deficits or retirement of debt

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Application Process

• Stage 1 Letter Of Intent (LOI)
• All applicants are required to complete and
  submit a LOI online. The form can be accessed at
  the First 5 LA website www.first5la.org/cof
• Due Monday, July 28 by 500 p.m.
• Stage 2 Proposal
• Selected applicants will receive an email
  requesting they submit a proposal using the
  online application

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Letter of Intent

• Online Letter of Intent
• Complete online form
• Attach Letter of Intent
• Additional Required Documents
• IRS Tax Status Determination Letter (nonprofits
  only)
• One of the following
• Audited Financial Statement (preferred)
• IRS Form 990

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LOI Questions

• Describe the proposed Capacity Building or
  Policy/Advocacy project.
• How does the long-term outcome relate to your
  organizations ongoing work?
• Who will benefit in the long-term from the
  project?
• Policy Only Who/what will the policy target be?

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LOI Review Criteria

• Alignment with the COF definition of capacity
  building or policy and advocacy
• Impact on 0 5 year olds
• Viability of achieving project goal, impacting
  the long-term outcome, the organizations
  effectiveness, and the communitys needs
• Engagement of organizations leadership in the
  project
• Demonstrated engagement with the target community
• Alignment of project with Policy Agenda
• Policy and advocacy applicants only

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Additional Considerations

• Target the prenatal through age three population
• Impact on all (or large sections) of LA County
• Impact on target communities
• Distribution of funding throughout LA County
• Distribution of funding across Funding Priority
  areas and long-term outcomes

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Proposal Preview

• Proposal will include
• Development of a logic model
• Evaluation plan
• Submission of project budget and budget narrative

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Key Dates

• LOI Due Date
• Monday, July 28 500 p.m.
• LOI Notification
• August 18
• Proposal Workshop (for selected applicants only)
• Week of August 25
• Proposal Due Date
• September 19
• Funding Notification
• November, 2008
• Expected Grant Start Date
• March, 2009

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Questions Answers
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Contact Information

• First 5 LA
• 750 N. Alameda St, Suite 300
• Los Angeles, CA 90012
• [phone]
• www.First5LA.org/cof
• Aleece Kelly
• COF_at_first5la.org