2024 Grant Program Guidelines

MISSION

The mission of the Taum Sauk Fund, Inc. is “to engage in, fund, carry on, conduct, or take part in programs, projects, and services designed to improve, protect and/or restore tourism and economic development in Reynolds County, one of the areas in Missouri commonly accepted to have been most affected by the December, 2005 breach of the Taum Sauk Resevoir.”

The exclusive concerns of the Taum Sauk Fund are:

  • Economic Development
  • Travel and Tourism

Within these broad areas of concern, the Taum Sauk Fund looks specifically for programs that:

  • Positively impact the community.
  • Address basic community needs.
  • Will benefit discernibly from a Taum Sauk Fund grant.

If your organization is planning a project or program that meets these criteria, please read on for more information.

FUNDING GUIDELINES

Each organization can submit only one application during this funding cycle.  Grants in excess of the stated amount can be extended for more than one year.

USE OF GRANT FUNDS

The key factor in determining support will be the applicant’s explanation of how the funds will improve, protect and/or restore tourism or economic development in Reynolds County.

TIMETABLE: 

 

 Applications Available 

July 15, 2024

Application Deadline 

September 14, 2024, by 4:00 pm 

Anticipated Award 

November 2024 Meeting- TBD 

Contract Signing 

December 2024 Meeting- TBD 

RIGHT TO REJECT

The Taum Sauk Board reserves the right to:

  • Reject any or all applications submitted
  • Request additional information from any or all respondents
  • Negotiate modifications to a respondent’s application prior to final award for the purpose of obtaining best and final offers
  • Approve subcontractors proposed or utilized in carrying out the scope of the work.
  • Fund an application partially one year, and possibly fund the remaining request the following year.

HOW TO APPLY

You are eligible to apply for a Taum Sauk Fund grant if you are:

  • a non-profit organization (applications from government units are accepted)
  • recognized by and in good standing with the IRS
  • proposing a project that improves travel & tourism or economic development in the affected area

You may either email the Taum Sauk Fund at taumsauk@outlook.com or click the following link to obtain grant application forms.

To be considered for a grant, you must complete the entire grant application form and include the following attachments:

  • Current financial statement (balance sheet and operating statement) of your organization
  • Detailed budget for your organization
  • Detailed budget for the project or program for which the grant is being requested
  • List of organization’s current board of directors
  • Copy of the Internal Revenue Service ruling or determination letters of status under Section 501 (c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code (if your organization is not a government unit)

The proposal must be emailed to taumsauk@outlook.com by September 14, 2024 at 4:00PM to be considered for this year’s awards.   

If you need a mailing address please contact us and one will be provided. 

PROPOSAL NARRATIVE INSTRUCTIONS

  • The Proposal Narrative cannot exceed ten (10) typewritten pages.
  • The Application Narrative must be typed on standard white paper, single spaced with a minimum of 11-point font and one-inch margin.
  • Applicants must submit the application cover sheet, proposal narrative, and budget sheet.

THE PROPOSAL NARRATIVE MUST INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION

A. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

  1. Provide a one-paragraph description of the organization and the capacity to address the issues highlighted in the Grant application.
  2. State the goals of the project and provide a one-paragraph synopsis of the proposed project.
  3. Specify the total project budget and the amount of funding requested.

B. ORGANIZATIONAL  PROFILE

  1. Provide the background of your organization (mission, tourism, or economic development experience, community partnerships, etc.).
  2. Discuss the role and qualifications of key persons involved in the project.

C. PROJECT NEED

  1. Describe the need for the proposed project.
  2. Specify relevance of activities to tourism or economic development in Reynolds County.

D. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

  1. List tourism or economic development related objectives and explain how this request for funding specifically supports those objectives.
  2. Describe program activities and timeline; if any project is going to be placed on property, the placement must be carefully described in measurements.
  3. State the anticipated tourism or economic development outcomes.
  4. Describe indicators used to measure each stated objective and how these indicators will be tracked.

E. FINANCIAL PROFILE

  1. Explain each line item in the proposed budget.
  2. If the Taum Sauk Fund award will only be used to support a portion of the cost of the proposed project, identify other sources of funding.  Include amounts and state the expenses these dollars will cover.  List any in-kind services.
  3. Describe services that will sustain the proposed project.

APPLICATION REVIEW PROCESS

When a completed application is received, each member of the Taum Sauk Fund Board will receive a copy of each grant proposal to review and score. Prior to final scoring, applicants may be contacted to discuss the application. The directors act on all proposal recommendations during their Board meetings. The decision of the Directors is final.

After the Board of Directors makes its decision, you will be notified by a phone call. Please do not assume approval until you are notified.

All grant recipients are required to provide the Taum Sauk Fund with status reports and a final grant close-out report.

Evaluation Guidelines

The Taum Sauk Fund’s Grants Committee and Board of Directors use the following guidelines when awarding or declining grant requests. These are guidelines only and exceptions may be made upon recommendation of the Grants Committee and approval of the Board of Directors. These guidelines, therefore, are intended to assist an applying organization as it considers submitting a grant proposal.

  1. It is suggested that questions be asked of the Taum Sauk Fund prior to submitting an application. Please email the Taum Sauk Fund at taumsauk@outlook.com for more information.
  2. The applying organization must be non-profit and must have received its tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service. Applications are accepted from government units.
  3. Generally, only one grant is made to any organization in a given 12-month time frame.
  4. The Taum Sauk Fund encourages applicants to secure matching gifts when appropriate.
  5. It is the Taum Sauk Fund’s general practice to limit grants to a one-year period. (See item 9 for information about collaborative projects.)
  6. Grant funds must be used for the purpose stated in the grant application. Those funds not used for the specified purpose must be returned to the Taum Sauk Fund.
  7. The Taum Sauk Fund expects to decline grant requests for:
    • general operating support of existing organization programs.
    • endowment funds.
    • research, travel or publications by individuals.
    • scholarships.
    • grant-making foundations.
    • lobbying efforts or political action groups.
  8. All grants will be considered from the perspective of community betterment in the general fields of concern covered in the “Criteria for Grants” information above.
  9. In some instances, the Taum Sauk Fund will be involved in collaborations for new projects or programs. In those situations, the following additional guidelines are used when reviewing the grant requests:
  • A representative named by the Taum Sauk Fund may serve on the board or committee governing the new project or program for the duration of the Taum Sauk Fund’s funding support.
  • The organization must include its multi-year funding and strategic plans with its grant application.
  • While the Taum Sauk Fund will indicate its length of support for the collaborative, the organization must submit a grant follow-up report each year for that year’s funding. If the new program or project is not fulfilling its mission and meeting its fiscal and program goals, funding could be modified.