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I
am calling from...Minneapolis, Duluth, Fargo, etc.
Am I eligible to apply for a grant from West Central
Initiative?
WCI only makes grants to organizations or programs that
deliver specific services on a regular basis to residents
of the following Minnesota Counties: Becker, Clay, Douglas,
Grant, Otter Tail, Pope, Stevens,
Traverse, and Wilkin.
Organizations headquartered outside this area may qualify
for grants if they regularly deliver services within this
region and the grant is focused on services provided within
the region. WCI will not provide grants for buildings or
equipment that will be located outsides this region. It is
very unusual for WCI to approve requests from organizations
that want to expand their services into the region, unless
local residents initiate the request and there is strong
local support.
Does
WCI make grants to Individuals?
Generally not, however our Leadership Diversity Program
does make grants to help individuals cover costs associated
with leadership training. Please see the program application
materials for details.
Does
WCI make grants to Businesses?
WCI can not legally make a grant to
a for-profit business without jeopardizing its own non-profit
charitable foundation
status. We can help businesses meet the cost of retraining
their workers, but the grant has to be channeled through
a non-profit or governmental organization. Please see
the application for our WORKFORCE
2020 program for details.
If
my grant is approved, how quickly will I receive the
money?
After a grant is approved, WCI will send a written grant
agreement within one to two weeks. Awards up to $5,000 are
usually paid in full within two weeks after the applicant
signs and returns a copy of the grant agreement to WCI. Larger
awards may be paid out in several installments timed to coincide
with the project's cash-flow needs.
What
reports are required after a grant is awarded?
All grantees are asked to provide a final report that includes
a brief narrative describing the outcome of the project and
a financial report showing the overall project income and
expense. Brief progress reports may also be required for
large grants, grants extending over a long period of time,
or grants subject to special conditions. If your project
includes a study or some kind of publication, you are asked
to send a copy with your final report.
How
competitive is the grantmaking process?
Some of WCI's grant programs are more competitive than others,
and competitiveness changes over time. Please contact WCI
staff for more information about the competitiveness of the
specific grant program that interests you.
Why
does my local newspaper sometimes report that WCI funded
projects don't seem to be eligible when I read your
grant guidelines?
You were probably reading about a grant from one of WCI's
Component Funds. These are special funds WCI sets up to receive
and distribute funds that have special donor restrictions.
Each Component Fund has its own Advisory Board and its own
guidelines for the types of projects it will fund. Most Component
Funds can only be used in a specific community for very specific
types of projects. WCI's grant guidelines describe the grant
programs available throughout the region.
Does
WCI fund controversial projects?
WCI believes that effective solutions to most community
problems require cooperation and collaboration among the
affected parties. That's why WCI has a grant program to help
communities bring people together to forge a common vision
and plan for solving their problems. Sometimes it's not possible
to obtain everyone's agreement on a course of action. In
these cases, WCI may still decide to fund a project if there
have been honest efforts to work collaboratively. WCI does
not fund projects that take an adversarial approach to addressing
community problems.
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