Funding Criteria for All Grants
-- Seed Fund
-- Emergency Fund
-- Technical Assistance Fund
-- Youth Fund for Social Change
-- The Fire This Time Fund
Grantmaking Process
FAQ

 

FORMS!     FILL-IN FORMS (in Microsoft Word)   Full Application     PDF FORMS (requires free Acrobat Reader)   Full Application     ALTERNATIVE FORMAT You may create your own Cover Sheet, Budget Form or Organizational Summary as long as all the information we request is included.   SNAIL MAIL IT TO ME! Guidelines and applications can also be mailed to you via snail mail... just send us an email at and we'll send them along to you.  Please let us know: organization name contact name phone number (in case your packet is returned)

SEED FUND APPLICATION & GUIDELINES

7 copies of the application must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. or postmarked on or before the deadline.  If the deadline falls on a weekend, applications are due on the following Monday. If the deadline falls on a holiday, applications are generally due on the following business day, but call the office at 773/227-7676 to make sure. No faxes or emails please. 

Purpose: The Seed Fund supports new, emerging and small community-based organizations that are actively engaged in social change work in the Chicago metropolitan area. Funding is provided for general operating, start up costs or specific projects. The maximum grant in this program is $10,000.

Eligibility: Chicago area organizations with annual expenses under $300,000 which meet Crossroads Fund's Funding Criteria.

Working for Social Change: organizing community members to examine and challenge the underlying causes of their problems and conditions

Cross-Issue Organizing: working with an understanding of the connectedness among the various people and issues that make up the whole community

Grassroots Leadership: involving the people who are directly affected at all levels of the organization – in planning, organizing and leading, and working to continue building leadership within the grassroots community

Solid Plan:

• having a clear purpose to the project with well-planned goals, objectives, activities and a tool to measure outcomes and impact

• a timeline and budget that reflects the proposed objectives and activities

• a realistic fundraising plan

Work in the Chicago Metropolitan Area: being rooted in communities in the Chicago metropolitan area, including Northwestern Indiana.

Budget: Groups with previous year annual expenses under $300,000.

Alternative format You may create your own Cover Sheet, Budget Form or Organizational Summary as long as all the information we request is included.

SEED FUND APPLICATION

Application Checklist: each completed application must include, in the following order:

• Cover Sheet
• Organization Summary
• Organizational Budget 
• Project Budget (if applicable)
• Narrative (6 pages or less)
• Workers
• Three References
• Supporting materials  

The entire application package must include:

• 7 copies of the completed application (see above checklist) – 6 stapled and 1 paper-clipped.
• 1 copy of your most recent 990 Form -- for all organizations required to file. Not necessary for those using fiscal agents. (FYI, Organizations that report gross receipts of more than $25,000 in a fiscal year are generally required to file a Form 990 with the IRS unless they are religious congregations, denominations, or controlled by a congregation or denomination. See the IRS Form 990 instructions for details.  For more information visit the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy website.) 

Proposal Narrative

Please address each question below, within 6 pages using a 12 point or larger font. In preparing your proposal, please refer to Crossroads’ Funding Criteria and Funding Priorities to communicate your work.

• Briefly describe your organization’s history, purpose, and the type of impact it has made.
• What are your current activities?
• How is your organization structured and how do decisions get made?

2. Community

• Who are you trying to reach/organize?
• Describe how your constituency is involved in your organization.
• How does your group manage the challenges of including diverse groups within your constituency such as people of color, low- income, LGBT, people with disabilities, youth, seniors, and/or women?
• Do you work with other organizations? If so, which ones? In what capacity?

• Describe the issues or problems you are addressing. How are you addressing them?
• What is the vision for the work of your organization? What type of impact do you want to make in the community?
• What are your short and long-term goals? How do they relate to improving the conditions in your community?
• What is the time line for your activities/strategies over the course of this request? What results do you hope to accomplish in that time period?
• Who will carry out the work?

4. Evaluation

• How will you know that your work is successful? What results do you hope to accomplish in the short and long term?
• How will you evaluate your progress in meeting your stated goals and implementing your organizing strategy?

• How much funding are you requesting from Crossroads and how will it be used?
• Describe in detail your current fundraising plan. Does that include your plans to raise funds from your constituents? If so, please describe.
• Have you applied to other funding sources? If so, where and how much? What is the status?

Budget, Cover Sheet & Organizational Summary 

A budget, cover sheet and organizational summary form must accompany each narrative.  Fill in forms can be downloaded by clicking on the links in the box above.  You can also email or call the Crossroads office at 773.227.7676 to request these forms by regular mail. 

Alternative format:  You may create your own Cover Sheet, Budget Form or Organizational Summary as long as all the information we request is included.

Other Attachments

• Governing Body: list and describe the organization’s key decision makers, such as board of directors, collective members, and core group members.
• Workers: provide a brief description of individual staff members and/or volunteers who will be responsible for carrying out the work on a day-to-day basis.
• Three References: list their relationship to your group, their organizational affiliations, and current contact information (address, phone number, and/or e-mail). Reference letters are not necessary.
• Supporting materials such as newsletters, leaflets and articles that are relevant to the proposal. (optional)