The Heritage Harbor Foundation Grant Application Guidelines

The Heritage Harbor Foundation focuses on Six Big Ideas in Rhode Island history. They are listed below and contain links to detailed charts. (Note that the first chart is an overview of all the themes.)

Grant Application Parameters

The Process

The Heritage Harbor Foundation expects to distribute $120,000 to $130,000 each year in small, competitively-awarded grants of between $5,000 and $15,000, to twelve or fewer registered 501(c)3 organizations active in the state of Rhode Island (non-registered organizations or individuals are advised to seek a fiscal sponsor). Grants greater than $15,000 may be considered in exceptional instances. Applications will be due no later than midnight October 1st. Grant awards will be announced in late December. [NOTE: As of March 2020, we are taking a hiatus from awarding grants and will resume at a time to be announced.]

The Application

You must fill out an application and submit it via the Foundation’s website. No paper copy submittals will be considered for award. The application is divided into three parts:

Standard background information on the organization
A short description of the existing programs or project which the grant will enhance
A description of how the grant will be used (to create a permanent record, uncover hidden aspects of Rhode Island history, improve access to educational opportunities, or increase collaboration between organizations)

Applications will be “scored” according to the following criteria:

50% on the impact, originality and viability of the proposed initiative, with points awarded for:

15 – Impact (for example, audiences reached, scholarship advanced, need addressed)
10 – Originality of concept
10 – Viability of the work plan (to include a clear plan for promotion/publicity to make the appropriate audiences aware of the final product and of its value)
10 – Budget and use of resources
5 – Clarity of presentation

50% on how well the proposal embraces the goals of The Heritage Harbor Foundation, with points awarded for:

10 – Ensuring a permanent record of a program, project, or initiative
10 – Uncovering a neglected aspect of RI history (includes the scholarly credentials of participants)
10 – Improving access to educational opportunities
10 – Increasing collaboration between organizations
10 – Fitting with a ‘Heritage Big Idea’

Additional Materials

For proposals that specifically seek to “uncover hidden aspects of Rhode Island history,” we require evidence (for example, reference to Rhode Island: A Bibliography of Its History, Univ. Press of NE, 1983, and updates: 1989, 1995, 2003, 2013) that this work will avoid duplication and/or build on prior scholarship.

Any proposal that includes scholarly research should describe the scholarly qualifications of participants. All successful grantees will be required to submit a short final report once the program or project has ended. This should include a quantitative and qualitative analysis of how expectations have been met, as well as plans for continuing or expanding the initiative. Submission of the report is a prerequisite to be considered for another grant from the Foundation. The report must be submitted via email in a digital format. Heritage Harbor Foundation will post a digital application form on its website each July 1st. The application form will be available until the deadline on October 1st. All awardees must skip one grant cycle before applying again.

Heritage Harbor Foundation Grant Application

The application will consist of:

I. Organization profile

Name, address, website and contact person
Mission statement
Date of incorporation, Federal EIN
Annual budget
Principal sources of funding (endowment, membership, grants)
Number of full-time staff, number of volunteers
Brief history of organization and primary public programs (including a description of any major financial difficulty or deficits the organization has experienced in recent years)

II. Existing program or project that will be enhanced with this grant

Description of activity
Timeline
Budget
Sources of funding
Expected outcomes
How success (impact) is measured

III. Proposed initiative that will provide a vital, supplemental margin

Description of need
Description of initiative (including which Heritage Big Idea it embraces)
How will this initiative accomplish one or more of The Heritage Harbor Foundation’s four goals?
Timeline
Budget (uses of funds — a portion of the budget must be designated for promoting/publicizing the initiative)
Expected impact
Supplemental materials as required (scholarly credentials, evidence of non-duplication)

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