UWSN Funding Eligibility

In order to successfully apply for funding from United Way of Southern Nevada, your organization and program must meet the following eligibility criteria:  

• Must provide services in Southern Nevada (Clark, Nye, Esmerelda, Lincoln Counties)  
• Must demonstrate clear impact on UWSN funding priorities and objectives (see below)  
• Must be a nonprofit organization, public charity, or supporting organization (501c3, 509a1, 509a2, 509a3)  
• Must be licensed and in good standing in the State of Nevada
• Must provide a complete and correct application  
• Applicants must also provide financial statements from their organization. These do not need to be audited financial statements, but please provide the audited financials if your organization has secured them in the past 3 years

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have a question about the UWSN Community Impact Grant RFP? Questions must be submitted in writing by February 7, 2024 at RFP@uwsn.org.

What priority areas is United Way of Southern Nevada focusing on?  

Funding will be available to support agencies offering evidence-based programs in three key areas:    

• Student Success, with a focus on early education, K-12 support, and college and early career  
• Workforce Development, with a focus on job training and workforce credentials  
• Community Support, with a focus on crisis support, access, and inclusion 

For more information on UWSN Community Impact priorities, please review UWSN’s Community Impact Agenda.  

What do I need to include in the proposal?  

Proposal application packages must be submitted online via our online application platform. The application will request an organization contact form, a narrative describing the program you are requesting funding for, a program logic model, and a program budget. Templates for the logic model and budget are available via a link in the application.  

The program narrative will include a program summary, detail of your program’s past performance, a description of how your program aligns with UWSN’s goals for community impact, considerations for inclusion and equity, and your plans for long-term program sustainability. 

The complete application package will also include a series of attachments confirming eligibility. Please review the application submission webpage for more information. 

How will my application be evaluated? 

Applications will be screened for eligibility and referred to the UWSN Funding Review Committee, a community-based group of volunteers who will score each proposal with a standard rubric. Each application and related reviewer scores will be discussed by the Committee, which will make a formal recommendation.

Please note that there are many determining factors that may result in a funding recommendation including rubric scores, Committee deliberations, application quality, financial statements, program performance, etc. The UWSN Board of Directors will review funding recommendations and provides the final approval of Community Impact Grants.    

When are applications due?

Your work is important and we want to learn more about what you are doing. Please plan to submit your proposal by Friday, February 9, 2024 at 5pm (Pacific).  Visit uwsn.smapply.org/prog/CIGrant2024 to access the application platform.

You can sign up for an in-person info session on this grant opportunity at http://www.uwsn.org/rfpinfo.

Can we ask for more than 1 program? Can we request funding for multiple programs under the single application? Can we apply for all 3 categories in 1 funding cycle? Can we ask for 2 or more areas within a program? Can you submit 1 application for multiple programs? Can an organization submit more than 1 application per funding cycle for different categories?

Organizations can submit one application per funding cycle. Applications must be aligned with one of the following areas: Student Success, Workforce Development, or Community Support. Applications should request funding for one program.

Can you ask for multi-year gifts?

No, the term of this grant is one year and will run from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025.

Will you partially fund a request? Do you ever award less than what the ask is?

Yes, the Funding Review Committee and UWSN Board of Directors may choose to award partial funding.

For first-time applicants, what is the most you’ve seen funded through community support?

There are no limits or restrictions placed on first-time applicants. Grant sizes are expected to range from $10,000 to $250,000.

Is there a limit to the amount of times a company can apply in consecutive years?

No, there is not a limit to the number of times your organization can apply in consecutive years. UWSN welcomes all eligible applications during each funding cycle.

Is Women United funding separate from this grant process?

No, Women United is not a separate funding/grantmaking program. Community Impact Grants are funded by many donors, including members of Women United.

Is the grant funding reimbursable or paid upfront?

Grant funds are paid in quarterly installments. After the funding agreement is signed and the first quarterly payment sent, subsequent payments are contingent on receipt of a completed program report.

How should funding requests relate to overall budget size?

UWSN does not place a limit or restriction on the size of the funding request in comparison to the overall program budget.

Can you apply to do multiple things with funding? Are you prioritizing new/expanded programs over maintaining current offerings?

Please describe how your grant request will be used to start, implement, expand, or maintain a specific program with clear set of program activities, objectives, and outcomes.

Can my organization apply for a grant for a program that runs only in summer time? 

Yes, we accept applications for programs intended to serve Southern Nevada residents for any length of time between the funding year 7/1/24 to 6/30/25.

Is there a cap on administrative costs? Can grant funds be used to train and certify staff?

No, there is not a cap on administrative costs. Agencies are encouraged to request funds for all aspects of a program, including direct assistance, staff required to operate the program, and administrative costs necessary to support program operations.

Are there any restrictions on the budget? Can funding be layered?

A budget template is provided in the application. Applicants are encouraged, but not required, to use this template. The template allows you to communicate other funding sources and show how UWSN funding will fit into your overall program budget.

Is there a required match amount or in-kind match?

No, match funding is not required.

Will past performance on a United Way funded grant impact future funding?

Past program performance is a required part of the program narrative form. Please explain any challenges and lessons learned through recent years of implementing your program.

How many grants do you plan to award this cycle? How many applications does United Way receive? How many grants will be given out?

UWSN has not identified a minimum or maximum number of grants in this cycle. UWSN typically receives over 100 applications for Community Impact Grant funding and currently has 45 community impact grants active in Southern Nevada.

Do you have this presentation available to reference?

Yes, you can review the slides as part of the application instruction video for this grant.

Will you please post a PDF copy of the RFP application to the website?

Yes, a PDF version of the application can be found here. La aplicación en Español se puede encontrar aquí.

If your programs lack a robust track record/ metrics, can this be supplemented by evidence- informed data and existing models? What if you’re not big enough to have a track record?

Please share as much information about your program as you can. If you do not have metrics yet, please share how you plan to develop them through the grant period.

Does funding cover children 0-3 years of age under student success?

Programs funded under Student Success support students from Pre-K through College & Career. Programs funded under Community Support provide services to people of all ages. For more information, please review UWSN’s logic model and the instructional video for this grant.

What focus area do you suggest for school dental health programs?

Health-related programs are typically funded as part of the Community Support pathway.

What do you mean by parent education?

In the Student Success impact pathway, parents play an incredibly important role in furthering their child’s education. Parent education refers to empowering and enabling parents to be partners in their child’s academic and life success.

Are there certain communities you are specifically trying to reach that you may not have had in the past? Does “special populations” also include young people in foster care? Is the list expansive?

Special Populations include people in low-income communities or areas of concentrated poverty, refugees and immigrants, people with disabilities, veterans and military families, new or long-term unemployed people, victims and/or survivors of human trafficking, and people who do not speak English as a primary language. This list is expansive and includes young people in foster care (e.g. people in low-income communities). 

If our language access plan is part of our Title VI plan is that okay?

Yes.

Can we upload additional documents like external evaluation reports of past performance?

Due to the volume of applications received, UWSN will not accept additional documentation as part of your application package. Please plan to summarize your program’s past performance as part of the Program Narrative Form.

How many reviewers from the review committee per application?

UWSN anticipates that each application will be reviewed by at least 4 people on the Funding Review Committee.

Will you prioritize organizations that have never received a UWSN community impact grant?

Each application will be reviewed on its own merits. UWSN has not placed any restrictions on organizations based on previous impact grant status.

If we describe language access in detail in the narrative, should we also submit a separate plan?

The Language Access Plan should be a policy that has already been adopted by your organization.

Can we request feedback after applications are scored?

Yes, unsuccessful applicants are welcome to request feedback after the funding process is complete and grants have been awarded.

Can you save the application as you are completing it?

Yes, the Survey Monkey Apply platform allows applicants to save applications and return to them at a future time.

Do you use the same login information that was used for the EFSP grant or create a new login? Will it have the option to apply for a new grant?

Yes, the Survey Monkey Apply platform will allow you to use a single set of login information for all UWSN funding opportunities, including EFSP and Community Impact Grants.

When are quarterly program reports due?

Program reports are due approximately 10 days after the end of the quarter.

Do we need an invitation to apply for the grant?

No, there is no invitation code required for this grant opportunity.

How many users are able to access the SurveyMonkey Apply application platform?

You can invite as many people as needed to work on your application. Please use the ‘invite collaborators’ option on the application platform.

Is there a word count limit for each section of the narrative?

Yes, character limits are included in the application narrative (where applicable). These range from 2,000 to 5,000 characters per response.

Are there any ineligible expenses?

UWSN does not provide Community Impact Grant funding for capital projects, real estate development, fundraising events, individual requests, elections, political candidates, political campaigns, or to organizations that discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, sex, sexual orientation, or disability.

Are there any restrictions on who can benefit from the program, e.g. Citizenship?

The only restriction is that programs must be serving Southern Nevada residents residing in Clark, Esmeralda, Lincoln, and Nye Counties.

Can you please provide more clarity or send a sample of a financial statement that is required for the Community Impact Grant application submission?

Nonprofit agencies that manage grant funds often use an accounting system and software. The software might be Excel, Quickbooks, or a more advanced system if your organization is big enough. Please see this section from the Community Tool Box for more information on Managing Finances: https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/finances/managing-finances

The application requires financial statements to be uploaded, and that audited statements are preferred but not required. What is considered an ‘audited financial statement’?

“The terms “audit” or “audited financial statements” refer to the work product resulting from the independent examination of a nonprofit’s financial records by a licensed certified public accountant (CPA). An independent audit is an examination of the financial records, accounts, business transactions, accounting practices, and internal controls of a charitable nonprofit by an “independent” auditor. “Independent” refers to the fact that the auditor/CPA is not an employee of the nonprofit but instead is retained through a contract for services, and hence is “independent.”

Is the program budget you are requesting for the past year or for this upcoming year?

Your program budget should be for the term of the grant (07/01/2024 to 06/30/2025).

Is there a Northern NV chapter with the same grant opportunities?

United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra serves the northern counties of Nevada. Please refer to uwnns.org for more information.

I am a professional grant writer and I have several organizations that I work with that want to apply for United Way Community Impact funds.  I started one application using the organization’s credentials.  Now I want to put in an application for the other organizations, but when I hit apply it takes me to the one I have already started.  How do I get to a screen that lets me put in a new application?