Regional Grants Programs
Information for Grant Application
About Woman's Foundation Inc.
During the period between 1979-1980 a group of local physicians determined there was a need for a women's hospital to serve the needs of women in the Lafayette community. The Frem Boustany family donated approximately fifteen acres of property for the purpose of building a hospital. Woman's Hospital of Acadiana Foundation (now known as the Woman's Foundation, Inc.) was formed and became the recipient of the land. The Woman’s Foundation, Inc. (WFI) was to manage the land and oversee the construction of a hospital. The Foundation contracted with Hospital Corporation of America (now known as Columbia) to build the hospital, and subsequently run the facility. WFI was formed as a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the health and well-being of women and their families per the mission statement developed by the Board of Directors.
Once the hospital was completed in 1983, WFI entered into a 99 year agreement with HCA to lease the property. The lease payments from the hospital provide the operating funds for the Foundation. In 1984, the Foundation began sponsoring continuing medical educational conferences for physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals on issues affecting women's and children's health. Subsequently, educational programs targeted towards other health professionals, educators and the general public have been held. In 1987, the Foundation, after determining the increased need to reach the public sector, opened the Health Information Center (HIC), a library of videotapes and pamphlets on various health and wellness topics. Information is available to the public at no charge.
Area of Interest
The Foundation is organized and operated for purposes related to the promotion of the physical, emotional and mental well-being of women and their families. In support of this mission a regional grants program was established in 1988. The funding is awarded to support programs and initiatives which serve to enhance the health and quality of life for women and children, as well as those which support the family unit. Preference will be given to direct service programs and the degree of impact on the community will be of great consideration.
Eligibility
The Foundation welcomes grant requests for any amount up to $5000. In order to be eligible for a grant from WFI, the requesting organization must be recognized as tax exempt under Section 501 c 3 of the Internal Revenue Code; priority will be given to programs or projects located in Lafayette Parish. There will be no disbursements for requests such as: research projects, general operating expenses, endowments, lobbying activities, awards, media events, registration fees for conferences or seminars, isolated donations, office furniture or equipment, cash contributions for capital campaigns, building/renovation expenses, educational scholarships, fundraising events or travel expenses.
Extra consideration will be given to those organizations that have earned the "Standards for Excellence" seal of excellence from the LA Association of Nonprofit Organizations (LANO). The Standards for Excellence program is designed to promote excellence and integrity in nonprofit management.
WFI considers requests for equipment funding, only in cases where the equipment purchase will be used for service delivery. Generally, grants are awarded for a one-year period of time and multi-year grants will not be considered. Organizations are eligible for funding only once during the WFI fiscal year (February 1 - January 31). No grants are made to individuals. Organizations applying for funding should draft a proposal using the following checklist:
Proposal Checklist
A. Proposal Summary: Every application must include a typed summary which provides the following information, in the order listed below:
Section 1. Organization Name, Address and Phone Number
Section 2. Chief Executive Officer Name
Section 3. Organization Mission Statement
Section 4. Organization Service Area
Section 5. Indicate if the organization has earned the "Standards for Excellence" seal of excellence from the LA Association of
Nonprofit Organizations (LANO).
Section 6. Brief summary of the program/project (50 words or less) and Compelling reason for program/project (50 words or less)
Section 7. Name of Project Director, Address and Phone Number
Section 8. Organization organizational chart
Section 9. Amount of Funds RequestedB. Narrative Section: This section of the application should be no longer than three typed pages and should include the following information, in the order listed below:
Section 1. Concise history of the organization with an overview of current programs and activities.
Section 2. Detailed description of the project, including goals and objectives or strategies, measurable outcomes and a project timetable.
Section 3. Statement on plans for continuing the project once WFI funding ends.
Section 4. Statement on plan for evaluating the project.
Section 5. Statement on how this project fits into the mission statement of WFI.
Section 6. Comment on whether this is a new or extended service and if other agencies are currently providing similar services.
Section 7. Provide a history of WFI funding to the organization for the past five years.C. Attachments: Attachments should include the following information and be no longer than ten pages:
Section 1. Copy of Internal Revenue Service letter stating that the organization is tax exempt or a copy of the organization’s fiscal agent’s 501 c 3 designation letter. If the organization is using a fiscal agent, a letter from the fiscal agent’s organization stating its willingness to serve is also requested.
Section 2. Statement from the organization’s Board of Directors authorizing the request and agreeing to implement the project/program if funded.
Section 3. A list of the organization’s board members.
Section 4. Detailed project budget, including income sources and expenditures. Also include a list of other sources of funding (pending or approved) for this program/project.
Section 5. Current financial statements of organization, including operating budget, balance sheet and statements of support, revenue and expenses for the last completed and current fiscal year.
Section 6. The organization’s most current year’s audit or IRS Form 990.Applicants should submit one original copy of their completed proposal, stapled but not bound, to:
Grants Committee c/o Woman's Foundation Inc.
4630 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy, Suite 100
Lafayette, LA 70508
Attn: Lise Anne D. Slatten, Executive DirectorFor further information, please call 988-1816.
Grant Process
Grant awards will be made to organizations through a competitive process. After the application is reviewed by the WFI staff, it will be reviewed and evaluated by a committee of the WFI Board of Directors. This committee then will meet and make funding recommendations to the WFI Executive Committee. Between the time the application is submitted and the committee meeting, each applicant is expected to respond, if necessary, to staff questions concerning the proposals. The WFI Executive Director is available to provide technical assistance concerning proposal writing. All correspondence regarding grants should be directed to the WFI Executive Director. At no time should individual WFI board members be contacted regarding funding status or other questions about the status of decisions.
Grantmaking Schedule
Grant requests must be received by 5:00 pm on the deadline date. If the deadline falls on a weekend, requests are due on the Friday that precedes the weekend. Faxed applications will not be accepted. The deadline dates are July 1 and December 1; no applications will be accepted in December 2007.
Reporting Requirements
Upon completion of the project funded, or within one year, grant recipients must submit both fiscal accounting and narrative reports on the use of its grant and the impact that the grant may have had on the community it serves. Include summary of any evaluations done related to the project or program from those served.
