Q. When is the next General Fund grant cycle?
A. Wisconsin Community Fund is currently re-evaluating its entire General Fund grant program. We are absolutley committed to funding groups that are too new, too small or too ontroversial for mainstream funders. In direct response to the impact of the economy on non-profits, we are looking to streamline the process for both grantseekers and the activist volunteers who decide the grantee each year. As we are currenly in the midst of this re-evaluation process; we do not know when the next cycle will begin or what it will look like. Please check back with the Fund in Spring 2010 for updates. Thanks for your patience.
Q. My organization has a budget well over the limit of $400,000, because we have city, state or federal grants. But our budget without those city, state or federal funds is below the $400,000 limit. Does this mean we cannot apply for a Wisconsin Community Fund grant because of this budget amount?
A. Wisconsin Community Fund counts all of an organization’s income even if some of it is city, state or federal grants. That’s because Wisconsin Community Fund is committed to funding small Wisconsin groups that have little or no access to other funding. That means your organization cannot apply for funding from Wisconsin Community Fund.
Q. What exactly does a Fiscal Sponsor do? My organization has been approached to serve as a Fiscal Sponsor for a small organization that does not have 501(c)3 status.
A. The Fiscal Sponsor acts as the fiscal agent for the smaller organization. In effect that means that the grant check goes from Wisconsin Community Fund to the Fiscal Sponsor. The Fiscal Sponsor can take only up to 5% of the grant as an administration fee and then passes the rest of the grant on to the Wisconsin Community Fund grantee. Since the Fiscal Sponsor is ultimately responsible to the IRS, the Fiscal Sponsor makes sure that the smaller organization, the Wisconsin Community Fund grantee, does not in any way compromise the Fiscal Sponsor’s own 501(c)3 status. To this end, we suggest that the Wisconsin Community Fund grantee keeps very specific records about how the grant was used and saves and copies ALL receipts. At the end of the grant period, the Wisconsin Community Fund grantee should then give the Fiscal Sponsor copies of those records and receipts.
Q. What’s an On Site Visit and why does Wisconsin Community Fund do them?
A. Wisconsin Community Fund does On Site Visits as part of a process to help the Grants Committee make funding decisions about possible grants. The Grants Committee reads all proposals and the On Site Visits gives the Grants Committee the chance to meet the groups and talk about the proposals. Groups getting On Site Visits are very similar to typical Wisconsin Community Fund grantees. If a group is chosen for an On Site Visit, it does not mean they will get funded, but there is a much greater likelihood that they will get Wisconsin Community Fund funding. An On Site Visit takes about an hour to hour and a half and usually takes place at the applicant’s office.
Q. The Wisconsin Community Fund application and On Site Visits ask questions about challenging institutions. What does this mean and why does Wisconsin Community Fund ask this question?
A. Wisconsin Community Fund is committed to funding small groups that represent marginalized communities and organize against various types of oppressions with little or no access to other funding. Wisconsin Community Fund understands that there are problems in this society that are institutionalized. One example is racism. Often times educational systems or governmental agencies continue to discriminate against people of color despite the fact that racism is prohibited by law in this society. So when an organization comes to Wisconsin Community Fund for funding and says they are challenging the local school system because of the racism experienced by their children or teachers or other staff, Wisconsin Community Fund understands that they are challenging the educational institution in their community. As Wisconsin Community Fund is committed to funding small groups that represent marginalized communities and organize against various types of oppressions with little or no access to other funding, this is the type of issue Wisconsin Community Fund is likely to fund.