Grants Committee Meeting
June 20, 2007 at 4:30
Present: Kristen Lane, Cara Applegate, Lindsey Ballenger, Jessica Buchanan, Tammy Coghill, Katie Dukes, Darci Grady, Diana Greenspan, Kristin Hettermann, Marcie Jacobs, Trish Hutchison, Deidre Menefee, Anne Register, Mason Ward, and Deb Younger.
Excused: Darci Grady.
Staff: Richard Hendry & Tasha Tucker, Coastal Community Foundation (“CCF”)
The meeting opened with a reminder of the current Mission Statement for WMD: To build a community of women philanthropists, maintain a permanent endowment fund, and provide grants to institutions and initiatives that advance the well-being of women and children in Charleston County.
Introductions and review of the Grants Pool for 2007 – 2008
After introductions, the allocation of membership dues for this year was reviewed:
- 10% (currently, $12,016) to be given to strengthen the WMD Endowment at CCF, to assure a perpetual funding source to address WMD’s mission.
- 85% (currently $102,137) to constitute the WMD “Spend-out Fund” for 2006, to provide grants to organizations recommended to the full membership by the Grants Committee.
- 5% (currently, $6,008) to be held in reserve for any administrative expenses; any portion of this that’s not needed will be added to the 2008 grants pool. It was noted that thousands of dollars’ worth of in-kind donations have been secured in support of WMD events and activities, thanks to diligent efforts by WMD members.
The grants pool last year was $53,200, so this year’s is a remarkable increase.
Maximum Grant Amount for 2007
Diana asked that the group consider far larger grants of up to $50,000 to make a more significant impact. It was agreed that the maximum grant amount this year will increase from last year’s $5,000 to $10,000, not going higher than that for these reasons:
- Some candidate organizations are so small that they wouldn’t know how to use $50,000.
- Choosing a small number of grantees would mean not funding too many of the groups nominated by members; more grantees probably will mean more members who are pleased with the outcome.
- As WMD continues to grow, grant amounts can increase gradually each year, but to increase radically in one year could be a risky precedent for the following year, with the uncertainty of next year’s grantable dollars.
- Choosing a small number of grantees would be likely to eliminate some “under the radar” groups, and members like the fact that WMD supports some emerging and low-profile organizations.
Role of the Grants Committee
It was agreed that the confidentiality of any opinions expressed in meetings of this Committee must be respected, and that any decisions and recommendations made by the full Committee are not to be attributed to any one of its individual members, but rather to the Committee as a whole.
Mason Ward volunteered to help Kristen and CCF staff with the challenging job of scheduling site visits. Veteran members stressed to new members the value and importance of site visits.
The role of the Grants Committee includes
- Determine final applicant pool
- Review Guidelines & Application Instructions (at home, after this meeting)
- Read and score applications to determine finalists
- Participate in site visits to finalist applicants, and e-mail a summary report of each visit to other members of the Committee.
- Develop funding recommendations for finalists
Calendar of Activity Reviewed
Upcoming steps for members to note on their calendars are
- June 22: Deadline for Grant Committee members to suggest changes to the application instructions for nominated groups.
- August 3: Deadline for proposals to be submitted to CCF.
- August 13: Grant Committee members pick up their notebooks of applications from CCF offices.
- September 3: Grant Committee members’ scores of initial applications due by e-mail, fax, mail or phone to CCF
- September 6: Grants Committee meets to determine finalists from the field of initial applicants.
- Committee members will make site visits to finalist agencies during the balance of September and early October. E-mail summary of recommendations due to fellow committee members within 48 hours following site visits.
- October 12: Committee members’ scores of finalists due to CCF’s offices by fax or e-mail.
- October 15: Committee meets to develop funding recommendations.
- November 14: Final 2007 event for entire WMD membership, media, and grantees at 6:00 pm at the Lowndes Grove.
Conflicts of Interest
To protect the integrity of the Grants Committee’s decisions and to assure the fairness of the allocations process, members were asked to declare any conflicts of interest with any organizations nominated this year or supported in the past. Members with conflicts will be asked to leave the room during discussions of groups with which they have been closely associated, and members are asked not to vote (in writing or in person) on any of those groups’ applications. Members declared the following conflicts of interest:
Cara Applegate – Children’s Museum.
Katie Dukes – Hollings Cancer Center.
Deb Younger – My Sister’s House.
Kristin Hettermann – Humanities Foundation. Anne Register – HALOS, Communities In Schools, Florence Crittenton Programs, and Operation Home.
Determination of Current Applicant Pool
Members agreed with Kristen Lane’s suggestion that in future, each WMD member will be invited to nominate only one organization to be invited to apply for grant support.
It was agreed to follow the precedent of not inviting an organization that received WMD grant support in each of the two prior years; accordingly, Wings for Kids is disqualified from consideration this year.
The groups listed at the end of these Meeting Notes will be invited to apply. Several of these serve multi-county areas, and they are to be reminded that WMD grants may be used only in support of women and children in Charleston County:
Review of Guidelines and Application Instructions
Grantee guidelines and application instructions were distributed at the meeting. If any members have questions they would like included in the application, or edits to suggest, they need to be sent to Richard at CCF by June 22nd.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:45 p.m.
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If you are a member in good standing (you joined by June 30, 2007, for this year's membership cycle) and have insight and/or feedback regarding one or more of this year's nominees, please send an email that will be shared with the entire grants committee. [click]2007 Nominees Boys & Girls Club Carolina Hospice Care
(Hospice, Inc. Benevolent Fund) Carolina Studios Carolina Youth Development Center Center for Women Charleston Academy of Music Charleston Ballet Theatre Charleston Breast Center Charleston Development Academy Charter School Children's Museum of the Lowcountry Communities In Schools Dee Norton Lowcountry Children's Center East Cooper Community Outreach Family Connection Family Recovery Court of Charleston Florence Crittenton Programs Girl Scouts of Eastern SC HALOS Healing Farms Hollings Cancer Center - Patient Assistance Fund Humanities Foundation Kids Path - Hospice of Charleston Lowcountry AIDS Services Lowcountry Earth Force Lowcountry Housing Trust LEAP: Lowcountry Equine Assisted Psychotherapy Lupus Foundation of America - SC Chapter My Sister's House Operation Home PACT - Parents & Children Together Pattison's Academy Planned Parenthood - Charleston Pure Theatre Reach Out & Read Roscoe Reading Program School's Out Sea Islands Youth Build Sophia Institute Teachers' Supply Closet Windwood Farm Women & Gender Studies Dept. - CofC Women's Heart Health Initiative - MUSC Young Ladies Conquering Obstacles YWCA of Greater Charleston
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