VAYD GROUND Game Grant Program Overview

Updated: September 9, 2019

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Introduction:

The goal of the Virginia Young Democrats (VAYD) GROUND Game Grant Program is to fund quality projects proposed by chapters that will have the greatest impact in their communities and supports the mission of VAYD. Funding will be prioritized based on the quality of the grant proposal and availability of funds. The VAYD Board reserves the right to make changes to the GROUND Game Grant Program throughout the year, in an effort to make it as effective and efficient as possible.

Types of Grants:

Any chartered chapter in good-standing may submit a grant proposal. GROUND Game Grant proposals should fit into one of four broad categories, which were prioritized by the Executive Board. Those priorities are:

  • Membership Recruitment/Retention
  • Campaign Work (elections or advocacy)
  • Capital Investments
  • Speakers/Events

Deadlines:

Grant Cycle 1:

Open: September 9, 2019

Close: October 6, 2019 (by 11:59pm)

Grant Cycle 2:

Open: January 13, 2020

Close: February 9, 2020 (by 11:59pm)

 

Evaluation Process:

All proposals will be evaluated by a standing committee on a rolling basis using a publicly available rubric. A standing committee, comprised of five VAYD officers (plus two non-voting, ex-officio members), will evaluate proposals and award grants. An effort will be made to ensure regional and constituency diversity on the standing committee. The members of the standing committee are:

  • The Council of Presidents Chair, or his/her designee (chair)
  • The Teen Caucus Chair, or his/her designee
  • The College Caucus Chair, or his/her designee
  • The City/County Caucus Chair, or his/her designee
  • The Finance Director or Treasurer
  • Ex-officio members:
    • President of the Virginia Young Democrats
    • Executive Vice President of the Virginia Young Democrats

Evaluation Criteria:

Using a rubric (included below), the standing committee will review each proposal to evaluate the idea and the ability of the chapter to implement the idea. The criteria used are:

  • Clarity & Feasibility: This criteria seeks to evaluate the essence of the idea. It seeks to determine if the project for which funding has been requested is well thought out, if the project is able to be accomplished with the level of funding requested and if completing the project will accomplish the stated objective.
  • Need: This criteria seeks to determine if a chapter will be more able to accomplish at least one of the five pillars of the VAYD mission after receiving the grant than they are now, as well as determine if VAYD is the best place to receive this funding.
  • Impact: This criteria seeks to understand if the goal of the receipt of the grant will have a measurable impact for the organization in one of four areas: electoral success, membership growth, public exposure and/or long term organizational benefit.
  • Innovation/Creativity: This criteria seeks to reward chapters for thinking outside of the box when developing grant proposals. VAYD prides itself on identifying approaches to engaging young people in the political process, and by funding new approaches, VAYD hopes to identify what works and share with our entire chapter network.
  • Budget Allocation: This criteria seeks to determine if sufficient, but not excessive amounts of funding have been requested and ensures that the requesting chapter has thought through the relevant finance questions.
  • VAYD Participation: This criteria gives a bonus to chapters who have been active and frequently participated in VAYD events (including, but not limited to Convention, Lobby Day, Campaign Invasions, Fundraisers, Issue Summits, HSLA/CLA etc.). Newly chartered chapters will be given appropriate consideration in this category.

 

Available Funding:

The Executive Board has allocated $1000 for the GROUND Game Grant program, additional funds may be authorized and appropriated in the future.

 

Award Amounts:

We are seeking proposals ranging from $100-$250. Chapters may submit multiple proposals. We ask that you use your judgment in prioritizing and submitting multiple applications.

 

Obligations upon receipt of the grant:

Within 60 days of receiving the grant, the receiving chapter must send the following materials to the standing committee:

  • A brief (250 words or less) description of the impact of the grant on the chapter, your work and the unmet need
  • Receipts for any items purchased
  • Photos documenting the usage of the funding
  • Any other documentation the committee deems necessary to require

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VAYD reserves the right to use any/all materials sent to the standing committee in future fundraising or promotional material. Failure to submit this post-grant report will be taken into consideration when evaluating future grant proposals.

 

Questions:

Any questions about the GROUND Game Grant program should be conveyed to the President or Finance Director at [email protected] or [email protected].