Carlisle Area Health & Wellness Foundation

Further information and details on any policy are available from the grants staff. All policies are approved by the CAHWF Board of Trustees with input from the grants committee and staff.

GENERAL

A.	The Grants Committee has responsibility for monitoring the grantmaking process as well as the evaluation of grants and related CAHWF processes.
B.	The Grants Committee addresses grants (reactive requests for funding unsolicited from an agency) and the Planning Committee addresses initiatives. The two committees work collaboratively on Foundation initiatives. (Initiatives are proactive grants based on board-approved reports and identified needs in the community.)
C.	Staff has a significant role in managing, processing, summarizing and evaluating applications for volunteer decision-making.
D.	Non-Board members of the Grants Committee vote on all grants at the committee level and can attend grant-related portions of Board meetings as non-voting observers.
E.	All grant decisions are final. There is no process for appeals; however CAHWF staff is available for technical assistance at any time.
F.	CAHWF understands that to serve the people in our region it may be necessary to fund causes that bring with them some level of public sensitivity.
G.	A strong referral and collaboration system to other resources is emphasized.

FUNDING

A.	While reaching a broad range of people in our region, CAHWF’s efforts are mainly focused on those most in need of healthcare due to economic barriers or lack of access. CAHWF's position is that: - Primary prevention is our preferred strategy to have significant, long term impact. - Personal ownership and responsibility should be equitably joined with the provision of services. - Parent/guardian education and involvement should be an important consideration for grants and initiatives that have an impact on children’s health. This will assist parents in their pivotal roles as gatekeepers, mentors, and models of healthy attitudes and behaviors through their own self-care.
B.	Grants need to support one of the Foundation’s focus areas to receive funding: - Address Obesity and Prevent Major Chronic Disease - Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer, Diabetes, Asthma & Arthritis - primarily through better nutrition, increased physical activity and tobacco cessation - Offer Primary Care and Related Services for the un/underinsured, principally in partnership with the Sadler Health Center. - Target System-Wide Behavioral Health Issues, especially where mental health issues and substance abuse co-occur (also known as co-occurring disorders). - Enhance Oral Health. - Support Allied Health Care Education with a focus on needs based scholarships. The only exception is described in Section V (Healthy People Grants).
C.	The spending policy for the Foundation’s mission-related program expenses is set at a range from 4% to 6% annually of “average disbursable assets” and incorporates the use of a rolling 36 month average.
D.	Donors may designate their gift for a specific agency or general health related cause.
E.	Income from trustee managed funds is used solely for direct grants and/or certain program expenses and must be expended annually.
F.	Total funds given out over the year are based on the quality of the grant submissions with no predetermined levels per fiscal quarter.
G.	Only 501(c) 3 organizations are eligible for grants. Additionally, school districts are eligible to apply for Mini-Grants. Organizations and school buildings may apply for multiple Mini-Grants, but the total amount awarded per organization or school building is not to exceed $2,000 per fiscal year (July 1 to June 30).
H.	Grants must benefit residents of our geographic area (see map) even if an agency is located outside of those boundaries.
I.	The regional Common Funding Application is utilized for all Level I and II submissions as well as the “Healthy People” grants.
J.	These factors are important in reviewing applications for priority areas: - Relationship to CAHWF focus areas (see "Healthy People" grants information) - Quality of application and agency - Level of funds requested and funds available - Geographic and other equity issues for our service areas - Size of problem - Seriousness of problem - Effectiveness of proposed interventions and evaluations - Community/institutional values
K.	The payment sequence of grants is determined individually and defined in the grant contract.

BUDGETING

A.	Grants should generally not be for more than 25% of an agency's operating budget.
B.	Applicants may apply for more than one grant in a funded year, keeping in mind the general limit of 25% of an agency's budget.
C.	All overhead or general administrative costs must be fully justified. CAHWF will not fund overhead in excess of 10% of the grant amount or any portion of grants for dues or membership in state or national associations.
D.	Grantees may include evaluation costs as part of their application with the level of evaluation being based on the size of the grant and the learning opportunities presented. The Foundation exercises the right to contract independently for the evaluation.

REPORTING AND EVALUATION

A.	Statistics on beneficiaries are collected and monitored to the extent possible as part of grants.
B.	Internal and external expertise is utilized when necessary to either evaluate or to further develop the program proposed in the application. Deferrals of grants may be required to allow for technical assistance or to assist in the further development of the application.
C.	Grantees must maintain a dialogue with CAHWF and discuss needed programmatic changes. Modification of grants is seen as a way to make mid-course corrections.
D.	Extending deadlines for reports is permitted if a modified plan for completion and evaluation has been provided at least 30 days prior to the grant end date.
E.	Action will be taken if grantees are late in submitting interim or final reports. If there is no resolution 60 days after a reporting deadline, the grantee will be ineligible to apply for future grants for two or more years. Non-compliance may also result in remittance of remaining funds to CAHWF.
F.	Organizations are to recognize CAHWF 's funded activities in materials and presentations and must permit CAHWF to do the same.
G.	CAHWF employs site visits to the maximum extent possible.
H.	CAHWF mandates and provides training and covers related costs for use of the program logic model to assess outcomes of grants and its own processes.
I.	Traditional process evaluation is also required for funding.

HEALTHY PEOPLE GRANTS

Requirements, forms and guidelines for Healthy People Grants (HPG) are the same as those for other CAHWF grants, except as follows:
- HPG awards are highly selective and the burden of proof is on the applicant to demonstrate an urgent, critical healthcare need that justifies Foundation funding beyond the priority focus areas.
- Successful applicants’ programs must have a connection to public health, prevention and/or wellness listed in the Healthy People 2020 goals.
- Applications must be submitted by 4:00 PM on June 1st of each year. Decisions will be made by September 30th.
- Agencies may submit a letter of determination at any time during the year if they are unsure whether a program falls under a priority focus area or the HPG program.
- The grants will be for one year at a time with the possibility of renewal for two additional years, although renewal is not to be assumed.
- The total amount of funds set aside annually for Healthy People Grants is $100,000; this cap will remain in place for future years unless changed by the Board of Trustees. Individual amounts to be granted will be evaluated and will be adjusted in light of all approved requests.

CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY

Carlisle Area Health & Wellness Foundation Board members, staff and volunteers shall perform assigned duties in a manner which guards the privacy of both the people served by applicants and their employees. They shall hold in confidence all personal or sensitive information obtained in the course of performing their duties, whether that information is obtained through written records or interaction with any person. They are to refrain from discussing or revealing sensitive information to anyone, including co-workers and family.

While all Board deliberations are confidential, the outcomes are not, with the exception of identified personnel matters and other internal administrative matters. As ambassadors for CAHWF , all those associated with CAHWF should be well informed and able to discuss CAHWF 's mission, activities and decisions with the general public.

The public is encouraged to utilize CAHWF information readily available through our web site, printed information disseminated to the public and publicly available regulatory filings.

VOTING PROCEDURE

After discussion on the proposed grants, all votes will be by signed ballot. This is to encourage an open process while diminishing the appearance of public pressure by other volunteers, Board or staff when final decisions are made.

All committee members sign and abide by the Board approved Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Statements.