For 2012, our “three years on, one year off” policy remains in place.  If 2012 is your year off, we encourage you to check our 2013 guidelines when they are released for more information. Or, if you have questions, please call us.

You are the expert about your organization, so you will probably be able to answer most questions with little difficulty. The most important thing is to re-read your proposal and to have it available during the site visit. Try to imagine what kind of questions you would ask if you were just learning about your organization. Some program officers develop a list of questions that they will forward to you before the site visit, but there are always questions that arise spontaneously during the discussion. A site visit is not a test, it’s a discussion, and if there is some information you don't have readily available, it can be supplied later to the program officer.

We anticipate having guidelines posted on our website in late fall 2012.  We will provide additional information throughout the year as it becomes available.

An agency’s fund balance (or net assets) is shown on its Balance Sheet (Statement of Financial Position).  A negative fund balance occurs when the organization’s total liabilities are larger than its total assets.

An operating deficit occurs when an organization’s expenses are larger than its revenues for a specific period of time, such as a fiscal year.  This is shown on the Income Statement (Statement of Financial Activities).

While we will consider grants to organizations that have a fiscal year end operating deficit, we see this as a symptom of possible problems within the organization, and will be asking some tough questions if the proposal proceeds into the review process.

However, The Denver Foundation will not consider a grant to an organization with a negative fund balance at the end of its most recent fiscal year.  There are no exceptions to this.  Sadly, many organizations go through the trouble and expense of submitting a proposal to the Foundation without checking this important fact. If you have any doubt about whether or not your organization has a fund balance deficit at its fiscal year end, have someone with knowledge and understanding of nonprofit financial reporting review your financial information before you submit a proposal to The Denver Foundation.

During 2011, The Denver Foundation gathered perspectives from hundreds of our neighbors through an in-depth Listening Campaign, and we are thankful to so many of you who shared your thoughts and concerns with us.  We are pleased to share the results on our website: www.denverfoundation.org/listening.

The Board of Trustees of The Denver Foundation used the results of this campaign to help create a new strategic plan.  As a community foundation, it is essential that we take the pulse of the community as we determine how best our resources can be used to help.

As we have many times since our founding in 1925, The Denver Foundation is adjusting the focus of our work to meet the community’s needs. 

We heard that the community is most concerned about three areas: making sure that residents in Metro Denver have good jobs, access to help for meeting their basic needs, and a high quality education for their children.  We have crafted a strategic plan to focus our work primarily in these three areas, and you can find the plan on our website.

Over the next year, we will be reaching out to the community for help and advice in numerous ways.  We will be visiting and speaking with many of you personally, and we hope you will feel free to call us if you have any questions.  As well, you can always share your thoughts with us at listening@denverfoundation.org.  Also, visit www.denverfoundation.org/listening to find a link to updates about our progress implementing the strategic plan.

We use the Common Grant Application and have only one exception to its financial requirements.  Please see our guidelines.  We look to support organizations that demonstrate sound fiscal management practices

Our strategic plan focuses on three community objectives:

Basic Human Needs: Help ensure shelter, basic medical care, access to nutritious food, and safety for the most vulnerable residents in Metro Denver.

Economic Opportunity: Help foster interconnected and culturally vibrant communities in which low-income residents have the tools and opportunities necessary for jobs and careers that lead to economic self-sufficiency.

Education: Help increase P-12 student achievement and graduation rates in targeted low-income neighborhoods.

We recognize that these are complex concerns, that they related to many other community issues, and that many of our partners are already working on solutions.  As you’ll note from these guidelines, our funding priorities have not changed for 2012. 

We do not know, specifically, how the Community Grants Program will change in 2013 and beyond.  We will continue providing general operating support, and many grantees will continue to receive funding, while some recipients will not fall into our new guidelines.  We also expect to find new grantees and partners in our work.