Environment (The New York Community Trust)

Environment (The New York Community Trust) is sponsored by The New York Community Trust. This program aims to mitigate climate change, make communities more resilient, protect public health from toxic chemicals and pollutants, and preserve biological diversity.

* How does The Trust support nonprofits? * Is my nonprofit eligible for a grant? * What does The Trust fund?

* National & International * How does the application process work? * Does The Trust host events for nonprofits? ### Open competitive grants program The Trust has many living donors who suggest grants from donor-advised funds.

These donor-advised funds do not accept proposals. However, hundreds of donors have created funds that are part of our competitive grants program, which distributes about $50 million per year to nonprofits. Some of these funds have no restrictions, while others have specific purposes, such as improving the quality of education in New York City, for the welfare of the borough of Queens, or for Germanic music in Westchester.

The following resources can help your organization decide whether it makes sense to spend the time to submit a proposal—and if it does, to apply. Is My Organization Eligible? Apply Now In addition to the ongoing open competitive grants program, The Trust issues requests for proposals and/or letters of interest to address specific issues and for our national and international environment program.

We also are home to several targeted funds as well as funder collaboratives that bring foundations, corporations, and individuals together to address issues such as increasing local voting and census participation, helping immigrants, and developing our region’s workforce. These targeted and collaborative funds also issue requests for proposals or invite nonprofits to apply.

RFPs, LOIs & Additional FundingOur Collaborative Funds * Eligibility QuizTake the quiz * More questions? Join an info session Before you spend time developing a proposal, make sure your nonprofit meets the eligibility criteria for our competitive grants program.

Applicants may submit a proposal through our Grantseeker Portal at any time for our New York City competitive grants program and during specified timeframes listed on the application instructions for our Long Island and Westchester competitive grants programs.

Note that applicants to the national environment program should apply during specified time frames via an RFP on the Grantseeker Portal; for our international environment program, proposals are by invitation only. Similarly, you may apply to one of The Trust’s targeted or collaborative funds through the appropriate RFP on the portal. You can apply online through our Grantseeker Portal.

## The Competitive Grantmaking Process for Nonprofits Serving NYC _Please include the following in applications for grants serving New York City. _ 1. A brief cover letter on the organization’s letterhead signed by the paid staff head or designee confirming the organizational commitment to the project.

2. A narrative proposal (no more than 5 numbered pages) that includes: * A description of your agency’s background (mission, major activities, and credentials for carrying out the project). * A brief statement of the public policy or systemic service delivery problem you seek to address.

* A description of your plans to address the problem, including the project’s: * planned activities, including who will benefit and how policies, systems, or services will improve. * expected outcomes and plan for measuring results. * For requests for renewed Trust funding, progress made with earlier Trust support.

* A brief statement of how the project will be sustained after The Trust’s support ends. The narrative need not address the topics in order, or even one at a time. Rather, the narrative should make a compelling case for the needed changes, how the proposed activities will lead to the desired change, and why your agency is prepared to carry out the project.

3. An itemized project budget that reflects the full costs of carrying out the project (as opposed to just the amount requested from The Trust). The budget should also list other pending and/or confirmed income to support the project and any in-kind contributions.

Please round up to the nearest thousand for all line items in the project budget. 4. Your current year’s annual operating budget and, for arts and culture groups only, actual income and expenses for the most recently completed fiscal year.

5. A list of your board of directors, including affiliations. The Trust generally requires a board to have at least four members (we prefer at least five).

All board members should be unrelated, and no more than one board member should be paid, typically the paid staff head. **Note:** For grants to universities, hospitals, academic medical centers, and affiliated nonprofit fiscal sponsors (e.g., research foundations affiliated with fundraising vehicles of government agencies), overhead costs for grant administration may not exceed five percent of the total project budget.

Administrative costs related to carrying out the proposed grant activities, including space, materials and supplies, and technology for project staff, are not subject to the five percent limit and should be identified separately in the proposed itemized project budget. For additional information, please contact Liza Lagunoff atllagunoff@thenytrust. org.

* Internal Revenue ServiceLink * New York State Attorney General’s Charities BureauLink * NYS Department of LaborLink * NY Combating Sexual Harassment in the WorkplaceLink * Fiscal SponsorshipsLink * Pro Bono PartnershipLink * Lawyers Alliance for New YorkLink * BBB Wise Giving AllianceLink * National Council of NonprofitsLink * Nonprofit New York Link * Nonprofit Resource HubLink * Nonprofit WestchesterLink * Adelphi Center for Nonprofit LeadershipLink * Association of Fundraising Professionals – Long Island ChapterLink * Association of Fundraising Professionals – Hudson Valley ChapterLink * Grant Professionals of the Lower Hudson ValleyLink * Philanthropy New YorkLink * Association of Development OfficersLink * Nonprofit QuarterlyLink * Chronicle of PhilanthropyLink Our competitive grants support projects that improve the lives of all New Yorkers, with an emphasis on promoting healthy lives, promising futures, and thriving communities.

Eligibility QuizGrantseeker Portal