National Peace Corps Association seeks proposals from Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, former Peace Corps staff, and affiliate groups for small projects that contribute to amplifying the Peace Corps community’s global social impact
As part of National Peace Corps Association’s (NPCA) mission to amplify the Peace Corps community’s global social impact, the NPCA Community Fund supports community-based projects that make global giving more efficient, transparent, and effective through small grants. The Community Fund supports projects both internationally and in the United States in a variety of sectors. Projects are funded primarily through crowdfunding, and may be eligible for supplemental funding from NPCA on a case-by-case basis. NPCA seeks proposals from Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs), former Peace Corps staff, and affiliate groups for small projects that contribute to amplifying the Peace Corps community’s global social impact. In our commitment to support communities of color, priority funding is available for projects that focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, inclusive of minority-owned startup enterprises and initiatives that advance racial justice.
Small Grants Program: Approach and Methodology
As a first step, prospective applicants should complete an expression of interest form. Eligible applicants will be invited to submit a grant application to NPCA in accordance with the established policies and procedures for the Community Fund. Applications for grants of less than $3,000 will be evaluated by an internal ad hoc grants committee. Applications for grants of $3,000 or more will be evaluated by NPCA’s Community Fund Advisory Committee.
Successful applicants will be invited to enter into a partnered campaign agreement with NPCA. Through NPCA’s Community Fund, the applicant and NPCA will jointly promote the applicant’s project or initiative to our public audiences, endeavoring to meet the mutually agreed upon fundraising goals through a crowdfunding approach. As appropriate, NPCA may seed or contribute to the campaign from other sources in order to reach fundraising goals in a timely manner.
Upon completion of the partnered campaign, NPCA will disburse the grant to recipient by installments in accordance with an agreed-upon schedule of disbursements.
Eligibility
Eligible Applicants | Eligible applicants must meet one of the following eligibility criteria:
- Social enterprises founded by individual RPCVs or former Peace Corps staff in the process of incorporation (fiscal sponsorship required)
- Social enterprises founded by RPCVs or former Peace Corps staff and incorporated as 501(c)(3) organizations
- Groups of RPCVs and former Peace Corps that are formally affiliated with, or in the process of affiliation with, NPCA
- Community-based organizations or enterprises incorporated as 501(c)(3) organizations and with substantial RPCV or former Peace Corps staff involvement (volunteers, staff, or board of directors)
- Private enterprises established as limited liability companies (LLC) by RPCVs or former Peace Corps staff and in early startup
Ineligible Applicants | If one or more of the criteria below is true, applicant is not eligible:
- Proposals for enterprises that have annual operating revenues of $500,000 or more
- Proposals presented or directed by government entities
- Proposals from groups that do not contribute financial or in-kind resources to the proposed activities
- Proposals associated with political parties or partisan movements
- Purely religious or sectarian activities
- Proposals solely for construction and/or equipment
- Requests for grants more than $50,000 total
- Social enterprises that are not incorporated or in the process of being incorporated
- Social enterprises that are not established by RPCVs or former Peace Corps staff, or do not have substantial involvement from RPCVs or former Peace Corps staff
Evaluation Criteria
NPCA looks for the following criteria in a project it funds:
- Innovative solutions to community problems
- Creative use of the community’s resources
- Evidence of commitment to social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion
- Diverse, equitable, and transparent array of community voices in project development and execution
- Substantial stakeholder engagement in:
- the identification of the problem addressed
- the identification of intended beneficiaries
- the approach chosen to solve it
- the design of the project
- management and evaluation of activities
- Partnerships with local government, the business community and other civil society organizations
- Potential for strengthening all participating organizations and their partnerships
- Financial and technical feasibility, including detailed budget and capacity and history of managing grants
- Evidence of eventual sustainability
- Counterpart contributions from the proponent, the beneficiaries and other sources
- The potential to generate learning
- Measurable results (short- and long-term)
Application will be evaluated on the above criteria using a grant application scoring rubric that reviews and weighs grant proposal components, using a 50-point scale. All applications receiving 35+ points will be considered for funding support. Applications receiving 34 points and below will either be informed that they are not being selected for funding or will be asked to strengthen their application to meet specific criteria.
Award amounts
Up to $50,000 per recipient, of which a maximum of $10,000 will be awarded from NPCA resources, with the remainder from crowdfunded or jointly identified funding sources.
Deadline
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through June 2021.
Funding Source
NPCA will utilize donor advised funds donated to NPCA for use in advancing the mission and reach of the Community Fund. NPCA will also capitalize on grant opportunities that emerge and which align with the mission and scope of the Community Fund’s Small Grants Program.
Management
NPCA’s Community Fund Small Grants Program is overseen by NPCA’s President and CEO. NPCA’s Community Fund Advisory Committee, made up of appointed Board Members and volunteer NPCA members, will advise on procedures and policies for the initiatives of the Community Fund, as well as, approve grant applications requesting grants $3,000 and larger.
The daily management of applications, communications with stakeholders, crowdfunding process, grant payout, and grant reporting will be managed by NPCA’s International Programs Coordinator.
The seeking out of supplemental funding opportunities, such as the submission of foundation grant proposals, will be led and managed by NPCA’s development team.
Submit an Expression of Interest Form