MCLEAN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION GRANTS POLICY
Foundation Purpose:
To operate exclusively for charitable and educational purposes for the benefit of the residents of the McLean Planning District of Fairfax County in the Commonwealth of Virginia (hereinafter referred to as McLean). Boundaries for the McLean Planning District are as follows: the Potomac River, the Arlington County line, Falls Church City line, Route 7, the Dulles Access Road to Difficult Run and along Difficult Run to the Potomac.
Grants Criteria:
Projects funded by the Foundation must provide a benefit to residents of McLean. Applicants must furnish evidence of that benefit and, where appropriate, evidence of community support for the proposed project. Applicants must also provide evidence of their not-for-profit status.
While there is a preference for grants to fund the acquisition of tangible assets, grants for the initiation or expansion of program-related activities may also be considered. Grant funds cannot normally be used for operating expenses.
The Foundation encourages applicants to combine Foundation grants with funds from other community organizations as partners on the proposed project or to use Foundation funds as “challenge grants” to generate additional needed funds. The Foundation will also consider projects that are not likely to be funded in sufficient amounts by other organizations or individuals.
To the extent possible, Foundation monies should be expended in ways complementary to the work of other community groups or in cooperation with them.
Although preference is given to grant applications from organizations maintaining a physical presence within McLean, other Northern Virginia organizations shall be eligible for grants if the Foundation funds requested will provide significant benefits to residents of McLean.
There shall be no obligation on the part of the Foundation, nor expectation on the part of any applicant or grantee, for the Foundation to provide any additional project funding beyond the original grant.
Grant monies must be expended in a timely manner following the execution of the grant agreement. Six months (or another date, depending on circumstances specified in the grant agreement) after the date of an executed, signed grant agreement, the grantee shall furnish to the Foundation satisfactory evidence of the progress of the project funded.
While each grant application will be reviewed based on merit, Foundation seeks to broadly distribute its support for organizations serving the McLean community. Therefore, consideration will include a review of any Foundation funding awarded to applicant within the prior two years.
The Foundation may require that funds not spent in a timely manner or as intended be returned.
Grant applications will be considered two times per year, April and October. Applications must be received or postmarked by April 1st to be considered at the Foundation’s regular April meeting, and by October 1 to be considered at the Foundation’s regular October meeting. At the discretion of the Foundation President, if exceptional circumstances are demonstrated, applications may be considered at other times.
Grants shall be limited to those that are in conformance with the Foundation's status under the Internal Revenue Code as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) corporation. As specified in the IRS regulations, no grants may inure to the benefit of any individual, except as payment for services performed by a party independent of the grantee, as specified in the grant agreement.
Except for the requirement that projects benefit the residents of McLean, the Foundation shall administer funds available to it on a non-discriminatory basis and in full compliance with applicable Commonwealth of Virginia and federal laws.
Miscellaneous
The Foundation may on occasion choose to fund a project or make a donation that does not satisfy the Foundation's Grants Criteria but is consistent with the Foundation's purpose. A 2/3 majority vote of the Trustees will be required to fund such expenditures.
The Foundation will actively encourage the submission of grant applications for projects meeting its grants criteria and may, when deemed appropriate, initiate and fund projects meeting its criteria.