USCCB - (CCHD) - CCHD Community Organizing Grants Criteria and Guidelines

CCHD Funding Process, Policies, and Timeline

Timeline
The Catholic Campaign for Human Development fully upholds the Church's teaching on the sanctity of human life from conception through natural death. Organizations that receive CCHD funds must not participate in or promote activities that contradict the moral and social teachings of the Catholic Church. For example, organizations that support or promote same-sex marriage, discrimination, racism, capital punishment, abortion, or euthanasia are not eligible for CCHD funding. To ensure CCHD funds are used in keeping with Catholic moral and social teaching, all applicants must go through a multi-step review process.
CCHD funds are allocated only to organizations that are incorporated and have an Internal Revenue Service 501(c)(3) tax exempt designation. If the applicant organization is not incorporated and federally tax exempt, CCHD may allow use of a fiscal sponsor while the applicant organization applies for their tax exempt status.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN THE APPLICATION PROCESS

KNOW CCHD
1. Applicant organizations should carefully review CCHD’s criteria and guidelines for Community Development or Economic Development. Also, CCHD recommends you view the grant program description webinars available here. Finally, the applicant would benefit from reviewing and having a good sense of the grant review process and timeline.

2. Once the applicant organization is familiar with CCHD mission and criteria and guidelines, CCHD strongly encourages applicants to contact and build a relationship with the local CCHD Diocesan Director(s) in the diocese(s) where the applicant’s activities are located.

3. After the applicant organization has been in touch with the local CCHD diocesan director, applicant organizations may contact the CCHD grants specialist overseeing the region in which the applicant works if the applicant has additional questions.

GRANT CYCLE APPLICATION PROCESS

PRE-APPLICATION
1. The first official step of the funding process is submitting a Pre-Application. CCHD uses the Pre-Application to determine the funding eligibility of a potential applicant organization. Pre-Applications for the 2012-2013 grant year will be made available on September 1, 2011.

2. There are two Pre-Applications: one for Community Development grants, and another for Economic Development grants. We strongly recommend you read all criteria and guidelines outlined in the Economic Development grant page and the Community Development grant page before submitting a pre-application.

3. All new applicants are required to submit a Pre-Application for the grant they wish to apply for. "New Applicants" are organizations that wish to apply for a Community Development or Economic Development grant, and did not receive a grant during the last grant cycle.

4. Depending on the results of the pre-application, the applicant will be invited to submit a full application or will receive a declination letter.

APPLICATION
1. Once the applicant has submitted a complete application, national staff and local diocesan staff will review the application.

2. Diocesan staff will conduct a site visit.

3. Both national and diocesan staff will write up their reviews and have a dialogue to come to agreement on a recommendation to the USCCB’s CCHD Subcommittee.

4. Groups will be notifies of a final funding decision in the summer of the following year. A more detailed description of the grant review process can be found here. Also, the funding process timeline can be found below.

Process for Currently Funded Community Development and Economic Development Grantees Wishing to Reapply
If eligible, organizations that received 2011Community Development or Economic Development Grant will have an opportunity to reapply while filling out their 2011-2012 Interim Report.

If you have any questions about this process, e-mail cchdgrants@usccb.org.

Range of Funding Amount
CCHD national grant awards range from $25,000 to $75,000. A grant award may be less than the amount requested.

CCHD Funding Timeline

2011	*All deadlines are 11:59 pm EST*

April 15-May 25	dialogues DDs, grants staff	Diocesan Directors and grants staff conduct dialogues
May 25	deadline to submit	Bishop Approval Forms for each national grant applicant from diocesan directors to CCHD grants staff
June 13	final approvals	USCCB-CCHD Sub-Committee approves final grant awards
Mid-June	award notices	Award notice and start-up materials sent to organizations approved for funding. Letters sent to organizations not approved for funding.
July 1		2011-2012 grant year begins
July 15	deadline to submit	Final Reports for 2010-2011 grants. Final reports must be submitted before additional CCHD funds are disbursed.
August 1	deadline to submit	Completed start-up materials received in national office. First payments processed.
September	deadline to submit	First payments sent to 2011-2012 funded organizations.
*The following dates tentative and subject to change.*
September 1 - November 1	pre-application period for 2012-2013	Prospective applicants for 2012-2013 may submit Pre-Applications to CCHD national office. Eligible applicants will receive an e-mailed link to access the online application.
November 1	deadline to submit	Pre-Applications for organizations not currently funded by CCHD. Pre-Applications are evaluated by grants specialist on a rolling basis. Groups not eligible for further consideration will receive a notice as applications are reviewed.
2012
December	deadline to submit	Full Application
	deadline to submit	Interim Reports for 2011-2012 grantees and applications to reapply for 2012-2013
January –May		National and diocesan review of applications
June		USCCB’s CCHD Subcommittee meets to review recommendations
July		2012-2013 grant year begins