Planning your budget for a Community Challenge Grant

What you can include and how community matching works.

The smallest grant for a Community Challenge Grant (CCG) is $15,000. The largest budget is $175,000.

Grants are for 12 to 18 months. The director of the CCG may allow a longer period depending on the project needs. You will need to finish the project by the date set at the start of the grant.

Expenses

Expenses you can include

You may include these expenses when they relate directly to the project:

  • Costs of labor and professional services (see limits below)
  • Equipment, supplies, and materials 
  • Community outreach and engagement materials
  • Permit fees

Expenses you can include with limits

Some expenses must be less than a specific percentage of the total budget:

  • Design: 20% or less
  • Construction: 50% or less
  • Outreach and engagement: 20% or less
  • Project management: 15% or less
  • Administrative or indirect costs: 10% or less
  • Fiscal sponsorship fee: 15% or less

Limit on signs

You will also be required to install permanent signs that explain the project. These signs must include the Community Challenge Grants (CCG) logo. The maximum amount you can budget for signs is $1,000.

Expenses you cannot include

  • Food and drink
  • Travel 
  • Celebrations
  • Any expenses from before you receive a grant contract 
  • Expenses that are part of your organization's regular operation or part of another program

Fiscal sponsor (if needed)

What a fiscal sponsor will cost

Most fiscal sponsors will charge a fee that's 15% of the total project budget. The fee covers technical support and administrative support like:

  • Preparing reimbursements
  • Ensuring compliance with vendor requirements and financial policies

To make sure you receive enough funding, include the 15% fee as a line item in your proposed budget.

Matching

You must include how the community will match part of the amount you are requesting. 

The amount and type of match must meet the needs of the project. Show how each contribution to the match is required to complete the project.

Amount

The community must match at least 35% of the grant amount. For example, if you request $100,000, the community will need to contribute $35,000. The match can include:

  • Donations of items allowed in the budget section above
  • Volunteer labor 
  • In-kind professional services

Volunteer labor

Calculate the value of volunteer labor at $25.00 per hour. You can only count volunteer labor after you have a grant contract. You cannot count any work before then as part of the community match.

Professional labor

Professional services or project management costs count as in-kind or in-cash matches. They cannot count towards both. Discounted rates do not count toward a project’s match amount.  

Documentation

You must document the match. Documentation could include service contracts, invoices, receipts, and signed timesheets or attendance logs.

Payment

The CCG is a reimbursement grant program. You will need to pay expenses. Then you will submit invoices with receipts in order to get paid back. The CCG will review and approve each invoice before paying it. It may take up to 30 days to pay the invoice after the CCG approves it.

最後更新 October 4, 2022