How did the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton come to be?
What is the mission of the Foundation?
How does the Foundation live its mission?
What is the service area of the Foundation?
The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton was founded in 1996 and is a ministry of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine. For over 155 years, the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, a religious congregation of women, remain dedicated to serving the healthcare, educational, and human service needs of the poor and underserved. In 1908, the Sisters, at the request of Rosa Klorer and the Bishop of Cleveland, founded Mercy Hospital (now Mercy Medical Center) in the former Canton home of President William McKinley. A partnering decision in November 1995 resulted in the sale of 50% of their interest in the hospital. Funds made available from the sale enabled the establishment of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton.
The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton supports and furthers the
mission and ministry of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine. The
principal components of their ministry are health, education, and social
services. The Foundation's focus is on issues of social justice relating to
the poor and underserved in the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
The Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine asked their foundations to be
committed to serving the needs of the poor and underserved by
understanding the root causes of poverty, nurturing the growth of
healthy communities, emphasizing youth and families, and measuring the
outcome of these efforts. To address this focus, the Foundation provides
grant funds, technical assistance, and facilitation to agencies and
organizations whose programs and services demonstrate a commitment
to the poor and underserved of our communities.
Stark County is the primary service area of the Foundation. However,
proposals are also accepted for services in Carroll, Holmes,
Tuscarawas, and Wayne counties.
What are the eligibility criteria for grant funding?
Who and/or what types of requests are not eligible?
Who are some of the Foundation's grantees?
The programs and services of the organization must be consistent with the Foundation's Mission and Guiding Principles.
The applicant must be a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization and the request must be consistent with local, state, and federal laws. The agency or organization must be in the Foundation's primary geographic service area of Stark County. Requests from surrounding areas in Carroll, Holmes, Tuscarawas, and Wayne Counties will also be considered.
Scholarship Endowment Funds to support low-income enrollment for educational experiences for non-public, nonprofit preschool through higher education institutions are the only endowment funds considered by the Foundation. A level of financial match is required of all scholarship endowment grantees. Concept papers for scholarship endowments are due by July 2. If approved, proposals for scholarship endowments are due August 1 for decisions by December 1.
The Foundation does not fund the following:
- Individuals
- Annual appeals or membership drives
- General endowment funds other than those outlined under the eligibility criteria
- Debt Reduction
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In addition, the foundation normally does not fund requests for the following, unless it can be demonstrated that the program services will have a significant impact on addressing the root causes of poverty:
- Capital campaigns
- Operating expenses of established organizations
- General endowment funds, however, scholarship endowment funds are considered for non-public, nonprofit preschool through higher education institutions and are for academic and/or preschool experiences only. A level of financial match will be required of all scholarship endowment grantees
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The Foundation's newsletter, Mission Matters, contains a complete listing of all grants awarded during each distribution cycle. Archives of the newsletter can be found on the News & Events page of this website.
What are the Foundation’s funding priorities?
What types of grants are available?
What is the difference between a Good Samaritan and a Responsive grant?
Can my organization apply for both a Good Samaritan and Responsive
grant?
If I attended the Good Samaritan pre-application workshop but never
submitted a proposal, do I have to attend another pre-application workshop?
How do I apply for a grant?
What is a concept paper?
After I submit a concept form, when can I expect to hear from you?
Can a representative from my organization meet with Foundation staff to
discuss my concept form?
When does the Foundation accept proposals?
Does the Foundation accept completed applications or proposals by fax?
Are there specific application forms?
Does the Foundation provide any kind of technical assistance?
If my organization is awarded a grant, do we have to re-apply for future
funding?
If I do not have a 501(c)(3), can I continue the grant application process?
The Foundation provides grant funds to organizations whose programs and
services demonstrate a commitment to the poor and underserved within our
geographical areas.
The Foundation awards Good Samaritan and Responsive Grants.
Good Samaritan grants are designed to support neighborhood or community based grass-roots efforts that need funding in order to nurture healthy communities for the underserved and economically poor. Organizations may be awarded only one (1) Good Samaritan grant per year not to exceed $15,000. Prior to the submission of an organization’s first Good Samaritan grant application, a representative must attend a pre-application workshop. Good Samaritan application workshops are held twice each year. Then a concept form must be sent to the Foundation prior to the submission of a Good Samaritan grant. Please note Good Samaritan applicants may only submit one concept form per year. For next available workshop, see the news and events page on this website or call the Foundation office at (330) 454-5800.
Responsive grants respond to requests from established programs and
organizations. A concept form must be sent to the Foundation prior to the submission of a Responsive Grant. Proposals are accepted from a variety of interested organizations. Please note, selections will be made and grants are awarded through a competitive process.
Good Samaritan grants are designed to support grass-roots efforts that need funding in order to nurture healthy communities for the underserved and economically poor. Usually, Good Samaritan grantees are newly formed small community-based and/or faith-based organizations that are operated primarily by volunteers.
Responsive grants respond to requests from established programs and organizations.
No. Organizations can only apply for a Good Samaritan or Responsive grant.
Only one grant will be awarded per organization each year.
No. Prior to the submission of an organization’s first Good Samaritan grant
application, a representative must attend only one pre-application
workshop.
As a first step in requesting funding, the applying organization must submit a concept form indicating an interest in applying for one of our grants. In addition, if the organization is applying for a Good Samaritan grant for the first time, a representative from the organization must attend a Good Samaritan pre-application workshop.
The concept form can be found on the forms page of this website. The concept form must be submitted as your first step in requesting funding for all Good Samaritan and Responsive Grant requests. In order to be considered for our next grant cycle, concept forms must be submitted by the specified deadline. Good Samaritan applicants can submit only one concept form annually.
The concept form includes information about your organization and/or sponsoring organization, the purpose of the request; the target population; the goals and objectives of the project; the approximate amount of the request; other funding sources and requests; and other pertinent information. Concept forms are accepted at any time and are responded to in a timely manner.
We will respond to all concept forms within 2-4 weeks.
Once an organization’s concept form is approved, a proposal must be delivered to the Foundation office by 5:00 p.m. on the following dates:
Good Samaritan grants
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May 1 |
November 1 |
Responsive grants
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February 1 |
August 1 |
Responsive grants for Scholarship Endowments
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August 1 |
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If the first of the month falls on a weekend, the proposal may be delivered to the Foundation office the following Monday. For specific dates, please see the ‘News and Events’ page on this website.
No. Due to the confidentiality and the length of the proposals and attachments, we do not accept completed applications or proposals by fax.
Yes. The forms related to both Good Samaritan and Responsive grants can be downloaded from our website or a hard copy can be mailed, if requested.
Yes. The Foundation staff is available to answer questions related to the grant process. Please call the Foundation office at 330-454-5800.
All first time Good Samaritan applicants must attend a pre-application workshop before a concept form will be considered. In addition, most Good Samaritan grantees will be required to attend a post award workshop prior to receiving a grant award to discuss evaluation and reporting requirements.
Yes. If your organization was previously awarded funding, you must reapply
for future funding. The procedure for new and/or repeat funding is the same.
Yes. However, you must have an eligible organization act as your fiscal sponsor. The fiscal sponsor must have a 501(c)(3) and its mission should closely fit yours. The Foundation will provide a written Fiscal Sponsorship Letter of Agreement and require that it be in place between the applicant organization and the organization serving as fiscal sponsor before a grant agreement is finalized.
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