How to Apply

1oooopplicants seeking funding are asked to submit a Letter of Intent described below by March 31, 2023 to LMFund@palmettoproject.org.   LOIs can be mailed in and will be accepted as long as they are postmarked on or before March 31, 2023.  Chris Williams cwilliams@palmettoproject.org is the community liaison for the Fund and can answer questions or concerns. Phone number: 843-266-5690

Chris Williams
The Palmetto Project
6296 Rivers Avenue, Suite 100
North Charleston. SC 29406

Your LOI will be reviewed by the staff to determine if it complies with the instructions provided here, especially regarding the financial health of the applicant organization and its track record. If everything is in order, you will not need to do anything further.  Your LOI will automatically become an application and be submitted to an independent task force of volunteer evaluators.  

If the LOI does not adequately comply with the instructions, it will not be forwarded to the task force. 

Preparing your Letter of Intent.  Your Letter of Intent that tells us about your organization and the program or project for which funding is requested.   It can be up to five (5) pages long, excluding the budget and your organization’s financial statements for the past two years.  Please use Times New Roman with 12 inch font size, 1” margins, and 1.15 or higher spacing between the lines. 

The Letter should be loosely organized in the following order: 

Opening Paragraph: Your Summary Statement (first paragraph)

• Your first paragraph should stand alone and provide a comprehensive overview of what your organization plans to do with the grant for which you are applying.  
• Explain the connection between the Fund’s purposes and your project.  
• If you are collaborating with community partners, identify other organizations involved in the project and the roles they will play.
• State the total cost of the project and the amount of the total you are requesting.  The limit on requests is $50,000.  If you have a compelling reason that your grant should exceed $50,000, you should note it in the LOI and it may be considered by the task force.

Statement of Need: The WHY of the project 

• Explain the local need(s) your project addresses, why it is important to your organization and your community, and who will benefit from the grant you are requesting.
• Provide any data that defines the need and significance of this project to your community.

Project Activity:  The WHAT & HOW of the project. (This will be the bulk of your LOI)

• Provide a description of the activities to be underwritten with grant funds.
• Highlight how these activities are or can be effective in addressing the need(s) you have identified.   
• Identify other organizations, if any, with whom you are partnering in this project, and explain their roles.
• Explain how much of your grant will underwrite personnel, and if there is a plan for sustaining these positions when grant funds run out.

Outcomes:  (1-2 paragraphs; before or after the Project Activity)

• State the specific outcome(s) you hope to achieve.
• Indicate how you plan to evaluate the project. How will you know that you have achieved your grant’s objectives? 

Credentials: (1-2 paragraphs)

• Explain how your organization, its partners, volunteers, and staff are uniquely equipped to execute this project.  Include any historical background about the organization in this section. 
• Mention any awards, rankings, or other tangible measures that set you apart from other groups that may want to address the same need.

Budget (1-2 paragraphs, use charts or grids, if necessary)

• Provide a description of the project’s funding needs, including its total budget and the amount of that budget you are requesting from the Fund.  
• Indicate any other financial commitments you have received.
• Describe the activities a grant from the Fund would be underwriting, and the period of time it would cover.
• Once funds have been received, they must be expended within 12 months of the award date. Funds will be awarded by May 31, 2023, so they must be used no later than June 30, 2024.
• Organizations with 501(c)(3) status must include a copy of their IRS letter indicating their non-profit status, as well as financial reports for the two most recently completed fiscal years (e.g., if your fiscal year is Jan-Dec, submit 2021 and 2022 financial statements). It is understood 2022 will have just ended and those might be preliminary numbers.  

Closing:  (1 paragraph)

• Add any additional information or perspective you’d like us to consider.  Don’t repeat anything you have already written.  

Signature

• Include the organization’s contact information, such as contact name, phone number, mailing address, as well as a website.

All Initial Applications must be received and or postmarked on or before March 31, 2023.  

If additional information and/or clarification about content or eligibility is needed, or if required paperwork is missing, the staff of the Palmetto Project will contact you. Only qualified applicants with complete applications and fulfillment of all requirements, including material requested through supplemental requests, will be submitted to the Advisory Committee for final evaluation and funding recommendations.

Award Process: 

Should your LOI be accepted, you will be notified by Wednesday, April 10th to submit additional information and materials to support your request.

Funds will be allocated this summer  in the form of one-time grants to eligible organizations in the designated counties whose programs and projects align with the Fund’s focus on social justice and economic empowerment.