2010 GRANT GUIDELINES

MISSION

The Virginia Beach Rescue Squad Foundation hereinafter referred to as the “Foundation” is a public foundation that is dedicated to supporting the Virginia Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad, Inc. and advocating for an independent and vital volunteer rescue system throughout the city of Virginia Beach which provides free pre-hospital emergency care to the citizens and visitors of Virginia Beach.

GRANT FOCUS AND PURPOSE

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) applicable to the volunteer rescue squad system engage a wide range of social, political, technological and environmental issues. Open discourse between the City of Virginia Beach, its paid emergency services organizations, the volunteer rescue squads and the citizens of Virginia Beach is essential to study, understand and resolve the specific issues associated with integrating and operating a volunteer rescue squad system within the City’s paid emergency system. The Foundation supports and actively participates in innovative and thought-provoking investigations in planning; urban studies; and related fields of inquiry relative to solving the many complex and inter-related issues. Accordingly, the Foundation’s grant program focuses on providing the City’s volunteer rescue squad entities with a fiscal alternative that enables the volunteer rescue squad system to better provide the City of Virginia Beach with a balanced and effective EMS capability. With the Foundation’s support, the work of the individual rescue squad entities and their related support organizations will have the opportunity to improve their overall operational capability. Grants will be made to eligible volunteer rescue squad entities to sponsor training, equipment and community outreach related to pre-hospital emergency care in the following categories: 

• Equipment & Supplies
• Training and Education
• Community Awareness 
• Capital Expenditures
• Recruitment & Retention
  

GEOGRAPHIC AREA SERVED
The Foundation will normally only consider requests for grants that are submitted by qualified volunteer rescue squad entities or related emergency medical support organizations (e.g., Rescue Dive Team, Rescue Council, etc.) that predominantly serve the City of Virginia Beach. In exceptional circumstances, the Foundation’s Board of Directors may at their discretion authorize grants for specific projects that are intended to support integrated EMS activities for the Hampton Roads region to include the cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach. In these exceptional circumstances, approval will be subject to the provision of matching funds from qualified public charities or similar organizations serving the majority of the cities within the Hampton Roads region.

GRANT AMOUNT

Grants awards will depend upon the annual budget allocated by the Foundation’s Board of Directors. Grant amounts are at the discretion of the Board of Directors based on the number of grant applications, merits of the candidate projects and the availability of funds from within the grant budget.

GRANT CYCLE

The Foundation will normally consider one grant application per volunteer rescue squad entity each fiscal year (January 1 – December 31). Grant awards are made annually in January. Applications must be postmarked by October 1 for the Foundation’s consideration in December.

ELIGIBILITY

The Foundation will only consider applications for grants submitted by recognized volunteer rescue squad entities or related emergency medical support organizations working to improve or advocate for an independent and vital volunteer rescue system that predominantly serves the City of Virginia Beach. Only 501(c) (3) tax exempt organizations are eligible for funding. In exceptional circumstances the Foundation may make grants to other entities when there is clear evidence that the greater public interest will be served, for example, in the case of an emerging organization that does not yet have tax exempt status. Eligible candidates may only apply for one grant per year. Applicants who have received prior Foundation support must have satisfied all grant requirements for the previous grant before reapplying.

The Foundation does not typically authorize grants that do not align with its mission, focus and priorities. Requests to fund projects that are associated with the following purposes are likely to be denied:

• Direct expenditures for routine operations i.e. salaries or related programs
• Recovery of indirect project costs
• Debt reduction
• Ongoing operational support
• Procure books, research papers or articles published in professional journals
• Medical research projects or medical procedures unless they are related to Emergency Medical services that benefits a broad base of the community
• Annual fund drives
• Event-underwriting expenses
• Travel expenses or fees for special events, conferences or conventions
• Projects normally the responsibility of  Federal, State or City  government
• Purposes outside of the Foundation's funding priorities as described in the previous sections.
  

The Foundation will not consider requests submitted from the following categories of organizations:

• Individuals
• Endowments
• Political lobbying activities or other political purposes
• Religious organizations
• Private foundations
• Government agencies
• Fraternal organizations, veterans' organizations, professional associations, and similar membership groups

GRANT PERIOD

Grant support is generally authorized on a year to year basis; however, in exceptional situations and at the discretion of the Board of Directors, the Foundation may offer grant support for multi-year projects. In these instances, grants must be completed within two years of notification of award. Applicants should allow sufficient time to plan, implement, close out their project, and, if funded, acknowledge the Virginia Beach Rescue Squad Foundation support in all printed media.

MATCHING GRANT FUNDS

The Foundation welcomes collaboration with other grant-makers and favors applicant organizations with multiple sources of support. To this end, the Foundation will consider grant applications seeking matching funds for applicable EMS developmental programs and capital projects that meet the eligibility requirements described above. All matching pledges and related gifts from sponsoring organizations must be received (and pledges fulfilled) during the Foundation’s specified grant period. Unrestricted gifts donated by third-parties without limitations on their use may be eligible for matching, but the total of such unrestricted gifts may not exceed the grant limits specified herein. Restricted gifts must be in response to or in anticipation of a specified Foundation grant. Sponsors of restricted gifts must be aware that their gifts will be used to match a Foundation grant and that their gifts will be used to support the purposes outlined in the approved Foundation grant application. Certain types of gifts, such as real estate, earned income, in-kind gifts, bequests, and other instruments of planned giving, are subject to special Federal and State limitations and conditions and are not eligible for matching.


CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION

Given the Foundation’s mission, focus and priorities, grant proposals are evaluated according to the following criteria: