Geographical Reach - The FHL Foundation makes grants at three specific support levels (described below). Level I and Level II grants have a geographical reach that provides benefit to the state of New Mexico. Level III grants are likewise restricted to providing benefit to the state of New Mexico unless programs and projects are also designed to provide benefit at the national level as would be appropriate for certain research or model projects. Recipient organizations must be organized and based within the state of New Mexico. An exception to the base of operations restriction may be given to organizations that provide supporting documentation clearly establishing a history of ongoing service (five or more continuous years) within the state of New Mexico. Exceptions may also be granted to organizations, such as colleges, institutes, or universities, actively involved in attachment theory research. Exceptions to the base of operations restriction are at the discretion of the board, and all decisions are final. The FHL Foundation will not consider grant requests from organizations organized outside of the United States.

 

Levels of Support (in brief)

Level One - for organizations new to the theory of attachment, or to provide ongoing support to organizations actively applying attachment theory (whether at the program or project level)

Level Two - for organizations that are actively applying attachment theory to their programs but not necessarily their projects

Level Three - for organizations that are applying attachment theory to both their programs and their projects

 

Levels of Support (in detail)

Grants at Level One are primarily given in support of those organizations that are new to attachment theory. As such, these grants will be designed to help organizations learn more about attachment theory, and to begin the process of assessing whether they wish to bring a focus on attachment theory to their programs. Grants at this level will range up to $2,000. Grants at this level may consist of a combination of cash awards, workshop scholarships, or in-kind training materials (i.e., books, article reprints, audiocassettes, etc.). Grants at Level I are also given as a form of ongoing support to those organizations actively bringing a focus on attachment theory to their programs and/or projects but do not have short-term plans (less than one year) to begin a new project or increase the focus on attachment theory within their program. In most cases, ongoing support at this level is given to those organizations that have successfully administered a Level II or Level III grant (described below) in the past.

Grants at Level Two will be given in support of those organizations that are actively bringing (or have decided to bring) a focus on attachment theory to their programs but not necessarily to their projects. As such, these grants will be designed to help organizations in their efforts to construct and implement programs—through literature searches, development of in-house educational materials, and in-service training of staff and volunteersusing a focus on attachment theory. These grants will also be designed to help organizations begin the process of assessing whether they wish to bring a focus on attachment theory to their projects. Grants at this level will range up to $10,000 and consist mainly of cash awards.

Grants at Level Three will be in support of those organizations that are actively bringing a focus on attachment theory to both their programs and their projects (or have decided to bring a focus on attachment theory to their projects). As such, these grants will be designed to help organizations in their efforts to construct and implement programs, and to bring a focus on attachment theory to their projects—possibly through collecting their own empirical data, placing that data within an attachment theory framework, development of educational materials designed for the public, development of services that embody attachment theory, and, in general through actively advocating for an awareness of attachment processes and attachment-related issues. Grants at this level will also be designed to encourage and support the development of “model programs”programs that can be readily adopted and used by other organizations either in large part or in their entirety. Grants at this level will also be designed and given to encourage and support the development of collaborative projects. Grants at this level will range up to $25,000 and consist mainly of cash awards.

 

Organizational Fitness Audit (OFA)

At the discretion of the board, organizations requesting support at Level II or Level III (as described above) may be asked to go through an Organizational Fitness Audit (OFA). An OFA is normally not required for Level I funding. The board  normally considers an OFA warranted when one of the following two conditions exists: 1) the organization is newly formed (less than five years of operation), or 2) the organization is new to the Foundation (e.g., has not successfully administered a grant from the Foundation in the past). The board may waive the OFA in cases where the local chapter of a national organization initiates a request. The OFA is intended to evaluate the ability of the recipient organization to prudently administer any and all grants made to the recipient organization by the Foundation. As a part of the OFA, the following fitness areas will be evaluated:

Organizational Infrastructure Fitness

  • fund raising and the annual fund

  • computer technology, internet access, and grant tracking software

  • policies and procedures

  • board structure and participation

  • leadership and stewardship

  • fiscal affairs

  • community reputation

Project or Program Fitness

  • reasonable objectives

  • appropriate personnel

  • organizational philosophy

  • level of integration with respect to thought, emotion, and spirit

  • long-term program viability

The OFA will be conducted by a qualified agent of the FHL Foundation. A report will be issued to the board of the Foundation as well as to the executive director of the organization requesting support. In the event that the OFA report suggests that a recipient organization is not organizationally fit, the FHL Foundation may ask the recipient organization to amend its grant proposal to include funding for provisions allowing for a clean bill of health. An organization will normally not have to go through more than one OFA unless there are significant organizational and/or operational changes, or there is a hiatus of two or more years in the partnership between the FHL Foundation and the recipient organization. The board reserves the right to conduct an OFA as a prerequisite to any grantmaking process.

 

Specific Grant Application Guidelines

At all levels of support (described above), the grant request process begins with the First Step Survey Form (FSSF). Following a brief "getting to know you" period (which may consist of an Initial Inquiry by mail or email, follow-up email or phone conversations, and even a site visit) recipient organizations may be asked to complete this brief survey form online (using the Foundation's Share 360 web-based data organization and storage system) and submit the information to the Foundation. Once the FSSF is received by the Foundation staff, the recipient organization can expect one of three things to happen: 1) the organization will be informed that they do not meet the grant request guidelines of the Foundation, 2) the Foundation will request additional information, or 3) the organization will be issued a user name and password that will allow them to gain access to the Share 360 system as a partner. The Share 360 system allows organizations to track an application as it moves through the approval process. Organizations can also use Share 360 to submit updates to the Foundation, and also to submit follow-up and final project reports.

 

Level One Grant Application Guidelines

Organizations requesting funds at Level I need only complete and submit the FSSF, receive a Share 360 user name and password, and submit any supporting documentation requested by the board in order to be considered for funding.

 

Level Two and Three Grant Application Guidelines

Essentially organizations requesting funds at the next two levels of support will be asked to submit the FSSF as the first step towards being invited to move to the Full Proposal level of application submission. If the FSSF is approved, the organization will be asked to submit a Full Proposal via the Foundation's Share 360 system. An outline of the Full Proposal can be reviewed by clicking on the following link: Full Proposal Outline (use your BACK button to return to this page and continue reviewing these guidelines).

As outlined above, the FHL Foundation may request that an Operational Fitness Audit (OFA) be conducted prior to final approval of requests for support at levels two and three. In addition, as grant requests are being reviewed by the FHL Foundation, the board at its discretion, may ask recipient organizations to consider becoming a part of a collaborative effort whereby a higher level of integration of services is achieved. Recipient organizations who choice to participate in this type of collaboration may qualify for higher levels of funding. Once a grant request is given final approval, a grant check will be mailed out along with detailed instructions on how to submit project progress reports as well as follow-up reports using the Share 360 system.

 

Initiative Areas

The idea of applying attachment theory to the world of philanthropy is relatively new. Suffice it to say that attachment theory can be applied to the world of philanthropy in myriad ways. As a result, the Foundation further structures its giving efforts through the use of Initiative Areas. Initiative Areas are one way of organizing and presenting the process of applying attachment theory to the world of philanthropy such that this process is easy to understand and grasp (to use a body-based metaphor). To view a listing of the current Initiative Areas, click on the following link: Initiative Areas (use your BACK button to return to this page and continue reviewing these guidelines).

 

Follow-up Reports on Grants

This well may be the most important part of the grantmaking process. The FHL Foundation requires follow-up reporting on all grants made to organizations. The format of follow-up reports will be as varied as the projects and service programs they will describe. Recipient organizations should contact the FHL Foundation prior to the conclusion of their project or service program so that the format of the final follow-up report can be determined. The FHL Foundation suggests that recipient organizations prepare follow-up reports with an eye toward having these reports appear on the Foundation's web site. Follow-up reports may consist of brief narratives, digital pictures, drawings, written participant responses, data summary tables, poetry, video and voice clips—any media that can be reasonably accommodated by the web and captures the textures of the project or service provided (where appropriate, release forms authorizing use of such materials must also be included). The staff at the FHL Foundation will endeavor to present the results of your project or service in the best possible light so that others may also benefit from your work. We plan to organize the FHL Foundation web site (and the Share 360 system) in such a way that interested parties will be able to experience the energy and spirit of a network of organizations all dedicated to ending the many forms of abuse, abusive systems, and oppression that have the potential to impede people and animals in their attempts to form safe, secure, and nurturing attachment relationships.

 

Deadlines for Grant Requests

The FHL Foundation considers making grants at the first level of support (Level I grants) four times during each fiscal year (August 1st to July 31st). Grant application deadlines for level one support are as follows:

1) August 31

2) November 30

3) February 28

4) May 31

The Foundation only considers making grants at the next two levels of support (Level II and Level III grants) twice each fiscal year. Provided that a recipient organization has been invited to submit a Full Proposal, all proposal materials must be received by the Foundation by the following deadlines:

1) August 31

2) February 28

The FHL Foundation recognizes that the Full Proposal process involves significant preparation and is often very time consuming. It is for this reason that recipient organizations are encouraged to begin the initial application process (submitting the First Step Survey Form) well in advance of the above deadlines.

Please be advised that the above deadlines are only presented as a guide to organizations considering making a grant request. Although the board intends to allocate funds in such a way that grant requests may be considered throughout the fiscal year, the board cannot guarantee that such allocation of funds will always be possible. It is for this reason that organizations are encouraged to begin the grant request process in the early fall.

                      

 Permissions Notice

All materials submitted to the Foundation as a part of the grant request process become the property of the Foundation. The Foundation will not be responsible for returning original documents, so please only submit copies. Do not submit materials that are confidential or copyrighted (unless permission has been obtained from the copyright holder, and all documents contain the appropriate permissions notice).

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