Grant Making

*** IMPORTANT GRANT MAKING ANNOUNCEMENT (October 10, 2011) ***
The Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation has placed a Moratorium on accepting grant applications until further notice.

The Clarence T. C. Ching Foundation

GENERAL INFORMATION AND GRANT MAKING GUIDELINES
APPLICATION PROCEDURE REVIEW PROCESS (revised July 1, 2011)

GENERAL INFORMATION AND GRANT MAKING GUIDELINES:

The Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation considers grant applications from non-profit tax exempt IRS 501(c)(3) organizations based in the State of Hawaii.  "(a)  The principal of this trust and the income therefrom shall be used exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, literary or educational purposes.... "  "(b).......  the Foundation shall include, not exclusively, the following charitable and educational purposes among others:

"(1) To assist in the care of needy or destitute men, women, and children, and to assist in the care of the sick and the aged;

"(2) To provide scholarship aid and assistance, without regard to amount or need and in the form of grants or loans, to any person who demonstrates the capacity and desire to improve himself or develop his capabilities, in the expectation that such person will ultimately, by the development of his talents and the realization of his capabilities, contribute to creating a better society;

"(3) To provide financial grants to qualified persons, associations and institutions for research and study in all fields, including but not limited to the natural sciences, social sciences, art literature, and music for the advancement of knowledge and culture; and

"(4) To assist hospitals and other public charitable or educational institutions which qualify as and are treated as tax exempt organizations, whether supported wholly or in part by private endowment or by donations or by public taxation, with monetary contributions to defray their cost of operation and other proper expenses incurred by them."

The Clarence T. C. Ching Foundation WILL consider grant applications for:

• Capital projects (Funding shall not commence untilconstruction has begun and will follow the construction in progress)
• Program and project development
• Funds to match contributions received from other sources or to provide a challenge to raise new contributions.

The Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation WILL NOT consider grant applications for, but not limited to:

• Projects outside of the state of Hawaii
• Individuals
• Political organizations or candidates
• Ordinary government services
• Publications, films, videos
• Commercial and business development
• Conferences, seminars
• Benefit events
• Annual fund drives
• Endowments

A project or program may not be approved even though it meets established criteria.  The Board reserves the discretion to award or deny grants, as it deems appropriate and in the best overall interest of the Foundation. 

An organization that receives a grant from the Foundation is required to submit a final report upon completion of the grant- funded project or program, which shall include a financial statement outlining the expenditure of the grant dollars and a narrative section describing the outcome and the impact of the funded project or program.  Further, Grantee will submit annual reports and interim reports as the Foundation may reasonably request.  An organization that fails to submit timely reports may be disqualified from future grant consideration.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE:

Applicant shall submit a letter of inquiry limited to two to three pages setting forth the following in the order presented hereunder:

• Purpose and history of the organization
• Goals and objectives of the project for which funding is being sought, and the population being served
• Current status of the project (i.e. date established and anticipated duration)
• Amount requested
• Payment schedule / time frame for funding requested

Please attach to your letter of inquiry, the following:

• Organization’s annual budget and detailed project budget with amount requested
• Copy of organization's IRS Determination Letter, which, if not current, includes a currently dated statement affirming that the organization "continues to be recognized by the Federal government as an exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code"; has not withdrawn from this status; and maintains its position as a private non-profit organization."  This statement should be typed onto the Determination Letter and signed by the submitting party.

The letter of inquiry shall be addressed to:

Mr. R. Stevens Gilley, President
The Clarence T. C. Ching Foundation
1001 Bishop Street, Suite 770
Honolulu, HI 96813

The Foundation's Grant Committee meets in March and September of each year.  Therefore,    letters of inquiry/grant requests for consideration and review by the Committee:

• at its March meeting, must be received in our offices, in hard copy form, no later than January 15th
• at its September meeting,  must be received in our offices, in hard copy form, no later than July 15th

Faxed or emailed submittals will not be accepted.

 If the project/program falls within the interests and guidelines of the Foundation, applicant will   be advised to submit a full and formal proposal with the following information:

• Mission statement of the organization
• Description of the organization, its background, history, major achievements
• Full description of the program, its goals, objectives
• Population served by program or project and relevant characteristics (e.g. size, age, etc.)
• Clear evidence of the need for the program
• Identity and qualification of the key personnel
• Names and affiliation of all directors or trustees
• Detailed program budget showing all sources of funding, including amount requested from The Clarence T. C. Ching Foundation
• Latest financial statements, including most recent audit report
• The plan for continuing support after The Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation funding ends
• Projected organizational operating budget for the years during which the proposed project will be carried out

Please do not send applications in binders or folders; do not include videos, CDs or DVDs, as they will not be utilized during the review process.  Submitted materials will not be returned. 

A letter of inquiry/a full proposal accepted for review by the Foundation does not ensure that a grant will be awarded.

REVIEW PROCESS:

The Grant Committee of The Clarence T. C. Ching Foundation holds bi-annual meetings in March and September to discuss all grant applications and to make recommendations to the Board of Trustees.  Completed applications will be discussed at the March and September Board of Trustee meetings.  Applicants will be notified of their disposition within three weeks after the Board meeting.

For further information, please contact The Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation via email at admin@chingfoundation.org