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Nonprofit Organizations: Frequently Asked Questions

 

Q:  What is the POWER UP mission?

A: The program’s mission is to accumulate funds and reinvest the money in our communities by providing bill-pay assistance to qualified GVEC members and community grants to local nonprofit groups and civic organizations for community development and improvement projects.

POWER UP is funded through the generosity of participating GVEC members who donate their change each month from rounded up electric bills.

Q: What kinds of projects/programs are eligible for grants?

A: There are six areas of focus:  Education, Youth Programs, Health Care, Community Development, Civic and Community Outreach, and Public Safety/Service Organizations.

The people, organizations and locations of the community improvement projects do not have to be served by GVEC to be eligible, but the projects must lie within the geographical boundaries of the GVEC service territory.

Q: Are there other eligibility requirements?

A: Yes. To be eligible:

• Projects must lie within GVEC’s geographic service territory.
• Projects must be completed within 12 months of the grant money award date.
• The property owner must be the applicant.
• The organization must contribute to the community’s heath or welfare.
• The organization’s services must be nondiscriminatory in nature.
• Upon the project’s completion, grant recipients must furnish a final completion report on the project, including receipts for materials, supplies and anything else related to the use of POWER UP grant funds.

Q: What is not eligible for grants?

A: Completed projects, debt-reduction campaigns, capital projects, religious or church-sponsored facilities limited to church membership, general operating costs, office or administrative projects and equipment, land acquisition projects, computer equipment and software are not eligible. Also, for-profit entities and individuals are not eligible to receive grants.

Q: What does the application process involve?

A: A seven-member grant committee, representing GVEC’s service areas, evaluates requests based on:

• Potential benefit to the residents of the GVEC service area.
• Results that can be evaluated.
• Prior history if POWER UP funds were received previously.

Q: What information is required on the application?

A: In addition to basic information,  the applicant must also provide a description of the project, a project budget, an IRS tax emption determination letter, a list of the board of director, letters of support, and a list of matching and in-kind contributions with supporting documentation. 

Q: What is the application deadline?

A: There are two funding cycles each year. Applications for grant requests are due February 15 for the April distribution and August 15 for the October distribution.

Applications are available at GVEC area offices or can be downloaded from www.gvec.org. They must be received by 5 p.m. on the deadline date. (Postmark date will not be considered.) If the deadline falls on a holiday or weekend, it will be extended to the next regular business day.

Q: Where can I go for more information?

A: For questions, call Barbara Kuck, GVEC’s Public Relations Manager, at 830.857.1116 or email info@gvec.org.