Grant Guidelines

The Bank has a rich history of community involvement in Ocean City, New Jersey and its surrounding communities. The commitment was recently strengthened with the establishment of the Ocean City Home Charitable Foundation.

We are providing these guidelines to assist you as you prepare your proposal. Like most giving programs, we receive far many more requests for support than we can approve. We encourage all agencies, whether they receive a grant or not, to keep us informed of their activities. This proves to be very helpful for future reviews and considerations for grant dollars.

Proposal deadlines are April 30th and October 31st.

Proposals should include the following items. If not available, please explain why.

• Copy of the requesting organization's Section 501(c)(3) nonprofit status exemption letter from the Internal Revenue Service.
• A complete copy of the organization's most current 990 Form and audited financial report.
• List of the organization's Board of Directors and their affiliations.
• Provide a list of the organization's current (last 12 months) business contributors and foundation grants, including level of support.
• We have an interest in an organization's administrative costs. Please indicate what percentage of your organization's income goes toward your organization's mission.

Specific Request

When preparing your request, consider including the following information.

• Provide concise (1-2 pages) explanation of your organization's mission. Mention facts that will help us determine your geographic reach, number of clients served, programs in place, etc.
• Your request should include information on the population that your organization serves, including geographic location, socioeconomic status, demographics and how this population will benefit from the project or grant.
• Your request should include appropriate backup material, i.e., budget, schedules, population reached, proposed outcome/solutions, etc.
• If your organization has received a grant from the Bank in the past, a brief update would be appreciated.

Restrictions

• The Foundation will fund only 501(c)(3) organizations and those with "public charity" status or its equivalent.
• There will be no funding to political or fraternal organizations or individuals.
• The Foundation will limit consideration of funding requests to one every twelve months for each organization.
• Organizations will not be considered automatically for funding the following year. Proposals with updated attachments will need to be submitted.
• In some cases, site visits will be scheduled before funding decisions are made.
• An organization approved for funding will be expected to submit regular updates on the Ocean City Home Charitable Foundation grant. We would also welcome updates on any other matters the nonprofit deems important.
• The Foundation's primary target areas are the communities in which the Bank operates. We are particularly interested in communities with diverse needs as well as areas where the Bank is an integral part of the neighboring business community.

Additional Suggestions

Every foundation and corporate giving program has its own unique guidelines and mission. How decisions are arrived at, who makes them, how much to give and to whom are just a few of the areas that you will find important to research as you negotiate your way through the grant process.

To assist you with the Ocean City Home Charitable Foundation grant process these additional suggestions are offered. Keep in mind, however, that guidelines change and are often flexible.

We are keenly interested in funding community development via affordable housing, job training and programs that assist the economically disadvantaged. We believe that education of our youth is our future and special emphasis will be given to educational efforts. Programs providing continued good health care and supportive human service programs are also a priority. We also will support local cultural groups and institutions knowing these grants will broaden access to cultural and art activities and will enhance our quality of life in the communities in which the Bank operates. Most importantly, your request should be clear, well thought out and with realistic goals.

We hope these guidelines are helpful. If questions still remain, you are welcome to contact the Foundation office at 609.399.0012. All proposals should be mailed to Ocean City Home Charitable Foundation, 1001 Asbury Avenue, Ocean City, New Jersey 08226.

Thank you and we look forward to developing a partnership with your organization.