C. Keith Birkenfeld Capital Grant

The Will of C. Keith Birkenfeld dated July 25, 2005, leaves a bequest to the Bainbridge Community Foundation in the amount of $750,000 for the purpose of making one or more grants for capital projects that will bear his name.  The Will contains several provisions that may bear on whether a proposed project and/or applicant will qualify for a grant. Therefore, all applicants should familiarize themselves with these (below) and may submit a letter of inquiry to the Bainbridge Community Foundation by October.  Applicants should call Bainbridge Community Foundation if they have questions about their potential eligibility. The pertinent provisions of the Will follow and will be applicable to all grant requests:

·         Grants must be for capital construction projects, which shall require that Birkenfeld’s name be used for naming opportunities at the appropriate level.

·         No funds are to go to any entities that receive more than 20% of their annual income from government funds.

·         Grant funds may not be used for “bureaucracy, salaries, or administrative expenses of recipients.”

·         It is preferable for grants to be used as seed money whenever possible, and to be used as support for “lean, mean, efficient” recipient organizations “getting jobs done.”

 In addition to the above provisions (from the Birkenfeld Will), the Bainbridge Community Foundation Board of Trustees has included the following terms, conditions, and criteria for all applicants: 

·         Applicant must have a 501(c)(3) IRS Determination Letter

·         Applicant serves a broad and critical segment of the Bainbridge Island community.

·         Project for proposed funding should be necessary to fulfill the mission of the applying organization, and/or should be part of the long-range plan of the organization.

·         Project will significantly enhance and/or improve the ability of the organization to meet the needs of those it serves.

·         Applicant can demonstrate how this capital project will enable the organization to carry out services to its clients and the broader community that would not otherwise have been possible. 

NOTE: The Birkenfeld Will does not include a deadline for disbursement of the bequest nor does it require that the funds be disbursed to only one deserving capital project. The Bainbridge Community Foundation reserves the right to divide the total funds available among one or more deserving projects and/or to reject any grant applications that do not meet all of the requirements set forth in Mr. Birkenfeld's Will and/or its additional criteria. The Bainbridge Community Foundation further reserves the right to grant only a portion of the total funds available and to reserve all or a portion of the total funds available for future grant cycles. 

If your non-profit organization can meet the above criteria and would like to proceed with submission of a proposal, please continue with the application process on the following pages.  Submission of final proposal must be no later than November 30, 2007 by 5:00PM.