Opportunity Information: Apply for CNCS GRANTS 01232015
Apply for CNCS GRANTS 01232015
- The Corporation for National and Community Service in the education employment, labor and training food and nutrition health housing law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2015 Social Innovation Fund Grant Competition" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 94.019 Social Innovation Fund.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jan 23, 2015 and posted on Jan 23, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 17, 2015 500 PM EST. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $51,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $10,000,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.
- Experience grantmaking institutions that invests in nonprofit community organizations or programs through grants as an essential rather than collateral means of fulfilling its mission and vision OR eligible partnerships between such institutions and (1) an additional grantmaking institution, (2) a State Commission on National and Community Service, or (3) a chief executive officer of a unit of general local government.
[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal:
Opportunity Summary:
The 2015 Social Innovation Fund (SIF) Grant Competition (Funding Opportunity Number CNCS-GRANTS-01232015) was a discretionary federal funding opportunity administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to expand the reach of proven, evidence-based community programs. Rather than funding local service providers directly, CNCS used a grantmaking model: it awarded Cooperative Agreements to qualified grantmaking organizations known as intermediaries. These intermediaries were responsible for running a competitive subgrant process, selecting high-performing community-based nonprofit organizations, awarding them funding, and providing ongoing support to help them implement or scale interventions with demonstrated results. The overall goal was to invest federal dollars in programs with credible evidence of impact and help those programs grow in communities that need them.
The competition focused on three core program areas: healthy futures, economic opportunity, and youth development. Projects supported through intermediary subgrants were expected to align with one or more of these areas and emphasize evidence-based strategies, meaning the funded nonprofit programs needed to be backed by data or evaluation showing they work. In addition to distributing funds, intermediaries typically play an active role in strengthening subgrantee performance, which can include capacity-building, technical assistance, performance management, and support for evaluation or replication as the program expands.
Funding levels were substantial. CNCS estimated total available funding at approximately $51,000,000. Individual awards to intermediaries ranged from a floor of $1,000,000 to a ceiling of $10,000,000, indicating that recipients were expected to manage significant portfolios of subawards and related oversight activities. Because the instrument type was a Cooperative Agreement, recipients could generally expect a more involved federal role than in a standard grant, often including closer coordination, reporting expectations, and federal input on key elements of implementation.
A central requirement of the SIF model was the one-to-one cash match from non-federal sources. Both intermediaries and their nonprofit subgrantees were required to match the federal dollars they received with an equal amount of cash funding that did not come from federal sources. This match requirement is a defining feature of the program because it effectively doubles the investment, encourages strong philanthropic and community buy-in, and pushes funded organizations to build diversified, sustainable funding bases. Importantly, the match specified in the opportunity was cash (not in-kind), which generally raises the bar for applicants in terms of fundraising readiness and financial capacity.
Eligibility was aimed at experienced grantmaking institutions, specifically nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education) that use grantmaking as an essential way of achieving their mission, meaning they regularly invest in nonprofit community organizations or programs through grants as a core strategy rather than as an occasional or secondary activity. The opportunity also allowed eligible partnerships, including collaborations between a qualifying grantmaking institution and another grantmaker, a State Commission on National and Community Service, or the chief executive officer of a unit of general local government. This structure was designed to encourage strong local and state coordination, align resources, and improve the infrastructure around selecting and supporting effective nonprofits.
The posting date for the competition was January 23, 2015, with an application deadline of March 17, 2015 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time. The opportunity was archived on March 18, 2015. The CFDA number associated with the program was 94.019 (Social Innovation Fund), and the activity categories covered a wide range of human services and community development domains, including education, employment and labor/training, food and nutrition, health, housing, and law/justice-related services, reflecting the cross-cutting nature of the three focus areas.
For applicants or interested parties needing the full announcement, CNCS provided an additional information link in the posting and offered direct assistance for access issues via phone at (202) 606-3223, along with a competition email contact (listed in the original notice).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): 2015 Social Innovation Fund (SIF) Grant Competition
What is the 2015 Social Innovation Fund (SIF) Grant Competition?
The 2015 Social Innovation Fund (SIF) Grant Competition was a discretionary federal funding opportunity administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). Its purpose was to expand the reach of proven, evidence-based community programs by investing federal dollars in interventions with credible evidence of impact and supporting their growth in communities that need them.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) for this competition?
The Funding Opportunity Number for this opportunity was CNCS-GRANTS-01232015.
Who administered this funding opportunity?
The competition was administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).
What type of federal award was used?
CNCS awarded Cooperative Agreements to successful applicants (intermediaries). A Cooperative Agreement generally indicates a more involved federal role than a standard grant, which can include closer coordination, reporting expectations, and federal input on key elements of implementation.
Did CNCS fund local service providers directly?
No. CNCS used a grantmaking model and did not fund local service providers directly. Instead, CNCS funded qualified grantmaking organizations (intermediaries), and those intermediaries then ran a competitive subgrant process to fund community-based nonprofit organizations.
What is an “intermediary†in the SIF model?
An intermediary is a qualified grantmaking organization that receives a Cooperative Agreement from CNCS and is responsible for operating a competitive subgrant process, selecting subgrantees, making subawards, and providing ongoing support to help subgrantees implement, strengthen, replicate, or scale evidence-based interventions.
What responsibilities did intermediaries have besides making subgrants?
In addition to distributing funds, intermediaries typically provided active support to subgrantees. This could include capacity-building, technical assistance, performance management, and support for evaluation or replication as programs expanded.
What were the core program areas for the 2015 SIF competition?
The competition focused on three core program areas: healthy futures, economic opportunity, and youth development.
Do funded projects have to align to a specific program area?
Yes. Projects supported through intermediary subgrants were expected to align with one or more of the three core program areas: healthy futures, economic opportunity, and/or youth development.
What does “evidence-based†mean in the context of this opportunity?
It means the nonprofit programs funded through intermediary subgrants needed to use strategies backed by data or evaluation showing they work, with credible evidence of impact.
How much total funding was available under this competition?
CNCS estimated total available funding at approximately $51,000,000.
What was the award size range for intermediaries?
Individual awards to intermediaries ranged from $1,000,000 (minimum) to $10,000,000 (maximum).
What did the award range imply about intermediary capacity?
The award range suggested that recipients were expected to manage significant portfolios of subawards and related oversight and support activities.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
Yes. A central requirement of the SIF model was a one-to-one cash match from non-federal sources.
What does the one-to-one match requirement mean?
It means both intermediaries and their nonprofit subgrantees were required to match the federal dollars they received with an equal amount of cash funding from non-federal sources. In effect, the match requirement is designed to double the investment.
Was the match allowed to be in-kind?
No. The opportunity specified that the match was cash (not in-kind).
Where could match funding come from?
The match had to come from non-federal sources. (The notice emphasized that match funds could not be federal dollars.)
Why was the cash match considered a defining feature of the program?
The cash match requirement was described as defining because it doubles the investment, encourages philanthropic and community buy-in, and pushes funded organizations to build diversified, sustainable funding bases.
Who was eligible to apply as an intermediary?
Eligibility was aimed at experienced grantmaking institutions, specifically nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education) that use grantmaking as an essential way of achieving their mission.
What does it mean that grantmaking must be “an essential way of achieving their mission�
It means the organization regularly invests in nonprofit community organizations or programs through grants as a core strategy, rather than making grants only occasionally or as a secondary activity.
Were institutions of higher education eligible?
No. The eligibility description excluded institutions of higher education.
Were partnerships allowed to apply?
Yes. The opportunity allowed eligible partnerships, including collaborations between a qualifying grantmaking institution and another grantmaker, a State Commission on National and Community Service, or the chief executive officer of a unit of general local government.
What was the purpose of allowing partnerships?
The structure was intended to encourage strong local and state coordination, align resources, and improve the infrastructure around selecting and supporting effective nonprofits.
When was the opportunity posted?
The posting date was January 23, 2015.
What was the application deadline?
The application deadline was March 17, 2015 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
When was the opportunity archived?
The opportunity was archived on March 18, 2015.
What CFDA number was associated with this program?
The CFDA number associated with the Social Innovation Fund program was 94.019.
What activity categories were included in this opportunity?
The activity categories covered a wide range of human services and community development domains, including education, employment and labor/training, food and nutrition, health, housing, and law/justice-related services, reflecting the cross-cutting nature of the three focus areas.
How could someone access the full announcement?
CNCS provided an additional information link in the posting for the full announcement.
Who could be contacted for help accessing the announcement?
For access issues, CNCS offered direct assistance by phone at (202) 606-3223 and also listed a competition email contact in the original notice.
Browse more opportunities from the same category: Education Employment, Labor and Training Food and Nutrition Health Housing Law, Justice and Legal Services
Next opportunity: Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Creel Surveys
Previous opportunity: Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund
USGrants.org Applicant Portal:
Are you interested in learning about about how to apply for this government funding opportunity? You can create a free applicant account and receive instant access to our applicant portal that many business owners like you have benefited from.
Apply for CNCS GRANTS 01232015
[Watch] how do funding administrators access proposals?
Grant application guides and resources
It is always free to apply for government grants. However the process may be very complex depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for. Let us help you!
Apply for Grants
Premium leads for funding administrators, grant writers, and loan issuers
Thousands of people visit our website for their funding needs every day. When a user creates a grant proposal and files for submission, we pass the information on to funding administrators, grant writers, and government loan issuers.
If you manage government grant programs, provide grant writing services, or issue personal or government loans, we can help you reach your audience.
Subscribe to Leads
Request more information:
Would you like to learn more about this funding opportunity, similar opportunities to "CNCS GRANTS 01232015", eligibility, application service, and/or application tips? Submit an inquiry below:
Don't forget to subscribe to our grant alerts mailing list to receive weekly alerts on new and updated grant funding opportunities like this one in your email.