Opportunity Information: Apply for CNCS GRANTS 02182010 001
Apply for CNCS GRANTS 02182010 001
- The Corporation for National and Community Service in the community development education employment, labor and training energy food and nutrition health other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) regional development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Social Innovation Fund FY 2010" 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 Feb 18, 2010 and posted on Feb 18, 2010.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 8, 2010 The deadline for submission of applications is 500 pm Eastern Time on April 8, 2010. Applications must be submitted through the Corporations eGrants system https://egrants.cns.gov/espan/main/login.jsp. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $50,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $10,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education State governments Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) City or township governments Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) County governments Special district governments.
- To be eligible for a SIF intermediary award, an applicant must Be an existing grantmaking institution or an eligible partnership Properly propose to be either a geographically based or issue based SIF that will focus on improving measurable outcomes Have a strong track record of using rigorous evidence to select, invest in, support, and monitor the replication and expansion of grantees Have a well articulated plan to o Replicate and expand research proven initiatives that have been shown to produce sizable, sustained benefits to participants or society and/or o Collaborate with a research organization to undertake rigorous evaluations to assess the effectiveness of initiatives. Have appropriate policies on conflicts of interest, self dealing, and other improper practices and Demonstrate either cash on hand or commitments (or a combination thereof) toward meeting 50 percent of the first year matching funds, based on the amount of grant funds requested. For example, a request of 1 million needs to be accompanied by documentation of 500,000 on hand at the time of application.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Social Innovation Fund (SIF) FY 2010 opportunity was a discretionary federal funding announcement from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), created under the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act of 2009. The program was designed to build a national network of grantmaking intermediaries that would use federal funds, matched with private or other non-federal dollars, to invest in high-performing nonprofit community organizations serving low-income communities. The overall idea was to scale what works by funding organizations that already show strong results, strengthening the evidence behind their approaches, and helping them expand or replicate in additional places.
A central feature of this opportunity is that CNCS was not primarily looking to fund individual direct-service nonprofits at the national level. Instead, the SIF model focused on awarding cooperative agreements to a small number of intermediaries (existing grantmaking institutions or eligible partnerships). These intermediaries would then run their own competitive subgrant processes to select, support, and monitor "later stage" nonprofit organizations (subgrantees) with promising and measurable outcomes. In other words, CNCS funded the entities that would act like rigorous, evidence-driven grantmakers and field builders, and those entities in turn funded on-the-ground programs.
The Notice emphasized three connected goals. First, it aimed to increase public and private investment in nonprofit portfolios that were effective and potentially transformative, particularly by helping those nonprofits build stronger evidence and expand to reach more low-income communities. Second, it aimed to identify more effective ways to address major social problems and then share what is learned broadly, contributing to the wider knowledge base about what works. Third, it aimed to strengthen the overall grantmaking infrastructure for social innovation, meaning the systems, processes, and capacity needed to find strong programs, fund them responsibly, evaluate them, and scale them.
CNCS defined "social innovation" as developing a potentially transformative practice or approach to critical social challenges. An approach was considered "transformative" not only when it produced strong, measurable outcomes, but also when it did at least one of the following: meaningfully influenced public discussion about how services are delivered, tackled more than one critical social challenge at the same time, or achieved dramatic cost savings through greater efficiency. This framing made it clear the program was looking for evidence plus broader systems-level impact or value.
For FY 2010, the priority issue areas for subgrantee investments were Economic Opportunity (increasing economic opportunities for economically disadvantaged individuals), Youth Development and School Support (preparing youth for success in school, citizenship, work, and healthy and safe lives), and Healthy Futures (promoting healthy lifestyles and reducing risk factors that lead to illness). Intermediaries could be geographically based or issue based, but they were expected to focus on improving measurable outcomes and to use rigorous evidence to guide selection and monitoring of subgrantees.
The funding level for the competition was substantial. CNCS estimated total funding of $50,000,000 and anticipated making about 8 awards. Individual awards had a floor of $1,000,000 and a ceiling of $10,000,000. The CFDA number associated with the program was 94.019. The award instrument type was a cooperative agreement, which generally signals that the federal agency expects to have an ongoing, active role in oversight or collaboration beyond a simple pass-through grant.
Cost sharing was required. Applicants had to meet matching requirements and, importantly, had to demonstrate either cash on hand or firm commitments toward at least 50 percent of the first-year match at the time of application. The Notice gave a concrete example: a request for $1,000,000 in federal funds needed documentation showing $500,000 on hand at application submission. This requirement reinforced the SIF model of leveraging federal dollars to attract and lock in additional non-federal investment.
Eligibility was broad in terms of applicant types (including various nonprofit and government entities and higher education institutions), but the intermediary-specific eligibility requirements were demanding. To qualify as a SIF intermediary, an applicant needed to be an existing grantmaking institution or an eligible partnership, propose a clear geographic or issue focus tied to measurable outcomes, and show a strong track record of using rigorous evidence to select and support grantees. Applicants also needed a well-developed plan to replicate and expand research-proven initiatives that deliver sizable and sustained benefits and/or to collaborate with a research organization to carry out rigorous evaluations. They also had to demonstrate appropriate policies addressing conflicts of interest, self-dealing, and other improper practices, which is especially important given the role of intermediaries in making downstream funding decisions.
Operationally, the submission process was a key detail: applications could not be submitted through Grants.gov and instead had to be submitted through CNCS's eGrants system at https://egrants.cns.gov/espan/main/login.jsp. The opportunity was posted on February 18, 2010, and the application deadline was 5:00 pm Eastern Time on April 8, 2010, with the archive date listed as April 9, 2010. For access issues with the full announcement, the contact listed was Marta Urquilla at CNCS (202-606-3918), along with a Social Innovation Fund email address referenced in the notice.
In practical terms, this FY 2010 SIF competition was an early, flagship effort to professionalize and scale evidence-based social programs through a layered funding strategy: federal dollars to intermediaries, intermediaries to proven or promising community nonprofits, and a strong emphasis on measurable outcomes, evaluation, replication, and leveraged matching funds.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Social Innovation Fund (SIF) FY 2010 (CNCS)
What is the Social Innovation Fund (SIF) FY 2010 opportunity?
The SIF FY 2010 opportunity was a discretionary federal funding announcement from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), created under the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act of 2009. It was designed to scale effective nonprofit solutions by funding intermediaries that would, in turn, invest in high-performing community organizations serving low-income communities.
Who was the primary applicant audience for this opportunity?
CNCS was primarily seeking applications from grantmaking intermediaries (existing grantmaking institutions or eligible partnerships), not individual direct-service nonprofits applying for national-level federal funding. Intermediaries were expected to run competitive subgrant processes and support selected nonprofit subgrantees.
What is an "intermediary" under the SIF model?
An intermediary is an entity that receives federal funds from CNCS via a cooperative agreement and then functions as a rigorous, evidence-driven grantmaker. The intermediary designs and runs a competitive subgrant process to select, support, and monitor later-stage nonprofit organizations (subgrantees) with promising and measurable outcomes.
Could a direct-service nonprofit apply directly to CNCS for SIF funds?
The model described in the notice emphasized that CNCS was not primarily looking to fund individual direct-service nonprofits at the national level. Instead, direct-service nonprofits would typically seek funding as subgrantees through an intermediary's competitive subgrant process.
What were the main goals of the SIF FY 2010 competition?
The notice described three connected goals: (1) increase public and private investment in effective nonprofit portfolios and help strengthen evidence and expand reach in low-income communities; (2) identify more effective ways to address major social problems and share lessons learned to broaden knowledge about what works; and (3) strengthen the grantmaking infrastructure for social innovation, including systems and capacity for selecting, funding, evaluating, and scaling strong programs.
How did CNCS define "social innovation" for this opportunity?
CNCS defined social innovation as developing a potentially transformative practice or approach to critical social challenges. An approach was considered transformative when it produced strong, measurable outcomes and also did at least one of the following: meaningfully influenced public discussion about how services are delivered, addressed more than one critical social challenge at the same time, or produced dramatic cost savings through greater efficiency.
What issue areas were prioritized for subgrantee investments in FY 2010?
For FY 2010, the priority issue areas were: Economic Opportunity (increasing economic opportunities for economically disadvantaged individuals), Youth Development and School Support (preparing youth for success in school, citizenship, work, and healthy and safe lives), and Healthy Futures (promoting healthy lifestyles and reducing risk factors that lead to illness).
Could intermediaries be geographically focused or issue focused?
Yes. Intermediaries could be geographically based or issue based, but they were expected to focus on improving measurable outcomes and to use rigorous evidence to guide the selection and monitoring of subgrantees.
What was the estimated total funding available and how many awards were expected?
CNCS estimated total funding of $50,000,000 and anticipated making about 8 awards.
What were the minimum and maximum award sizes?
Individual awards had a floor of $1,000,000 and a ceiling of $10,000,000.
What is the CFDA number associated with this program?
The CFDA number associated with the Social Innovation Fund was 94.019.
What type of federal award instrument was used?
The award instrument type was a cooperative agreement, which generally indicates the federal agency expects an ongoing, active role in oversight or collaboration beyond a simple pass-through grant.
Was cost sharing (matching) required?
Yes. Cost sharing was required, and applicants had to meet matching requirements.
What match documentation had to be provided at the time of application?
Applicants had to demonstrate either cash on hand or firm commitments toward at least 50 percent of the first-year match at the time of application.
Can you provide the example of the match requirement mentioned in the notice?
The notice provided an example: a request for $1,000,000 in federal funds needed documentation showing $500,000 on hand at application submission.
What types of organizations were eligible to apply?
Eligibility was described as broad and included various nonprofit and government entities and higher education institutions. However, intermediary-specific requirements were demanding and focused on grantmaking capability, evidence use, and compliance policies.
What additional eligibility expectations applied specifically to intermediaries?
To qualify as a SIF intermediary, an applicant needed to be an existing grantmaking institution or an eligible partnership, propose a clear geographic or issue focus tied to measurable outcomes, and show a strong track record of using rigorous evidence to select and support grantees.
What were the expectations related to evaluation and evidence building?
Applicants were expected to have a well-developed plan to replicate and expand research-proven initiatives that deliver sizable and sustained benefits and/or to collaborate with a research organization to carry out rigorous evaluations.
Were there governance or ethics requirements mentioned for intermediaries?
Yes. Applicants had to demonstrate appropriate policies addressing conflicts of interest, self-dealing, and other improper practices, reflecting the intermediary role in making downstream funding decisions.
How were applications submitted for this opportunity?
Applications could not be submitted through Grants.gov. Instead, they had to be submitted through CNCS's eGrants system.
What is the eGrants submission website listed in the opportunity?
The eGrants login page listed was https://egrants.cns.gov/espan/main/login.jsp.
When was the opportunity posted and what was the application deadline?
The opportunity was posted on February 18, 2010. The application deadline was 5:00 pm Eastern Time on April 8, 2010.
What archive date was listed for the opportunity?
The archive date listed was April 9, 2010.
Who was the contact for access issues with the full announcement?
The notice listed Marta Urquilla at CNCS (202-606-3918) as the contact for access issues with the full announcement, and it also referenced a Social Innovation Fund email address.
In simple terms, how did the SIF funding strategy work?
The approach was layered: CNCS awarded cooperative agreements to a small number of intermediaries; intermediaries ran competitive subgrant processes; and intermediaries then funded and supported later-stage community nonprofits with measurable outcomes, with a strong emphasis on evaluation, replication/expansion, and leveraged matching funds.
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