- What is a Community Service Grant?
- What nonprofit organizations are eligible for support?
- What are allowable purchases under this grant?
- How much funding is available?
- What should I know before submitting an application?
- Tips for submitting a successful Community Service Grant Application
- What type of projects/organizations have been funded?
- When are the application deadlines?
- How are funding decisions made?
- How are grant recipients notified of award?
- How are grant funds disbursed?
- When did the Community Service Grants begin? and why?
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1. What is a Community Service Grant?
The NSSLHA Executive Council established the Community Service Grant award program to fund local chapters that wish to provide resources to nonprofit organizations that assist others living with a communication disorder.
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2. What nonprofit organizations are eligible for support?
Nonprofit organizations in education, health and human services, or local chapters of a nationally established nonprofit self-help/support group are eligible to receive support under this grant. The target organization must reside in the community or surrounding area of the NSSLHA chapter that is applying for the award. Units or divisions within the university or college of the applying NSSLHA chapter (e.g., the university's speech and hearing clinic) or affiliate programs who receive money for programmatic or salary support from the University are ineligible.
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3. What are allowable purchases under this grant?
NSSLHA chapters can purchase equipment (e.g., AAC devices, computers and/or peripheral computer devices) or other materials (e.g., clinical tests, software) to donate to a nonprofit organization. Funds may not be used as salary support. Cash donations to organizations are not allowable.
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4. How much funding is available?
The National Office will provide matching funds to the local NSSLHA chapter of up to $1,000. Funding is competitive and will be awarded on an available basis. Chapters will receive notification of the status of your award 4 - 6 weeks following the executive council meeting.
Half of the funds will be issued upon verification that the NSSLHA chapter has raised the matching funds and the balance will be issued after an End of Grant report (PDF format) is submitted to the National Office.
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5. What are the guidelines for receiving funding?
This is a matching fund grant program. The local chapter must be able to prove that they have earned (or have a plan for earning) their portion of the funds requested.
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6. Tips for submitting a successful Community Service Grant Application:
- Prepare your application materials using a wordprocessing software like MS-Word and then cut & paste the text into the application. Be certain to correct any spelling and grammatical errors.
- Make contact with the regional councilor in the area of application. The councilor can provide support for the application during the council discussion. It is always wise to keep the regional councilor informed about activities in their region and to seek their support. Contact information to regional councilors is available on the NSSLHA Web site.
- The Executive Council also favors applications and/or activities that are prepared and coordinated by students.
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7. What type of projects/organizations have been funded?
Community Service Grants may be used to provide organizations with equipment, books, supplies, and other resources that will assist people living with communication disorders.
Community Service Grant funds cannot be used in the following manner:
- To provide support to the local speech and hearing clinic where the local chapter is affiliated;
- To provide a salary or stipend to an audiologist or speech-language pathologists to perform services;
- To provide a monetary contribution to the organization or to the local chapter involved with the activity; or
- To facilitate an award ceremony or dedication event to present the organization with the new equipment or resources.
View a list of local chapters awarded Community Service Grant funds on the NSSLHA Web site.
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8. When are the application deadlines?
The deadline for submitting a Community Service Grant application is March 1 and November 1 (or the first Monday immediately following the 1st if this date falls on a weekend.)
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9. How are funding decisions made?
The NSSLHA Executive Council reviews applications during the fall and spring Council meetings. The Council discusses each application based on the information submitted. The Council also decides whether to fund the request in its submitted form or increase or decrease the funding request.
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10. How are grant recipients notified of award?
Chapters that are awarded funds receive a letter of grant award, a check for half of the awarded amount, and guidelines for the End of Grant Report (PDF format) to be returned to the national office at the completion of the event.
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11. How are grant funds disbursed?
Half of the grant funds are disbursed when the application is approved. Once the activity is completed, the recipient must submit an End of Grant Report (PDF format) and a final financial statement to the National Office. Upon receipt of the End of Grant report, a check request will be issued for the balance of the grant funds.
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12. When did the Community Service Grants begin? and why?
The NSSLHA Executive Council established the Community Service Grant program as a way to assist chapters working with organizations in their local communities to serve people living with communication disorders.
The Executive Council received a Regional Project Grant request during the spring 2003 funding cycle from the Syracuse University NSSLHA chapter. The chapter wanted to provide an infrared sound-field amplification system for the Edward Smith Elementary School. This request did not fit the guidelines for funding under the Regional Project Grant program. However, the Council thought that the idea was worthy of consideration and instead created and funded a separate grant fund, the Community Service Grant fund, to honor such requests from chapters.
The first Community Service Grant was awarded during the fall 2004 funding cycle. A list of this and other Community Service Grant awards is available on the NSSLHA Web site.
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