Grants

Grant Application Guidelines 2006

The purpose of the Asian American Bar Foundation Grant Program is to support, promote and encourage charitable organizations and activities in the Greater Houston Metropolitan Area in the furtherance of justice and legal education for the Asian American community through

(1) the sponsorship and encouragement of legal research, publications, institutes and forums;

(2) the institution and maintenance of legal aid facilities for the Asian American indigent or working poor;

(3) the support of new immigrants and Asian American youths in the greater Houston metropolitan area through athletic and educational forums; and

(4) any other activity that will promote and aid an improved system for the administration of justice for Asian Americans and the improvement of the Bench and Bar in Harris County, Texas, and elsewhere.

The inaugural AABF grant is a $1,000 one-year award to the organization that undertakes a program that best fulfill these aims.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA Applicant organizations and charitable projects should serve and primarily benefit the greater Houston metropolitan area.

Organizations that do not operate inside the State of Texas or the United States of America will not be considered.

AABF funds may not be used to supplement or extend an organization’s operating budget.

The AABF will not consider grant applications seeking funds to support general fundraising campaigns, capital campaigns, events, dinners, or mass mailings. Projects must promote the purposes of the AABF, either in the area of service to the public or service to the legal profession.

The AABF prefers to fund a new project that will be substantially and substantively changed or enhanced through the application of AABF funds. The AABF will not award the grant to pay the costs of a completed project.

The grant award must be administered by the applicant organization. The grant award may not be used solely as payment to a third-party organization.

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

• Adequacy of the project to achieve the stated purpose.

• Applicant’s ability to achieve objectives as evidenced by past performance.

• Number of Asian American community members who will directly benefit from the project.

• Relationship of proposed project to similar ongoing charitable outreach projects and community service events. Specifically, is the proposed project complementary, conflicting, competitive, or duplicative of other programs?

• Inclusion of a specific and fixed calendar framework for project phases and completion.

• Inclusion and reliability of an evaluation method for the effectiveness of the project.

• Application of all funds that are appropriate to the purpose of the project and already available to the applicant.

• Other sources of funding being approached and whether they are outright awards or matching funds.

• Disclosure of future funding needs for the project and projected needs for staffing, administration and governance.

• Qualifications of the applicant’s staff or project members.

The AABF will not fund:

1. Galas or gala-like events, testimonial or fundraising luncheons or dinners, advertising in programs, or similar fundraising activities.

2. Organizations that in turn make grants to others.

3. Activities whose sole purpose is promotion or support of a specific religion, denomination or church.

4. Honoraria for guest speakers or panelists.

5. Charities operated by service clubs.

6. Memorials for individuals.

7. Activities that are typically the responsibility of the government.

8. Purchase of uniforms, equipment or trips for school curriculum activities.

9. Salaries or contracts for an organization’s staff positions.

10. Purchase of office equipment or other fixed assets.

APPLICATION PROCESS

The grant will be made solely on the basis of written applications. All applications for funding will be reviewed by the Grants Committee, which will recommend a grant recipient for consideration by the AABF Board of Trustees. The AABF Board of Trustees possesses the sole authority to make the grant. No member of the AABF Board of Trustees who is also a member of an applicant’s governing board or who is directly involved in a proposed project as an administrator, staff member, or direct beneficiary may participate in voting on the applicant’s proposal.

LETTER OF APPLICATION

Applicants may submit more than one proposal. Application packages shall include the following information:

1. Name of Applicant Organization

2. Contact Information (Name, Address, Telephone Number, E-mail Address)

3. Project Title

4. Summary of Project

5. Project Goals

6. Project Timeline

7. How will this project benefit the Asian American community of the Greater Houston Metropolitan Area?

8. How will the AABF grant funds be applied to the project?

9. How will the AABF be recognized for funds awarded to this project?

10. The grant recipient is required to submit reports and budgets for funded project as requested to the AABF. Failure to submit such reports will cause the grant recipient to be disqualified from consideration for future AABF grants. Please identify the specific individual from your organization who will be responsible for submitting a final report to the AABF.

11. Please attach a detailed and complete project budget with this application.

12. What other sources of funding have been approached or will be approached?

OTHER SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

Applicants may provide the AABF with the applicant organization’s operating budget and year-end financial report from the prior year as part of the proposal. Applicants may also provide the AABF with a statement of the applicant organization’s mission, history, and recent accomplishments. If requested, the applicant organization shall make available to AABF copies of audited financial statements from prior years and disclose major sources of financial support.

CONDITIONS OF GRANT

The grant recipient is required to recognize the AABF in any printed materials or videotape and audiotape materials used or produced for the project that receives the AABF grant. Such recognition should be noted as part of the applicant’s proposal. Example: “This ____________ was made possible by a grant from the Asian American Bar Foundation of Houston, Inc.”

The grant recipient shall provide the AABF with a written status report for the funded project postmarked by December 31, 2006. The report should include detailed accounting of the use of grant funds. At the conclusion of the funded project, the grant recipient shall submit to the AABF a final report and budget.

DEADLINES AND COMMUNICATIONS

The 2006 AABF Grant Program schedule is as follows:

1. Grant applications are due postmarked by Thursday, August 31, 2006.

2. The Grants Committee will review eligible applications and recommend a grant recipient to the AABF Board of Trustees for approval at the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees in September 2006.

3. The grant recipient will be notified of the grant award shortly after the September 2006 meeting of the AABF Board of Trustees.

4. The grant will be awarded at the Asian American Bar Association’s gala to be held on Friday, September 29, 2006. A representative of the recipient organization will be invited to attend the gala, courtesy of the Asian American Bar Association, and will have the opportunity to make a short presentation about the funded project to the gala attendees.

Grant applicants are advised to use these application guidelines as a reference and checklist to ensure that all necessary information is provided with the original application package. The AABF Grants Committee may contact applicants if additional information is required, but the Grants Committee reserves the right to disqualify application packages from consideration if key information is not included.

Application packages must be postmarked no later than Thursday, August 31, 2006, and mailed to the following address: Asian American Bar Foundation of Houston, Inc.

Attn:

Grants Committee

P.O. Box 1351 Houston, Texas 77252

At this time, grant applications are not accepted by electronic mail. For additional information, please contact Patricia Lin at (832) 854-6427 or PatriciaLin@Chevron.com.