Children's Museum of Tacoma Offers Grant Program to Individuals and Groups for Projects that Promote Childhood in Our Community Request for Proposals | June 19, 2017 At the Children’s Museum of Tacoma, we know you have some amazing ideas for improving the lives of children in Pierce County! We’ve heard exceptional, innovative, and even wild concepts at our annual *Symposium On Our Youngest Citizens* and follow-up surveys for the past few years. With funding from South Sound Together, we’re excited to partner with you to bring these projects to life. *We invite all interested community members to submit project proposals for the grant program to invite children’s presence, ideas, and wonder in neighborhoods across the county. * Following the Museum’s mission to “honor children and champion play” and vision that “communities embrace the power of play and value the contributions of children”, we seek to fund community action projects focused on infusing play into the lives of both children and adults. Successful projects will recognize and advocate for the needs and rights of children as citizens, increase the visibility of children as members of our communities, and/or positively influence systems that surround children and families. Each group will develop and implement a specific project that will thread play into the fabric of our community – to celebrate the joy of childhood and inspire adults to reconnect with their own playful side. To carry out these projects, the Museum will disperse small grants to a cohort of seven to ten groups, ranging from $1,500 to $2,000. *To apply, please submit two PDF documents to kmckenney@playtacoma.org <kmckenney@playtacoma.org> by July 12, 2017:* 1. A letter, three pages or fewer including: a. Group description – names of individuals, ages, contact information, and their associated organizations. Please note who is acting as the primary contact for the project. b. A description of your project: what you aim to do, a project timeline, who will benefit, and how. c. A narrative explaining how the project addresses the goals of grant program (see FAQs <https://www.playtacoma.org/file_viewer.php?id=1546> below.) d. A suggested name for the Museum’s grant program. 2. A single page, line item budget showing estimated expenses by category as well as anticipated income. *Please submit questions to kmckenney@playtacoma.org <kmckenney@playtacoma.org>by June 30, 2017. Individual responses will be issued as soon as possible and published collectively by July 7, 2017. Questions submitted after June 30, 2017 will be responded to as time allows until noon July 12, 2017.* Click here <https://www.playtacoma.org/file_viewer.php?id=1546> for a printable information sheet. Frequently Asked Questions What’s this all about? Small grants will be awarded to successful projects that bring more play, in unexpected and new ways, into the lives of Pierce County children, and might engage their grown-ups in play as well. We want to showcase your success to invite participation and inspire others, so your proposal should include a practical implementation plan and steps to capture the impact of the project. Projects could address many of the spaces and interactions children experience throughout their days such as stores, restaurants, or other businesses; medical and social services; neighborhoods and parks; or childcare/schools. What is this program called? We’ve had trouble coming up with an all-encompassing title that adequately captures our big hopes for this initiative. And, feeling playful, we decided to crowd source the program name in the application process. Extra points to those who can hit it out of the park with an awesome name. Who can apply? Any Pierce County resident with a great idea for making our communities more child-centered and play-powered is eligible. You’ll also need at least two friends committed to helping with your plan. Individuals working together, non-profits, businesses, advocacy groups, neighborhood coalitions, service groups and more can apply. In fact, we hope to build a cohort of projects representing a broad range of interest groups. What about kids? Children eight and over are encouraged to apply, with an adult acting as the primary contact for the project. And, since children are the focus of this grant program, be sure to think about how children will be involved in the project planning process and engaged in implementation. How many times can you apply? The sky’s the limit! But awards will be restricted to one per lead applicant. Although, if you’re a go-getter, you can participate in other projects, just not as the lead application. How much money is available? When? We hope to award seven to ten grants of $1,500 to $2,000, and the checks will arrive with the grant award letters at the end of August 2017. How can I apply? Review instructions in the Request for Proposals and email your PDF documents to Kimberly McKenney at kmckenney@playtacoma.org by July 12, 2017. How can funding be used? The project must be intended to benefit the general public, rather than an individual, small group, club, or association. Funding is project-focused and is cannot be used for an organization’s general operating or capital campaign expenses. If used to support an event, it must be the launch of a longer-range program or effort intended to have ongoing elements. Grant funding will support expenses incurred from September 1, 2017 to February 2, 2018. When is this all happening? Submit your amazing ideas to us by July 12, 2017 at 5pm. We’ll be in touch if we have questions the week of August 7, and will announce awards August 25, 2017. Program participants will meet up for a group orientation the week of August 28, 2017, with projects kicking-off September 1, 2017 and wrapping-up by February 2, 2018. You’ll give us a brief project update mid-November 2017, and let us know how it all went during group presentations the week of February 12, 2018. What happens next? As the first program group, you’ll be lighting the way for others to follow. Each project will be profiled in the spring 2018 Symposium program and shared on the Museum’s website. One or two of the projects will be presented at the spring 2018 Symposium to inspire others and launch the call for 2018 project proposals. Any fine print? The Museum will run Washington State Patrol and National Sex Offender public website background checks on the primary contacts for each finalist. Awardees will sign a contract agreeing to grant requirements, including a background check and an IRS form W-9. The contract will commit awardees to delivering the project as described in the proposal, reporting expenses (including receipts), submitting reports (including photos/videos) to document the project impact, and participating in final reporting presentations as well as the spring 2018 Symposium, if selected to do so. But, you still have questions? To have all your ducks in a row by the deadline, we recommend you email Kimberly McKenney at kmckenney@playtacoma.org by June 30 and she’ll answer you ASAP. She’ll also email you answers to all submitted questions by July 7. And, if your ducks are being unruly and you happen to have questions after June 30, she’ll do her best to answer them up until noon on July 12, 2017. *[image: Summer Camp Email sig 2017]* <http://www.playtacoma.org/summercamps> *HONOR CHILDREN. CHAMPION PLAY. * Brenda Morrison, Deputy Director Children’s Museum of Tacoma 1501 Pacific Avenue, Suite 202 Tacoma, WA 98402 253.627.6031 ext. 222 PlayTacoma.org <http://www.playtacoma.org/> [image: unnamed] <http://www.facebook.com/ChildrensMuseumofTacoma>