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PROPOSALS MUST BE RECEIVED BY OCTOBER 28, 2011 at 5:00 pm CST.

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Gulf Coast Fund Fall Grant Cycle 2011

Request for Proposals

About the Gulf Coast Fund For Community Renewal and Ecological Health

The Gulf Coast Fund for Community Renewal and Ecological Health (the “Fund”) is a collaborative community-led grant making institution supporting local, state and regional efforts that engage, empower and benefit Gulf Coast communities, and that promote the sustainable and just recovery of neighborhoods, cities and ecosystems throughout the Gulf Coast. The Fund approaches all of its activities through the lens of supporting progressive movement building in the Gulf Coast region.

Since its inception in the weeks after Hurricane Katrina, the Fund has been led by Gulf Coast communities most affected by the legacy of social, environmental and economic injustices brought on by decades of disenfranchisement. The Fund operates in partnership with an Advisory Group consisting of a cross-section of community leaders working on the ground across the Gulf Coast and is committed to an open and transparent decision-making process. This Advisory Group informs all grant making and identifies needs on an ongoing basis.  Grant recommendations are made by a panel of members of the Advisory Group through a Panel Process.  The Gulf Coast Fund is a special project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and grant decisions must be approved by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors before being considered final.

Purpose of the Fund

• Collaborative grant making fund dedicated to supporting community-led local, state and regional efforts which will engage, empower and benefit Gulf Coast communities and promote the sustainable and just rebuilding of neighborhoods, cities and ecosystems throughout the region.
• To support projects that help to lift up and strengthen local organizing, address justice concerns, and build movement.
• To operate in partnership with a cross-section of local and state community leaders from the Gulf Coast (Advisory Group) who will inform grant making and identify needs on an ongoing basis.

Priority Areas of Funding

The Fund supports projects that strengthen and amplify local organizing, social justice concerns and movement building, and that address the underlying causes that have contributed to the severity of recent disasters—be they natural or human-made—in the Gulf Coast. The Fund focuses on communities that have been historically disenfranchised due to race, class, gender, nationality and/or immigration status. The majority of Fund grantees are organizations led by people of color and/or historically disenfranchised constituencies that reflect and are grounded in the communities in which they work. Further, the Fund seeks to support the building of community-level regional power that can inform and affect local, regional and national policy.

The Fund considers only those proposals that are developed by or in collaboration with Gulf Coast communities around self-determined needs, and that demonstrate how they will address one or more of the following issues:

• Right of Return and Right to Whole Communities: Facilitate, promote and create space for residents to move back to areas affected by hurricanes and other natural or human-made disasters; support efforts to retain and rebuild communities region-wide—e.g. rehabilitation and rebuilding of housing, restoring/creating effective storm protection, fair elections, restoring of cultural institutions, public schools, public transportation, jobs, mental health services, public health and health care.

• Ecological Health: Restore and support coastal wetlands and healthy coastal ecosystems.

• Environmental Justice and Health: Monitor and clean up health and environmental hazards such as landfills; work toward the equitable cleanup of historically and newly contaminated areas; hold polluters accountable for environmental contamination and risks to human health; measure and track environmental contaminants and health impacts; promote innovative solutions such as green chemistry; and protect right-to-know laws.

• Just and Sustainable Recovery: In the wake of natural and human-made disasters, incorporate sustainable solutions such as green and healthy buildings and smart and fair growth, protecting the right to safe and healthy communities; promote clean energy and reduce fossil fuel use and production in the Gulf Coast; monitor where private and public sector monies are going and ensure that funds are being effectively drawn down and utilized.

• Worker and Immigrant Rights: Protect all workers’ health and safety, protect low-wage workers and fight contractor abuses such as hazardous exposure, non-payment of wages and immigration status-related threats; promote analysis, advocacy and organizing which empowers African American, minority, and immigrant workers.

• Cultural Arts: Support community-based arts initiatives that promote the well-being of communities and preserve the cultural heritage of the Gulf Coast, with particular emphasis on the traditions of the African American, indigenous and minority communities.

• Youth and Education: Recognize and address the needs of children and youth in coastal communities; promote just and equitable access to quality education for all school-age children in returning communities and in internally-displaced families.

Projects may use any number of strategies, including but not limited to community education, grassroots organizing, advocacy, policy development, media work, litigation and public interest education.

Special attention is given to projects that address one or more of the following:

• Mental Wellness – in a manner that is culturally-sensitive, innovative, and collaborative
• Resilience & Revitalization – helping the most vulnerable people and ecosystems recover
• Equity & Movement Building
• Amplifying New Voices
• Influencing Public Policy & Working with Governments
• Sharing Learnings
• Collective Advocacy and Education
• Networking & Collaboration
• Leadership Development
• Right to Self Determination
• Sustainable Human and Community-Based Development
• Accountability
• Empowerment of Women
• Civic Engagement

Geographic Restrictions

The Fund focuses on the rebuilding and revitalization of hurricane-impacted areas in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas. Starting in 2010, the Fund will include coastal regions of Florida.  Priority is given to areas where community organizations have been advocating for environmental justice and working to stop the injustices of both unsustainable development and systemic racism that harm the health and lives of residents; and areas where local organizations have been working to protect coastal lands. The recovery and rebuilding of these areas in a just and sustainable manner is the initial priority for the Fund.

Eligibility

Any organization that has 501(C)(3) or 501(C)(4) tax status, or has a fiscal sponsor with 501(C)(3) status, is eligible to apply for funding.

Organizations may submit only one application per funding cycle.

Organizations may receive only one grant from the Fund per calendar year. Exceptions may be made for special circumstances, as deemed by the Fund’s Advisory Group (for example, emergency circumstances or in the case of a sovereign or remote location where one entity is solely responsible for addressing multiple issues and needs in a given area.) NOTE: Organizations that have recently received an emergency grant are still eligible to apply in this grant cycle.

Organizations that have already received two or more grants from the Gulf Coast Fund will be asked to submit additional application materials.

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Budget Requirements

Preference is given to applicants with a budget under $250,000 although organizations that fall outside of this range may apply.

Grant Size and Duration

One year grant requests in the $5,000-$40,000 range will be considered. Most grants will be $15,000 or less due to the size of the Fund. Smaller grants may also be considered if requested.