View The Community Foundation’s Procedures for Grantmaking in Time of Disaster.
Accountability is a cornerstone of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee’s role as a grantmaker. In this role, we are a steward of donated resources, which are entrusted to us by people who believe in our commitment to meeting community need through responsible grantmaking. Key components of responsible grantmaking include due diligence and a system of reporting.
Due diligence means investing in vetted organizations with quality solutions that maximize charitable dollars. Prior to the flood, The Community Foundation had in place procedures for grantmaking in time of disaster. When the flood hit, The Community Foundation had ready an application and review process to distribute money from our flood funds to nonprofits helping people. In partnership with knowledgeable disaster experts and volunteers from outside our organization, who work in committees, we carefully review an applying organization’s good-standing, its practices and programs. An organization’s grant proposal must detail how it will use resources to help flood victims, what need(s) it will meet, what budget is required to execute a program, and how it will collaborate with others in the community to avoid duplication of effort that would waste resources.
Once a qualified organization has submitted a grant proposal and is approved, resources are deployed from flood funds. Every grant recipient, or grantee, is required to report back to The Community Foundation about the parameters of their program and their success in meeting the needs of flood victims. While periodic reports are required, there is always an open line of communication between us and our grantees. When needs emerge or evolve, we’re agile in response and work with grantees to ensure flood relief grants funds can be pinpointed to those needs effectively.
The Community Foundation appreciates our responsibility to use charitable resources carefully and report back to our donors and the entire community on how those funds are used. Track where the money is going in response to the flood of 2010.
