Request for Proposals, use the format below and provide all of the information requested to be considered for review

Eligibility: Please list all of your organization’s current Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership (CVNHP) and Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) grants. Any organization with an existing award that has overdue workplans, reports or other deliverables is ineligible and should not apply. All new projects will be required to submit a workplan within 60 days after award notifications are made and projects must be initiated no more than six months after award notification. If these deadline specifications are not met then awards may be forfeit.
Amount of LCBP Request: ($2,500 for an individual community or $5,000 for a regional organization)
Organization Mission Statement:
Brief Project Summary: Please describe your project in 3-5 sentences.
Project Outcome/Deliverable: Please briefly describe measurable project outcomes (3-5 sentences).
Application Content

Please include the following information (1-4) in order, using no more than 3 pages combined (12-point (or larger) Times New Roman font (or equivalent), minimum 1 inch margin on all sides). Complete applications should be no longer than 5 pages in length (1 summary page, 3 pages for application content, 1 budget page). Additional pages (except letters of support and participation) will not be reviewed.

Be sure to address the Request for Proposals (RFP) Selection Criteria in forming your answers in the application narrative, which should describe your project as directly and concisely as possible. The review committee will evaluate your application based on its content in accordance with the RFP Selection Criteria.

1. 
   Describe the extent to which the proposed project involves active participation from youth and students in the research and discovery of their community’s unique natural and/or cultural resources, and the creation of new artistic expressions, or interpretation of local conservation efforts through fresh perspectives and/or new technology. If part of a larger project, please describe the portion of the project for which you are seeking CVNHP funding.
   

2. 
   List the individuals (volunteers, board member, and/or staff) and partners (organizations, state agencies, and municipalities) that will be involved in the proposed project. Briefly describe their background and qualifications. Explain how your work with other partners will enhance the effectiveness of CVNHP funding.
   

3. 
   List the associated actions and tasks described in the Cultural Heritage and Recreation chapter of Opportunities for Action that the project addresses.
   

EXAMPLE of how actions and tasks should be listed on application:

Supports OFA Action 9.9: Connect, promote, and improve cultural and natural heritage sites through interpretation.

Task 9.9.4: Support pilot projects that utilize emerging interpretive technologies.

Supports OFA Action 9.11: Promote cultural exchanges and international scholarship programs.

Task 9.11.2: Encourage youth cultural and education exchanges.

4. 
   Reimbursement for project expenses is linked to receipt of task deliverables (e.g., press release, meeting notes, publication of an online guide, etc.). Use the table format below to identify specific deliverable benchmarks for your project. Identify target dates for each deliverable leading towards your project completion deadline. If the project ends after September 30, 2016, please explain the rationale.
   

EXAMPLE: Project Timeline, Deliverables and Payment Schedule

Task	Task Description	Objective	Deliverable	Date	Amt.
1	Press Release announcing the grant award and 1st Advisory Committee Meeting	Lay out the objectives and plan for the wayside exhibits	Press release and meeting notes	1/31/16	$500
2	Research and compile relevant historic information	Draft of materials for the exhibits and the brochure; purchase two alum. frames	Provide LCBP designer with complete set of graphics and 250 words text for two interpretive signs	3/31/16	$1000
3	Design exhibits and draft outline for the brochure with input of the committee and LCBP	Finalize wayside content; fabricate panels; develop draft brochure	Revised draft of three wayside exhibits and draft of brochure	6/30/16	$500
4	Install the exhibits and print the brochure	Final installation of the signs and copies of the brochure	Final report, including pictures of installed signs and 30 copies of the final brochure	10/31/16	$500*

*Final task and deliverable must be at least 10 percent of the total budget.
C. Budget Table and Justification

Please use the format below for your budget table.

• 
  If the CVNHP/LCBP request is part of a larger project, please indicate the estimated total project value and the funding sources.
  
• 
  All expenses should be placed into one of the following major categories:
  
  • 
    Direct Costs – subcategories include: Personnel (including fringe benefits), Supplies, Contracts, Equipment, and Travel.
    
  • 
    Indirect Costs – include general office and operating expenses, insurance, bookkeeping, etc. Please refer to the Request for Proposals for more information about indirect costs and eligible expenses.
    
  • 
    Non-federal match – While matching funds and in-kind support are not required, proposals that include a non-federal match may be considered more competitive in the grant review process. Applicants should be aware, however, that because optimal matching support may make your proposal more competitive, any match proposed will be embedded in the contact as a requirement.
    
• 
  If your project includes several tasks, it is helpful for each task’s budget to be broken out separately from the other tasks.
  
• 
  List additional specific expense categories where appropriate, as indicated.
  
• 
  If there is more than one source of funds to be used in supporting this task, budget items should be divided by funding sources as shown in the budget table. At a minimum, show which items will be covered by the CVNHP/LCBP grant and which items will be part of your matching contribution (if any). List other sources of funding (if any) that are not being used as match (such as other federal funds) following your budget table as shown.
  
• 
  In addition to the budget table, please include a brief justification for each line in your budget, as in the following examples:
  

• 
  Project Coordinator: supports staffing for oversight of project activities, 50 hours @ $18/hr.
  
• 
  Volunteers: museum docent, 25 hours @ $10/hr.
  

EXAMPLE: Project Budget Table Format (Dollar values for illustration only.)

Expense	CVNHP/LCBP Grant Request	Non-Federal Matching Contribution	Totals
DIRECT Costs:
Personnel
Project Coordinator	$400	$100	$500
Volunteers		$500	$500
(Add specific lines as needed)
Travel	$100	$100	$200
(Add specific lines as needed)
Supplies/Materials
Printing	$250		$250
Mailing	$50		$50
(Add specific lines as needed)
Contracts
(Add specific lines as needed)
Equipment
Graphic panels	$600		$600
Exhibit frames	$1100		$1100
(Add specific lines as needed)
Other (please specify)
INDIRECT Costs:		$100	$100
Totals	$2,500	$800	$3,300

D. Letters of Support

Attach any letters of participation and support to your application e-mail. Up to three letters of support may be included in your application. Please be sure that the letters are signed by the appropriate authors. Letters of support received separately from the application will not be included in the application review. See the Request for Proposals for more information.
E. Submission Process

• 
  Please submit one copy of your application with attached letters of support to the CVNHP address listed below via e-mail to grants@lcbp.org AND jbrangan@lcbp.org.
  
• 
  All applications must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, August 28, 2015.
  

NOTE: The application and budget should be submitted in Microsoft (Word, Publisher, Excel, etc.), or in a comparable format.  Original applications formatted as a PDF will not be accepted, however, copies of letters of support may be submitted as PDF documents. Paper copies of applications will not be accepted.
Direct all questions to Jim Brangan via telephone: 802-372-3213, or e-mail: jbrangan@lcbp.org.

CVNHP Local Heritage Grant Application - Page of