Quest for the Best Grant Focus and Eligibility

Eligibility:

• Tax-Exempt Organizations: All tax-exempt organizations are eligible to apply for grants.
• Geographic Focus: Preference is given to organizations based in the following Pennsylvania counties: Philadelphia, Delaware, Chester, Montgomery, Berks, and Bucks Counties.

Priority Areas for Funding:

1. Police and Nurse Training: Support for programs that train and equip police officers and healthcare professionals to better serve their communities.
2. Education for Underserved Communities: Grants to improve educational access, quality, and opportunities for underserved populations.
3. Wildlife and Environmental Conservation: Funding for projects that protect wildlife and promote environmental sustainability.
4. Humanitarian Efforts:
   • Clean Water Access: Supporting projects that provide safe and reliable access to clean water.
   • Homelessness Prevention: Funding programs that assist those experiencing homelessness and work towards sustainable housing solutions.
   • Hunger Relief: Supporting initiatives that address food insecurity and nutrition.
   • Opioid Epidemic Support: Funding programs aimed at prevention, treatment, and recovery for individuals affected by the opioid crisis.

Funding Criteria:

• Maximum Financial Impact: Preference is given to organizations where the size and use of the grant will provide significant financial impact to their mission.
• Sustainability: Projects should demonstrate long-term sustainability and a clear plan for maintaining impact beyond the grant period.

Organizations seeking funding should ensure their projects align with one or more of the above priority areas, particularly if they are based in the listed counties.

We do not provide support to individuals. We also do not fund religious organizations and institutions when the resulting impact of the project is primarily denominational. We do not fund election campaigns or political activities.

Generally, we do not offer operating support, meaning we do not provide funds for expense items such as salaries, overhead, training or general administrative expenses.

Our grants are subject to a matching requirement. Cash on hand allocated to our project, in-kind donations, or securities, in hand, designated for our supported project, qualify as matching contributions. Pledges qualify on a case-by-case basis. If we award a matching grant we may make payments in installment amounts as specified in our award letter.

We may limit funding to the same project or organization when multiple funding requests are made less than one year apart.

We primarily provide grants to organizations in the United States that have been determined by the IRS to be 501(c) (3) charities. While not our exclusive focus, we do give priority to nonprofit organizations operating on the local level (or an affiliate/chapter of a larger organization that operates locally) providing direct benefits to the Pennsylvania region.

The applicant will complete a Grant Application on our website which will be submitted to us for review. The applicant will receive an initial email from us within two business days, noting that the Application has been received and is under review.

Upon receipt of the completed Application, some or all of the following steps are taken by our office: Staff review, executive committee review, an interview with representatives of the applicant organization. a site visit (if necessary), and requests for further documentation. Our target for reviewing and deciding upon applications is ninety (90) days.

Quest for the Best shall have the sole discretion to fund the grant in full, in part, or to deny the request.

ABSOLUTELY! Our grants are subject to a one-to-one matching requirement. Cash on hand allocated to our project, in-kind donations, or securities, in hand, designated for our supported project, qualify as matching contributions. Pledges qualify on a case-by-case basis. If we award a matching grant we may pay matching funds in installment amounts specified in our award letter

Quest for the Best provides funds for project-based grants. A “project-based” grant request is an application for funding for a specific project, program or purchase. Examples of previously approved project-based grants include purchases of furniture for a shelter’s family room, computers for a museum, funds to support an after-school programs trip to tour multiple colleges and funds to support a specific program at a zoo. Please keep in mind that operational costs such as rent, overhead, salaries, and training, etc., do not fall into the category of a project-based grant request.

Also, any administrative costs included in the project budget will not be considered by Quest for the Best for granting purposes. Quest for the Best will exclude such costs from the submission. For example, 4 computers are needed for a project and each cost $500. The budget also indicates that it will require an IT employee to be paid $1000 to research the computers that should be purchased, the software to install, and to install the software and ensure that the computers are functioning and being properly maintained. For Quest for the Best purpose’s the cost of this project is $2,000 (Not $3,000 since Quest for the Best would not cover the administrative cost for the research, etc.), and the highest grant that Quest for the Best would fund is $1,000, considering the matching requirement.

We require timely and informative interim and final grant reporting. Narrative and financial reports should be submitted together. If you will expend all funds within a year of the grant, then a final report is all that is necessary. Otherwise, a report is required on or before the anniversary date of the grant receipt. We may suspend grant activities and require the return of funds for delinquent or unsatisfactory reporting (not completed at all, incomplete, or not done in a timely matter), and will consider reporting history in the awarding of future grants.

We expect detailed accounting records, with details of all receipts and expenditures. In cases where grantee spending is not consistent with our award, we reserve the right to request the return of awarded funds, disallow expenditures, or take other remedial actions.