Purpose:

The Peoria Diamond Club Grants Program provides donations, gifts, awards, contributions and grants in various amounts lo assist youth in developing educational and/or athletic skills and goals through sponsored or directed activities or defined projects that are within the Diamond Club's mission and stated areas of interest.

* Individual Projects: Grants may be used to support the training, development and/or attendance of an individual for the purpose of educational or athletic event participation. Types of activities which could be supported include a student or ' athlete attending a local, state, regional, national, or international sanctioned or sponsored competitive event, or an individual attending an event for further training and development leading to completing a specific activity or event.

* Organizations, Team», and Groups Projects; Grants may be used for new or existing activities, or for development or expansion of group or team activities. Special consideration wilt be given to those groups, non-profit or charitable
organizations or schools, working with youth or with projects that will improve the education, development and quality of life. of youth or to organized athletic teams participating in sanctioned athletic events. Types of activities which could be supported include youth sports, educational or cultural enrichment of students, or
youth activities targeted toward community involvement. Grants are intended to be used to support new or existing programs, projects or activities for further development or expansion of programs keeping with the mission of the applicant organization or individual; to support a program or project which requires only a small amount of money to fill a gap in a larger effort where major funding is already secured, or to challenge an organization to secure the matching funds needed to encourage participation in a larger program or project. Primary emphasis will be placed on individuals and organizations within the City of Peoria, with secondary emphasis on those in the Northwest Valley area and then to organizations or individuals within Maricopa County.

Use of Grants:

The Diamond Club's Grants are to be applied toward the direct cost of the specific project, program, event, activity, etc. being proposed, as identified in line-item budget submitted with the request to the Diamond Club. Generally, the Diamond Club's grants may be used to support the following items:

* costs associated with attending or sponsoring a proposed program, event, or activity,
* costs of a new or existing program or expansion of a current program, event, or activity which impacts the participants rather than administrators.
* costs associated with the sponsorship or promotion of a program, event or activity which encourages the participation in such program having an emphasis on youth involvement.

Grants are not meant to help meet an organization's general operating budget, to pay for administrator's salaries; to help acquire or pay for routine office functions and equipment: or to substitute for funds currently used by the organization or individual to support similar services or programs.

The Diamond Club's grant funds may NOT be used for the following purposes:

* funds or foundations which are themselves grant-making bodies;

* reduction of an organization or individual's operating deficit, retirement of debt, or reserve funds;

* replacement of program support received from other donors:

* the personal health, growth or economic benefit of administrators, individuals or leaders of an organization:

* or to individuals, political campaigns, organizations which discriminate: or religious organizations which are solely denominational or sectarian in purpose.

Grants Eligibility:

Grants will be made to organizations with appropriate 501(c)(3) or 509(a) tax status as specified under a letter issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Grants to individuals or teams will be made on a need basis.
While not excluded from applying for a grant, organizations with large annual operating budgets will be expected to make a stronger case for such contribution. Also, the use of an unrelated private-sector organization with appropriate tax status as a fiscal agent for a program developed by and for a non-qualifying organization is unacceptable. The same applies to grants for individuals. Multiple grant requests from the same organization in the same review cycle are discouraged. An organization whose grant request was not funded cannot resubmit the same request for at least 12 months.

Selection Criteria:

Selection of beneficiaries will be based on a number of factors, including but not limited to:

* the need and scope of the proposed program;
* the possible relationship of the proposed program to previously funded programs for the same organization or individual:
* proper submission of all required information;
* the number of youth participants affected by the program/event,
* the special nature of the event or program and its impact on youth participants

A major factor in the review process will be evidence of the ability of the organization or individual submitting the request to comply with financial accounting and reporting requirements of the Diamond Club.

A decision on a grant award normally will be made within three months following the date of submission of a grant application and receipt of all appropriate information. Requests should not be submitted for support of a program, event, etc. scheduled for start-up or completion prior to the Diamond Club's likely action on a grant request. This is to allow ample time for proposal review by the Diamond Club's Grants Committee.

General Guidelines for Organization Beneficiaries:

1. The organization should be exempt under 501 (c)(3) {or equivalent) of the I RS code.
2. No grants shall be used for debt retirement or operating deficits.
3. No grants to individuals, political campaigns, organizations which discriminate, religious organizations which are purely denominational or sectarian in purpose, endowment funds or foundations which are themselves grant-making bodies.

Application Procedures:

Funding requests submitted under the Peoria Diamond Club Grants Program should include the following elements:

* Completed application on the Club's form (No email or telephone submissions will be honored);
* Letter signed by the organization's chief executive officer (or primary individual beneficiary) describing the proposed program or event and the needs) it fulfills;
* Projected budget, depicting by specific line items how the grant funds would be spent. If the grant request to the Diamond Club is one part of a larger effort involving more than one funding source, include columns showing how the other committed funds are to be applied:
* If application is being submitted by an organization, include a copy of the organization's most recent tax-status letter from the IRS specifying the 501 (c)(3) and 509(a) status:
* Brief description of the organization, its mission, and its officers and board members (attachment of descriptive brochure is helpful). A resume or personal biographical sketch is acceptable regarding individuals; and
* Copy of the organization's latest annual financial statements, if available, and/or a copy of the most recent filed 990-AR.

Program Administration :

Inquiries about the Diamond Club's Grants Program and Grant Requests ( paper copies only) should be submitted to:

Chairman
Grants Committee
Peoria Diamond Club
16101 North 83rd Avenue, Suite 2
Peoria, AZ 85382

No email, telephone or facsimile requests will be honored. Program oversight and coordination is the responsibility of the Peoria Diamond Club Grants Committee. Grants are approved by the Diamond Club Board of Directors following a recommendation by the Diamond Club Grants Committee. ALL DECISIONS ARE FINAL AND NOT SUBJECT TO APPEAL Once a request has been received, the Grants Committee may request additional information or materials prior to a final funding recommendation. The Grants Committee may hold review hearings of applicants to further gain knowledge of their proposed project. Also, the Grants Committee reserves the right to contact the organization's staff, its officers and board member~ and others with knowledge of the organization and its activities as part of the review process. The same applies for individuals.