Partner Investment Program Guidelines and Application

Dare to Care’s mission and vision would not be realized without our Partner Network; because of this we are proud to invest in projects and programs working to eliminate hunger in our community.  We are pleased to announce the Partner Investment Program, a grant process that awards funds to Dare to Care partners that seek to make improvements to their program, empowering them to improve their service to individual who are food insecure by investing in the launch of innovative solutions, strengthening promising solutions, and stabilizing critical partners.

• Must be an active partner with Dare to Care Food Bank for at least 4 months at the time of the grant deadline.
• Must be a Food Pantry, Kitchen, Residential/Shelter, and/or School Pantry
• Must have met all Food Bank requirements, having an active Agency or Program Host Site Agreement, a current Food Safety Training (and other required trainings, if applicable), and is reporting statistics on time.

• December 4, 2024 – Virtual Information Session and application link goes live and emailed to the Partner Network
• January 31, 2025 – Applications due by 11:59pm.
• February 2025– Grant application review period. Your organization may be contacted during this time if the review committee has follow-up questions regarding your application or needs to schedule a site visit.
• Week of March 24, 2025 – All partners are notified of decisions, grant agreements sent, and W9 requested.
• Week of April 7, 2025– Grant agreements and W9s due
• Week of April 21, 2025 – Distribution of grant awards
• November 2025 – 6-month follow up reporting due from awardees
• (April 2025 -) March 31, 2026 – Amendments to the awarded projects can be submitted for review.
• May 2026 – 1-year follow up reporting due from awardees.

Applications must be completed using the submission form at the bottom of this page by January 31, 2025 at 11:59pm. Please send required grant materials all at once. Late applications will not be considered.

You can also draft your application using this Word Document before submitting the information on this page.

Areas of Focus:

1. Neighbor First: Funding will support projects and programs that make the neighbor the center of all decisions.
   1. Examples: improve neighbor experience, increase services to meet diverse needs, and provide wraparound services.
2. Accessibility: Funding will support projects and programs that offer easy access to nutritious food that meets the cultural and health needs of neighbors served.
   1. Examples: increasing number of days and hours of service, adding a convenient location for distribution, implementing a choice model for service.
3. Equitable: Funding will support projects and programs that serve neighbors fairly and equitably, specifically reducing disparities across our community.
   1. Examples: removing barriers of service, closing gaps of inequity, and serving marginalized communities.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Applications will be evaluated based its direct impact to the food distribution program, the strength of the project description and its focus on the 3 areas of focus in addition to the strength of the project budget. Sustainability of the project after the funding ends will also be considered. Incomplete and late applications will not be considered. For more information, view the Scoring Rubric.

Expectations:

• Partners will agree to and comply with the Grant Agreement and submit follow-up reports by designated due dates. Report and due dates will be provided at the time of the grant award.
• If the project for which your organization applied for changes based on your initial application, you will need to send an amendment which will be subject to further review.

Questions regarding this application may be directed to your assigned Partner Development Team or Programs staff member or by emailing partnerdevelopment@daretocare.org.