WIN Grant FAQs
1. Where does WIN focus its giving?
- WIN funds in four areas of giving on a rotating basis (one focus area per year). These include: Arts and Culture (2025); Education and Lifelong Learning (2026); Health and Wellness (2027); and Environment (2028). The cycle repeats itself in subsequent years.
2. What are the basic eligibility requirements for a WIN Grant? Potential grantees must:
3. Will an organization that has not yet been certified as a 501(c)(3) be considered?a. Be certified 501(c)(3) organizations and submit a copy of the Letter of Determination. (See exception below at #3).
b. Operate in and serve primarily New Hanover County (NHC). Applications from statewide organizations should have a local presence, i.e., an office or staff member that specifically serves NHC.
c. Propose projects that relate directly to the given year’s Area of Giving (the focus for our 2025 Grant is Arts and Culture).
d. Not serve a political purpose or support lobbying for a particular political purpose or candidate.
4. Can religious organizations apply for a WIN Grant?Yes, it may apply under the fiscal sponsorship of an organization that has been certified.
5. Can a nonprofit apply for more than one WIN Grant?Yes, providing that the proposed project or program for which they request funds does not restrict service to members of a particular faith or promote a specific religious doctrine.
6. Can a former WIN Grantee reapply for a grant?WIN will accept more than one project from a parent agency, assuming that each submission is unique, addresses the 2025 Area of Giving (Arts and Culture), and has clearly defined goals and target audiences.
Any former WIN Grantee recipient can apply, providing the previous Grant received a successful mid-year and annual review.
7. What is the WIN Grants cycle?
8. Has the process changed from previous years?a. WIN will release its Application Form on January 10th, followed by one or two information sessions (in-person and on Zoom) the following week to clarify WIN’s Grant process and criteria for evaluation.
b. Applications are due by midnight on February 14, 2025
c. After a thorough review, the Grants Committee will invite representatives from organizations with the most competitive applications to be interviewed in April to further understand their proposed projects. Those nonprofits not selected for an interview/potential Grant will be informed via email
d. Finalists will share their project proposals and respond to questions from WIN’s general membership May 1, 2025. WIN members will vote on the slate shortly thereafter.
e. A Grants Award celebration will be held May 15, 2025 with representatives from the organizations receiving funds in attendance.
f. An in-person midyear review is conducted in November.
Yes, rather than have nonprofits submit an LOI in March and then, if invited, a complete Application, WIN is taking a different approach this year. The Application will be available in January and due in mid-February. The Grants Committee will interview representatives from those organizations whose proposed projects are deemed most impactful during April. We believe this approach givesrepresentatives from selected nonprofits an opportunity to better share the details of and passion for their projects, and it allows the Grants Committee to make a more informed decision.
9. How many Grants will WIN make?
10. What is the size of a typical WIN grant?The number of Grants in any given year is dependent on the size of our Grants pool and the amount of money requested for projects that WIN believes will have the greatest potential impact. In the recent past, the number of Grants awarded have ranged from three to six.
11. Does WIN award the full amount of funding requested in an Application?In recent years, WIN grants have ranged from $2,500 to $25,000. See the list of recent Grant recipients on WIN’s website for examples.
12. What is the duration of a typical Grant?There is no guarantee that WIN will award the full amount requested in the Application. However, the Grants Committee would not reduce the amount without first consulting with organizations that make it to the final stage to determine if and how their project might be scoped without negatively affecting its impact.
WIN prefers projects that provide defined timelines for determining impact and success. Most will take a year, but projects may extend up to 24 months.13. Does WIN provide multi-year funding?
No. Depending on the size of the grant and the timeline of the proposed project, WIN typically provides half the Grant award in May and the other half in November, assuming a successful midyear review. Projects may extend up to 24 months. Grant winners may reapply in future cycles, provided they continue to meet the Grant criteria.
14. Are Grants paid in a lump sum or in installments over time?
15. Can the Grant be used outside of New Hanover County?Smaller grants ($10K or less) are generally paid as a lump sum at the Grants celebrations. For larger grants (generally, those over $10K), WIN provides half the amount requested at the Grants celebration and the other half in November after a successful midyear review. However, we can be flexible with grants requiring more than half the amount requested to initiate a project.
WIN prefers nonprofits that operate in and primarily serve NHC. Project proposals may also benefit nearby counties as long as the majority of impact is felt in NHC.
16. Can an organization use WIN funds for advocacy work?
Public education and advocacy activities are permitted if they are conducted in a nonpartisan manner and are not directly tied to specific legislation. Examples might include voter education activities or guides that do not favor or oppose a particular candidate or public policy issues conducted in a nonpartisan manner, such as tree preservation or adult literacy.
17. May a nonprofit modify how it uses the Grant money during the year?
A Grant should be used for the purpose stated in the Grant Application. However, if a situation occurs that requires modification, the Grant recipient should contact the Chair of WIN’s Board for approval.
18. What Does a Strong Grant Proposal Look Like?
You can draft a competitive proposal by providing a complete description of the following:
a. The Arts and Culture issue or opportunity you want to address in NHC.
b. The activities or services you will provide and timelines for completion.
c. Who will participate in your program and how you will recruit them.
d. The anticipated impact the Grant will have for the mission of your organization and/or the target audience in WIN’s Area of Giving (Arts and Culture).
e. How the project will impact diversity, equity, inclusion, and issues of access in our community.
f. How you plan to measure and communicate your achievements.
19. What financial information is required? The Grants Committee looks at:
a. Your organization’s average annual budget.
b. Other forms of income your organization typically relies on, including other grants.c. The total cost of the project or program you are proposing.
d. The Grant amount you are requesting from WIN for this project or program.
e. Other sources of income you anticipate or has been secured for the project.
20. What criteria does WIN use to evaluate Grant proposals?
The questions in the Grant Application provide a good window to our priorities and the weight given to each. WIN also favors applicants who work actively for social justice and racial equity.21. Does WIN’s Grant have to make up a majority of the program or project’s funding?
22. Does WIN consider proposals for operating funds?No, as long as WIN’s funding will make a meaningful contribution to the success of the project, it does not need to be the primary funder.
23. Will WIN provide a grant to a start-up organization?Neither “capital” nor “operations” nor “salary” expenditures are disallowed. However, these expenditures should be directly related to the applicant’s ability to deliver the project described to the community. Requests to fund general overhead and administrative costs are typically not competitive.
24. Does WIN award risk-taking?WIN does not fund start-ups because it needs to see that the organization has at least a year or two record of managing its funds responsibly. WIN has, however, funded new and developing non-profits that are fiscally sponsored by more established organizations.
Yes, WIN values new and innovative proposals that tackle complex problems, increase the capacity of an organization, and/or reach additional underrepresented communities.
25. What does WIN mean when it says it values collaboration?
Collaborative proposals with other area nonprofits often benefit a wider, more diverse population. Organizations do not need to pool their people and resources but rather “team up” to take on distinct parts of a proposed project or program to achieve greater impact.26. Does WIN fund research, feasibility studies, or engineering and planning?
WIN encourages Grants that have a direct and measurable benefit to the NHC community and the current year’s Area of Giving (Arts and Culture). Short-term studies that make up part of a larger, multi-step proposal and can be implemented within one or two years will generally be more competitive than a long-term, stand-alone study.27. Does WIN conduct site visits?
Grant Committee members do not conduct group site visits to applicant organizations during the Grants process. All proposals are assessed on the merits of their written application, budgets, and (for those making it to the final stage) in-person interviews.28. Does WIN provide feedback on submitted Grant applications?
Typically, WIN does not provide detailed feedback on proposals that are not selected.