The Donor Alliance Foundation: 2024-2025 Request for Proposals & Grant Priorities

Grant Application Deadline:

5:00 p.m. MDT on Friday, August 2, 2024

The Donor Alliance Foundation (The Foundation) was created to extend the mission of organ and tissue donation and transplantation, by building partnerships and breaking down barriers to influence change to positively affect the donation and transplant community. The Foundation believes that organ and tissue donation and transplantation are human gifts that save lives and that all those affected by donation deserve to be acknowledged, supported, and given access to resources that enable the gift of life.

2024-2025 Criteria Overview

The Foundation funds efforts in Colorado and Wyoming that provide access to resources and education for those affected by organ and tissue donation and transplantation. We also support living donors and their families. To do this, we provide funding in three areas: Education, Family Assistance, and Research (social and scientific).

The Donor Alliance Foundation celebrates six years of grantmaking, providing 96 grants and over 1 million dollars in funding the community through a variety of education, family assistance, and research projects. By addressing system barriers that prohibit people from receiving an organ and/or tissue transplant, we can provide equitable and equal access to donation and transplantation resources.

New this cycle! Due to the high need in our service area, we have increased our annual funding opportunity by $25,000, available for the 2024-2025 funding cycle.

So, what does it take to apply? We want to understand how your project will meet the needs of vulnerable populations. Does it demonstrate how it will address Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in its scope? It is The Foundation’s goal for everyone in Colorado and Wyoming to have equal and equitable access to donation and transplantation resources that enable the gift of life.

To do this, we plan to:

• Provide access to donation and transplantation resources for underinsured, vulnerable, and socio-economically disadvantaged populations and those living in rural areas of Colorado and
• Wyoming who are eligible for transplant or already on the transplant list
• Further seeking projects that consider diversity, equity, and inclusion as a key audience and can demonstrate equity in their programming
• Look for applicants who are or planning to provide education or assistance to reach their audiences in new and innovative ways
• Remain nimble regarding changes or shifts needed to accomplish grantee goals or priorities
• Continued focus on organ research and projects related to gathering data to provide better outcomes for transplant patients, long-term

Qualifying organizations can apply to receive funding to:

• Provide family assistance to patients waiting for a transplant or who are post-transplant and their families, as well as living donors
• Assist service providers with transportation, food, housing, gas, and other related expenses for families in need pre-, post-, and during-transplant
• Provide grief assistance and compassion support for donor families
• Offer new and innovative approaches to education about donation and transplantation through hospitals, governmental agencies, foundations, and related nonprofit community health-serving organizations, given reduced social interaction
• Conduct social and scientific research to further the donation and transplantation field

We will consider applications from partners in the following categories:

• Nonprofit hospitals (or their foundations) and/or transplant centers; or nonprofit foundations at for-profit hospitals
• Nonprofit community health-serving organizations
• Nonprofit organizations providing services to support donation and transplantation (e.g., grief centers, Ronald McDonald Houses)
• Academic institutions providing critical care training (e.g., nursing, medical or transplant technicians)
• Governmental agencies (emphasis on regional/rural public health departments)
• Nonprofit Foundations
• Nonprofit Associations (transplant or medical related)
• Nonprofit regional chambers of commerce (funding transplant-related programs)

We will fund:

• Efforts to meet the needs of patients pre- and post-transplant who have a financial need with limited or no access to funds
• Projects that provide equal and equitable access to donation and transplantation resources that enable the gift of life
• New and innovative education approaches about donation and transplantation to reach audiences in populations who may not be aware of their options, given reduced social interaction
• Programs and services that offer grief assistance and compassion support in Colorado and Wyoming
• Efforts to increase living donation
• Medical and social research related to transplantation, to provide an opportunity to conduct pilot studies or early exploration (e.g., seed grants)

We will not fund:

• For-profit companies or businesses
• Individuals
• Advocacy or lobbying work
• Sponsorships
• Scholarships
• Capital projects
• Other transplant-related causes (e.g., bone marrow, stem cell)
• Projects outside our service area

Grantmaking Criteria

The project must align with our mission.

• Does this work build partnerships, break down barriers and positively affect the donation and transplant community?
• Does it influence change?

The project must make a difference in Colorado and/or Wyoming.

• Does it benefit our service area and surrounding community?
• Does it demonstrate a positive impact?
• Can you show measurable results in the population served?

The project provides a service or services to the most vulnerable people in Colorado and/or Wyoming.

• Does it serve the underinsured or fill an insurance gap?
• Does it consider diversity, equity and inclusion as a key audience?
• Does it demonstrate equitable and equal programming?
• Help fund services for people trying to get listed for transplant, who are experiencing financial hardship?

The project must be achievable and sustainable.

• Are you able to complete this work in 12 months?
• Can you demonstrate a plan for lasting impact beyond 12 months?
• Can the project be completed within the proposed budget?

The project must demonstrate measurable outcomes.

• Are you able to track and monitor progress and report outcomes?
• You will need to provide mid-grant and year-end reports to show how you have met your goals.

We will consider applications from nonprofit, academic, and governmental organizations only; individuals, including Donor Alliance employees, are not qualified to apply. Applications will be evaluated based on the above criteria. Specific criteria may be applied depending on the program area and will be requested in the grant application.

Research Grants

All applicants applying for a research grant (social or scientific) will be required to follow a few additional steps to ensure the project is documented, per Donor Alliance policy. All research applications will be asked to disclose their lead investigator or main point of contact, proof of IRB review and approval (if applicable), and have an initial brief conversation with Donor Alliance’s Director of Performance Excellence, after the application is submitted and before it is approved. This additional step will help improve the time from approval to funds being issued.

Additionally, applicants should be prepared to provide a research synopsis and other documentation for review when they submit their application, to ensure the project is documented and evaluated, per Donor Alliance policy. Any published papers will be expected to list The Donor Alliance Foundation as a funding partner.

Eligibility and Application Information

Timeline

The grant cycle takes place on a calendar year. The application window will be open for nine weeks beginning at 9:00 a.m. MDT on Monday, June 3, 2024. Once the cycle closes at 5:00 p.m. MDT on Friday, August 2, 2024, the review period will occur from August 5 through the end of September. If a site visit is requested, it will take place in October, either virtually or in person. A vote on final grantees will take place on November 12, 2024, and applicants will be notified of their application status (regardless of funding) beginning later that week. All funds will be made available by December 31, 2024, once the grant agreement has been signed and submitted to The Donor Alliance Foundation. The official timing of the grant as noted in the grant agreement will be from January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025.

Deadline

All applications must be received through The Donor Alliance Foundation’s online grant submission portal by 5 p.m. MDT on Friday, August 2, 2024. Late or incomplete proposals may not be considered. Please communicate with the Executive Director if you run into any issues. It is encouraged to apply early to avoid any unexpected delays. Again, applicants will be notified of their application status starting the week of November 18, 2024.

Funds Available and Grant Period

The Donor Alliance Foundation anticipates making grants ranging in size from $5,000 up to $25,000. We look favorably on applications that can demonstrate they are able to provide equal and equitable access to donation and transplantation resources that enable the gift of life.

The Donor Alliance Foundation makes one-year grants; funds must be expended from January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025 (except for a new two-year option for research grants this cycle). Because funds are limited, it is anticipated that not all applicants will receive funding.

Additionally, Family Assistance grants will be expected to provide a match from their institution, of some value (monetary or in-kind). This should be listed on their project budget in the application.

Eligibility Requirements

The Donor Alliance Foundation accepts proposals from nonprofit community health-serving organizations, nonprofit hospitals, academic institutions, governmental agencies, foundations, and associations supporting donation and transplantation efforts.

Applicants must be 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations with tax-exempt classification from the Internal Revenue Service; be a tax-supported institution such as a hospital, government, or nonprofit organization; or must have a formal fiscal sponsorship arrangement with a tax-exempt organization. Organizations must be located in and serve Donor Alliance’s designated service area of Colorado
and/or Wyoming.

Submission Limit: Organizations with grant requests from other foundations may apply for this grant opportunity. Organizations may ONLY SUBMIT ONE application in each program area, up to three in total. The only exception is for Research submissions. Research grant requests can be submitted from up to three separate departments, led by different project directors. In cases where two or more organizations are partnering on a program or project, one organization should submit a single proposal on behalf of the partnership.

New This Year! A two-year funding opportunity for Research projects. Organizations submitting research proposals will need to submit a scope of work, timeline, and budget. Research grants can take time to complete, so allowing two years for projects will be an option this year with a well-outlined plan. One-year research projects will also be accepted with appropriate details.

For Education and Family Assistance projects, The Foundation will only offer a one-year grant opportunity. We do not currently fund multi-year grants in these two categories. If you have received funding for more than one year for a project, you will be asked to discuss how year-to-year funding has impacted your project. Specifically, how you have moved the needle with your project to meet/exceed goals year over year.

Indirect costs like key and other essential personnel, equipment and supplies, publications and miscellaneous costs, contract services, and travel expenses cannot exceed 10 percent of total funding (this includes Dean’s tax). These are defined as administrative costs.

Questions

If at any time throughout the process, you have questions about The Donor Alliance Foundation’s funding priorities, the online grant application or anything else, please contact Executive Director Jennifer Moe at jmoe@donoralliancefoundation.org or 303-503-8795 (mobile).

Completing Your Application

Applications must be submitted through The Donor Alliance Foundation’s online grant portal. Here is a link to the online portal. If you are a new applicant, you will need to create a custom log-in and account to complete, view, and submit your grant application. Returning applicants may use their login credentials from past cycles. Only applications submitted through The Donor Alliance Foundation’s online grants portal will be considered.

After Submitting Your Application

Once you have submitted your grant application online, you will receive an email confirming acceptance. You may also receive updates along the way as your application moves through the multi-step review process. If you wish to access your application at any time or apply for another grant (within the open period), simply log into your account. You may not edit your application once submitted.