We believe that, when armed with

appropriate resources, Native peoples hove

the capacity and ingenuity to ensure the
sustainable, economic, spiritual and cultural

First Nations Development Institute

Native Youth and Culture Fund (NYCF)

GRANT APPLICATION

Submission Check List

Please make sure you submit ALL of the following:
1. Completed Native Youth & Culture Fund (NYCF) Grant
Application
2. Program/Project Proposal not to Exceed 1,000 Words and/or
Two Pages (submit as attachment)
3. A related program/project budget (submit as attachment)
4. A copy of the organizations or fiscal sponsors IRS
Determination Letter (submit as attachment)
5. List of Board of Directors and Key Staff (submit as attachment)

Incomplete proposals will not be considered for funding.

Deadlines & Methods for Submitting Proposals

Proposals may be submitted in one of two ways, via electronic
transmission (email) or via U.S. Postal Service or other
courier. Electronic submissions are encouraged if at all
possible. We will not acknowledge receipt of submissions.
We suggest you use tracking options if using postal/courier
services and the read receipt feature if sending by email.

Hard Copy submissions:

1. Submit an original and two copies of the proposal.
2. Full proposals will be due on or before 5:00 p.m. MDT on Monday, April 28th,
2008.
3. Award notifications will be made by Friday, May 16th, 2008. NYCF grants will
begin being disbursed after that date in time for projects to begin by summer
2008.

Electronic submissions:
1. Should be transmitted in Microsoft Word, Excel, Adobe Acrobat
(pdf) or equivalent application(s).
2. Cover sheet is to be in MS Word or equivalent only do not
convert to a pdf format.
 3. Legal name of the organization should be the only entry in the
subject line of the email.
4. Send only one email. Be sure to attach all necessary files.
Contact us if necessary.
5. List all attachments in the body of the email.
6. Consider the difference in time zones (First Nations is in the
Mountain Time zone).

For email submissions, please send to:

grantmaking@firstnations.org. For regular mail or other
courier service, please send to:
First Nations Development Institute
Attention: Grants - NYCF
703 Third Ave Suite B Longmont CO 80501
303 774-7836

Proposals that exceed the word count limits in any

section, are incomplete,
are received after the deadline, or sent by fax will not
be considered for funding.
IMPORTANT
Pay close attention to word limits in each section
applications exceeding word limits will not be
considered
Do Not alter this application in any manner. If you
have any questions about this application form, please
contact the Grants Department at First Nations.
 Part One:
General Information

Tribe/Organization Information
Legal Name: Dept.
Tribe/Reservation/Native Community Served:
Web Address: Date Submitting Proposal:
Total Organization Budget: $
Tax Status: Native 501(c)(3) Tribe or Tribal Entity Other Fiscal
Sponsor
Fiscal Sponsor (if applicable)
Org Name:
Address:
City, State Zip:
Name of Contact:
Phone:
Organization Contact
Name: Title:
Address:

City, State Zip:

Phone: Fax: Email:

Program/Project Information
Program/Project Title:
Total Program/Project Budget: $ Amount Requested: $
Program/Project Duration: Program/Project Start Date:

Program/Project Contact
Name: Title:
Address:
City, State Zip:
Phone: Fax: Email:
 Part Two:
Program/Project Proposal

In order to be considered complete your proposal must include the following parts:

I. Program/Project Summary:
The program or project summary is an overall outline of your project. What are the
overall objectives of the project that you are proposing? How do will it impact its target
audience? This summary should half a page or less and should be addressed to our grant
reviewers.

II. Organizational History

Please give us an overall history of your organization. How and when was it started and
by whom? What is the organizations mission and/or primary focus? If you have one, you
may submit the organizations official mission statement, however please remember that
this submission should be one page or less in length.

III. Community Involvement:

Consultation and community involvement helps to improve decision
making and is essential to achieving program/project success. It is
important that community members, tribal members, community
organizations, tribal organizations, and/or tribal government are
involved through collaboration and/or consultation. Effective
participation and communication helps the community to understand
and contribute positively to the program/project and to the overall
well-being of the community.
In half a page or less, please tell us if any community and/or tribal members,
organizations or government will be involved with your proposed project. If yes, who are
they and how will they be involved? If no, why not? Please limit your response to a page
or less.

IV. Youth Involvement

The goal of First Nations Native Youth & Culture Fund (NYCF) is to
partner with and support tribes and Native nonprofits seeking to
preserve, strengthen, or renew Native culture and tradition among
Native youth. By investing in youth and giving them a sense of
community and tradition, a community ensures that it will have future
leaders. As such, it is important that youth be actively involved in the
program/project. And while programs/projects that serve youth are
important, for the NYCF program, First Nations goal is to fund
programs that truly involve youth.
Please let us know how youth will be actively involved (not just served) in your
program/project. This section must be half a page or less.

V. Whom Does the Program/Project Serve?

Please let us know what specific community, tribe, reservation, etc. will be served with
your proposed project in half a page or less.

VI. Other Funding Sources

Please let us know what other funding sources you expect to have for this project. This
can include funding that has already been secured, as well as other funds that you have
applied for, but not yet received. Please keep this response to half a page or less.

VII. Assets and Asset Strategy

An integral component of First Nations work is our research into best
practices that increase Native communities capacity to control their
own resources and craft their own development strategies within the
values of their cultures. Under the NYCF grant program, First Nations
defines an asset as anything of value (economic or intrinsic) owned
or possessed by a tribe, community or organization. To this end, First
Nations has identified six asset categories and six asset development
strategies for NYCF grantees to utilize within their NYCF grant
programs/projects. These are as follows:

Asset Categories: Institutional, Cultural, Financial, Human

Capital, Natural and Social.
Asset Development Strategies: Control, Utilize, Retain,
Leverage, Increase or Create.

Asset Category Definitions:

Institutional Assets: Customs and/or behavior patterns
important to a formal organization of government or public
service.
Cultural Assets: Patterns of human activity and the symbolic
structures that give such activities significance and importance
often manifested through music, literature, lifestyle, art,
language, and/or tradition.
Financial Assets: Non-physical assets, such as securities,
certificates, or bank balances.
Human Capital Assets: The collective sum of the attributes, life
experience, knowledge, inventiveness, energy, and enthusiasm
of the people of a tribe, community or organization.
Natural Assets: Environmental resources, such as land, forests,
water, oil, coal, minerals, water or ecosystems.
Social Assets: The unique capabilities and expertise of
individuals or the collective value of social networks.

Using these categories strategies and definitions, please Identify and

Describe One or More of your Programs/Projects Primary Asset(s),
and identify one or more development strategy that will be used. Each
asset and development strategy should be described in about 50
words or less. This should total no more than one page.

VIII. Program/Project Objectives

Successful programs/projects have specific and measurable
objectives. In order to ensure First Nations is funding
programs/projects that will ultimately be successful, each NYCF
grantee is required to have AT LEAST 3 specific and measurable
objectives for their program/project.

By our definition and objective should include the intended outcome

criteria for success, and when you expect to be done. Intended
outcomes are those benefits that you expect will occur for participants
during or after their involvement with your project; they may relate to
knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, behaviors, condition, or status.

List AT LEAST 3 specific and measurable objectives to be

accomplished during the grant year: (Up to 3 additional outcomes
may be listed (up to 6 total) but AT LEAST 3 are required to be listed
here).
Please describe each objective in 50 words or less. This will make the
total around two pages.

VIV. Program/Project Evaluation

Planning for evaluation is an important part of any program/project.
Evaluation planning should be done before the program/project
begins. The process used for evaluation should be determined largely
by the program/project objectives and the intended outcomes (see
part 4 above).

What is evaluation?
Its the process of examining organizational programs to determine
the relevance of a service, product, or group of services provided to a
target group, community, or client.

Why evaluate?
Enables us to look back at the goals of our organization to
ensure we are on track with our mission and objectives.
Enables us to learn, confirm, and improve on the services and
products we provide to our participants, community, and
customers.
Helps us improve on program processes. How we interact
with participants, deliver services, process information, etc.
in a manner that is cost efficient and effective.
When planning program evaluation, the organizations should consider the
following:
Who is the target audience? Grantors, Board of Directors, Participants,
Organization?
How will the outcome data be used? Accountability, Program Improvement,
or both?

Data Collection:
When evaluating, in regard to those involved or served by the
program/project, ask:
Did they learn anything?
o This can be determined by enhanced attitudes,
perceptions or knowledge
Did they demonstrate any changes in skills as result of applying
the learning
o This can be determined by enhanced behaviors
Are they now more effective?
o This can be determined by improved performance because
of enhanced behaviors

Possible data collection methods to use for evaluation:

Surveys of the participants, staff, community, etc.
Personal Interviews of participants, staff, community, etc.
Skills Testing/Skills Demonstration

Please describe how the program/project will be evaluated in one

page or less. Be sure evaluation is tied to the program/project
objectives listed in part 4 and identify data collection methods to be
used.

Part Three:
Attachments:
- Program/Project Proposal
- Project Budget
- Organizations OR Fiscal Sponsors IRS Determination Letter
- List of Board of Directors & Key Staf

1. Please Attach Your Proposal for the Program/Project. Your

proposal should include all of the above mentioned parts as well
as an overview of your program/project idea, its proposed
outcome and your overall organizational mission, in around two
pages. *** PROPOSAL MUST BE 2,500 WORDS OR LESS AND
CANNOT EXCEED TEN PAGES INCLUDING ALL DESCRIBED
PARTS***
2. Please Attach Related Program/Project Budget. This budget
should include direct costs of the program/project, personnel
salaries or stipends, and the expected costs of travel,
equipment and supplies.
3. Please Attach Copy of the Organizations or Fiscal Sponsors
IRS Determination Letter
4. Please Attach a List of Board of Directors and Key Staff
***MUST INCLUDE FULL NAME, TITLE AND
ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATION***