2021 Waterman Foundation Rotary Club of Bakersfield Capital Grant Application Period Open Now Thru April 30!

The Waterman Foundation (Foundation) was established by the Bakersfield Downtown Rotary Club in 1984 to provide scholarships to local students and grants for capital projects supporting local nonprofit organizations. The Foundation’s Board of Trustees governs the activities of the Foundation and is comprised of members of the Downtown Bakersfield Rotary Club.

For the 2020-2021 Capital Grant Program, The Waterman Foundation will award a total of $30,000 in grants to local nonprofit organizations. Grants will be awarded only for capital projects and not for such items as operating expenses. Capital projects, for purposes of this grant, are defined as improvements to buildings or land, purchases of equipment, or upgrades to facilities. Grants will be awarded no later than May 31, 2021.

Some important information concerning this grant opportunity:

1. The application must be sponsored by a member of Bakersfield Downtown Rotary Club. Applicants are required to provide the Club member’s name and contact information in the application.
2. The Waterman Foundation only awards grants for one calendar year, and there will ordinarily be an interceding year before an agency may be funded two years consecutively.
3. An agency may submit only one grant application per funding round. Applications from multiple programs within the same agency will not be considered.
4. An agency must have 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, be registered with Kern Community Foundation and have a minimum Silver rating on GuideStar.org.
5. The dollar amount to be distributed will be determined each funding year by the Waterman Foundation’s Board of Trustees, including whether only a single large grant will be made to one agency, or a number of smaller grants made to more than one agency.
6. Grant applications must meet at least one of the “Areas of Community Need” listed below.
7. Grant requests must be for capital items and not operating expenses. Capital items, for the purpose of this grant, are defined as improvements to buildings or land, purchases of equipment, or upgrades to facilities.
8. The grant application must address each question in the application or it will not be considered for funding.
9. Likewise, all required documents must be attached to the application, or it will not be considered for funding.
10. A Final Report must be submitted by the applicant through Kern Community Foundation’s Online Grants Platform for the Rotary Club Waterman Foundation review no later than twelve months following the grant award. Failure to submit a Final Report could impact future grant requests.
11. A media advisory by the organization announcing their receipt of a Rotary Club Waterman Foundation Grant, or an article in the awardee’s organization newsletter is encouraged to continue to raise awareness of this grant opportunity in the local community. Any such release should mention the grantor as the “Rotary Club of Bakersfield.”

Areas of Community Need

Your proposal should demonstrate how your proposed project meets one or more of the following identified community needs:

• Health and human services for the uninsured and under-insured
• Transportation
• Child care and development
• Availability of health and related services
• Jobs and training
• Programs and services for seniors
• Mental health services
• Programs and services for youth
• Affordable housing
• Drug and alcohol services
• Dental care
• Teen pregnancy prevention
• Respiratory problems
• Communicable diseases
• Childhood obesity
• Education
• Homeless

The Foundation’s Board of Trustees will decide which organization(s) will be awarded funds, and in what amount(s). The criteria for selecting recipients include the following:

• The degree to which the project will meet the needs of our community.
• Thoroughness in completing the application
• Are all required attachments included with the application?
• Has the applicant fully followed the directions contained in the application?

Deadline

Applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 PM, Thursday, April 30, 2021. Kern Community Foundation is facilitating online submission of this application.

Apply Online

Questions? Please write to info@kernfoundation.org.