Welcome to the Mecklenburg County ABC Board's FY 2024 Community Health & Wellness Grant Program application process. Carefully read these FAQs, the Guidelines and Terms, and the information provided on the Community Outreach menu web pages at www.meckabc.com to check the applicant organization’s eligibility.

Important Information for Applicants:

• For FY 2024, there are three (3) different grant programs under the umbrella Community Health & Wellness Grant Program of the ABC Board, including the Small Grant Program, Annual Grant Program and Renewal Grant Program. The Multi-Year Grant Program is not currently being offered.
  
  
• It is incumbent upon the applicant organization to carefully read the grant eligibility Guidelines and Terms applicable to the grant program being applied to for information about that specific program. Although some requirements are the same, there are significant differences between the grant programs.
  
  
• Funding is only available for education, prevention, treatment, and/or research of alcohol and/or substance abuse (substance use disorder) projects/programs per Chapter 18B-805 (h) of the North Carolina General Statutes. These guidelines will be strictly followed.

• Grants will be made only to Mecklenburg County nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organizations exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or to governmental entities such as the State of North Carolina and its agencies, municipal corporations, and political subdivisions of the State. Fiscal sponsor arrangements will ONLY be considered for the Small Grant Program.
  
  
• Funding is restricted to organizations with 501(c)(3) determination letters located in and serving residents of Mecklenburg County.
  
  
• New for FY 2024, a Letter of Intent (LOI) process has been put in place for the Small Grant Program and the Annual Grant Program. The ABC Board is introducing a Letter of Intent (LOI) process to ensure: (1) applicants are eligible for ABC Board funding and (2) their proposed project aligns with the purpose of ABC Board grant funds prior to submitting a full application. The Renewal Grant Program does not require an LOI. The LOI open/close dates are as follows:

• The Small Grant Program LOI opens on November 14, 2022 and closes on December 5, 2022.
• The Annual Grant Program LOI opens on December 18, 2022 and closes on January 9, 2023.

• The FY 2024 grant cycles are as follows:

• • The Small Grant Program Grant Cycle will open on January 7, 2023, at 9:00 AM EST and close on February 7, 2023, at 11:59 PM EST. An invitation to apply based on the LOI will be provided a week prior to the cycle open date.
  • The Annual Grant Program Grant Cycle will open on February 6, 2023, at 5:00 PM and close on March 15, 2023, at 11:59 PM EST. An invitation to apply based on the LOI will be provided a week prior to the cycle open date.
  • The Renewal Grant Program Grant Cycle will open on February 10, 2023, at 9:00 AM EST and close on March 1, 2023, at 11:59 PM EST. An access code will be provided to all eligible applicants.

ABC Board staff are here to help with your programmatic and technical questions prior to and during the grant cycle.

Virtual pre-grant information workshops will be held prior to the opening of each grant cycle. These workshops are for any organization invited to apply to the FY 2024 Small Grant Program and Annual Grant Program. Registration is required and the registration links will emailed to those agencies invited to apply to the full grant  two weeks prior to each workshop. All workshops are virtual.

• The Small Grant Program Pre-Grant Workshop will be held on January 5, 2023, from Noon-1:30 PM.
• The Annual Grant Program Pre-Grant Workshop will be held on February 6, 2023, from 2:00 PM-3:30 PM.

For FY 2024, there are three (3) different grant programs under the umbrella Community Health & Wellness Grant Program of the ABC Board, including the Small Grant Program, Annual Grant Program and Renewal Grant Program. All awards are made at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

• Small Grant Program: the maximum grant award is $25,000 for a one (1) year project period.
• Annual Grant Program: the maximum grant award is $75,000 for a one (1) year project period.
• Renewal Grant Program: the maximum grant award is $40,000 for a one (1) year project period.

NOTE:

• The Renewal Grant Program is for current grantees only.
• Grantees that currently have two (2) renewal grants are only eligible for one (1) renewal grant in FY 2024.
• Agencies with a renewal grant are eligible to apply for the Annual Grant Program for a different project.

As a reminder:

• Funding is only available for education, prevention, treatment, and/or research of alcohol and/or substance abuse (substance use disorder) projects/programs per Chapter 18B-805 (h) of the North Carolina General Statutes. These guidelines will be strictly followed.
•  
• Grants will be made only to Mecklenburg County nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organizations exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or to governmental entities such as the State of North Carolina and its agencies, municipal corporations, and political subdivisions of the State. 

• Funding is restricted to organizations with 501(c)(3) determination letters located in and serving residents of Mecklenburg County.

• Fiscal sponsor arrangements will ONLY be considered for the Small Grant Program.

There are no funding preferences for application to the ABC Board Community Health & Wellness Grant Program. However, BIPOC-led and serving organizations are encouraged to apply.

The ABC Board requires specific financial information for each of its grant programs. Please click HERE for detailed information on these requirements.

Please contact Terry Albanese, Program Officer Consultant, at terryalbanese28@gmail.com if you have any questions about your agency’s financials.

Yes. The Foundant Online Grants Management System allows an applicant organization to start multiple applications to the grant program for which it qualifies and wants a proposal to be considered. However, in FY 2024 a Letter of Intent (LOI) process was established and the ABC Board will notify applicant organizations if they are invited to submit a full grant proposal.

No. The Community Health & Wellness Grant Program applications are ONLY available online through the Foundant Online Grants Management System.

For questions, please contact Terry Albanese, Grant-Making Consultant, at terryalbanese28@gmail.com.

For the best user experience when accessing the Foundant online grants management system, please use one of the following browsers: Google Chrome 14 or higher; Firefox 9 or higher; Safari 4 or higher. Use of this online grants management system is highly discouraged with Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge as technical issues may arise.

Grant applications are found in the Foundant Online Grants Management System. Organizations that have NOT submitted an LOI for the Small Grant Program or Annual Grant Program will NOT be able to submit a full application to the ABC Board. Applicant organizations who submitted an LOI will be notified prior to the opening of the grant cycle if they are invited to apply.

A Duplicate Tax ID message means that the Tax ID number entered by the applicant organization is already registered in the system. DO NOT create a duplicate account.

As needed, please contact Terry Albanese, Grant-Making Consultant, at terryalbanese28@gmail.com to receive log on credentials.

No. At the bottom of the application is a “Save as Draft” button. It is highly recommended to save the application often and before logging out. Simply log in again when ready to continue working on the application. A best practice is to cut and paste the application answers into a Word document to save as backup.

No. It is strongly recommended that all application answers are cut and paste into a Word document to conduct a spell check. Having numerous spelling and grammatical errors can be a poor reflection on the work of the applicant organization.

Clear and concise answers are very important. There are pre-set limits on the amount of text that can be submitted for a response. The character counter, displayed below the entry field, will actively indicate how many characters have been entered and will also indicate when the character limit is being approached.

Saving a draft of the application is not allowed if the character limit has been exceeded. Keep in mind: there is NO requirement to reach the character limit!

It is possible that the ABC Board will reach out during the review process to ask a clarifying question. Agency site visits will be scheduled, virtually or in-person, with applicant organizations as deemed appropriate by the Grants Evaluation Team as part of the grant evaluation process.

It is suggested that the applicant organization have its application reviewed prior to submission. This practice may help to find any errors and serve as a double check on the clarity of the proposed project request. The applicant organization may also consult with a professional grant writer as needed.

DO NOT reach out to the ABC Board to find out if your agency will need a site visit. If it is deemed appropriate, the agency’s primary contact will be contacted.

For program and technical assistance during the grant application process, please contact Terry Albanese, Program Officer Consultant, at terryalbanese28@gmail.com.

New for FY 2024, a Letter of Intent (LOI) process has been put in place for the Small Grant Program and the Annual Grant Program. The ABC Board is introducing a Letter of Intent (LOI) process to ensure: (1) applicants are eligible for ABC Board funding and (2) their proposed project aligns with the purpose of ABC Board grant funds prior to submitting a full application. The Renewal Grant Program does not require an LOI. The LOI open/close dates are as follows:

• The Small Grant Program LOI opens on November 14, 2022 and closes on December 5, 2022.
• The Annual Grant Program LOI opens on December 18, 2022 and closes on January 9, 2023.

The FY 2024 grant cycles are as follows (by invitation ONLY):

• The Small Grant Program Grant Cycle will open on January 7, 2023, at 9:00 AM EST and close on February 7, 2023, at 11:59 PM EST. An invitation to apply based on the LOI will be provided a week prior to the cycle open date.
• The Annual Grant Program Grant Cycle will open on February 6, 2023, at 5:00 PM  and close on March 15, 2023, at 11:59 PM EST. An invitation to apply based on the LOI will be provided a week prior to the cycle open date.
• The Renewal Grant Program Grant Cycle will open on February 10, 2023, at 9:00 AM EST and close on March 1, 2023, at 11:59 PM EST. An access code will be provided to all eligible applicants.

An applicant organization is allowed to submit its completed LOI or full application prior to the deadline once the cycle opens.

Yes. Virtual pre-grant information workshops will be held prior to the opening of each grant cycle. These workshops are for any organization invited to apply to the FY 2024 Small Grant Program and Annual Grant Program.

Registration is required and the registration links will be posted two weeks prior to each workshop. All workshops are virtual.

• The Small Grant Program Pre-Grant Workshop will be held on Tuesday, January 10, 2023, from 3:00- 4:30 PM.
• The Annual Grant Program Pre-Grant Workshop will be held on February 6, 2023, from 2:00 PM-3:30 PM.

Please note, all applicant organizations that receive an award will be required to attend a mandatory post-award workshop in June 2023.

For assistance with any technical problems registering for the pre-grant workshops, please contact Terry Albanese, Program Officer Consultant, at terryalbanese28@gmail.com.

Organizations who have never written a grant are encouraged to find a contract grant writer who can assist them with their application.

Please be sure to read the application requirements regarding file type and size prior to uploading any required attachments.

It is preferred that attached files are in PDF (.pdf) format unless indicated otherwise in the application. Other file types also accepted include Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) or Excel (.xls or .xlsx). Unacceptable file formats include the extensions: (.exe), (.com), (.vbs), and (.bat).

Please be sure to read the application requirements regarding file naming prior to uploading any required attachments. Examples of file names are provided in the application instructions.

Each file must be given a name that identifies the applicant organization and the type of required document it represents. For example, a file representing the organizational budget for the previous fiscal year could be named: OrgName-BudgetFY23. Do not use any symbols except for a period or a dash, as symbols can interfere with the upload process.

Keep file names concise while identifying the applicant organization and what the file represents.

Please be sure to read the application requirements regarding file type and size prior to uploading any required attachments.

The maximum size for each attachment varies. The file size limit is noted next to the Browse button and the system will not accept files greater than this limit. Please note, some users may have trouble with appropriate settings on a scanner and end up with larger file sizes.

For assistance with any technical problems in the grant application process, please contact Terry Albanese, Grant-Making Consultant, at terryalbanese28@gmail.com.

No. All attachments MUST be uploaded into the Foundant Online Grants Management System. The system will NOT allow an application to be submitted unless all of the required materials are attached.

Documents can be scanned into a PDF file for electronic submission. If a scanner is not available at the applicant organization, a copy shop or public library can scan them.

For application questions that request an uploaded attachment, click the Browse button and then choose the desired document from the user’s computer. The file name of the uploaded file will be indicated under the Browse button. Then save the application (button at the bottom of page). Pay attention to file names to avoid upload issues – remove extra periods or replace them with a dash or underscore character.

Only one (1) document can be uploaded per question.

There are two (2) ways to remove an uploaded file from an application:

• Once the file has been uploaded, a delete button will appear below the file name. Clicking delete will remove the file.
  
  
• To replace the file, a new file can be uploaded in its place. Simply upload the correct file to the question and the old uploaded file will be erased.

No. Applicant organizations can only upload a single document in response to an upload question. If an applicant has more than one (1) file for upload in response to a specific question, the files need to be combined either electronically or via scanning.

Double check that there are no symbols in the file name and the file type and size are allowable. If all is okay, then try one or more of these suggestions:

• Sometimes the problem can be a corrupt file. Try saving a new, renamed version of the document.
  
  
• Remove extra periods or replace them with a dash or underscore character.
  
  
• Files that exceed the maximum file size limit will cause an error. Compress the files to create a smaller file.
  
  
• Try saving the file as a different type. For instance, if a PDF (.pdf) file was uploaded, try uploading the original Word or Excel version of this document. If it is a Word (.doc or .docx) or Excel (.xls or .xlsx) document, try saving it as a PDF (.pdf) file and then uploading this version. If a document was scanned to create a (.jpg) file, try saving it in a (.pdf) format instead. Please be aware when converting to a (.pdf) file that all pages of a multi-page document may not convert properly. Check before uploading.
  
  
• Use a different computer to do the upload.

To get a paper copy of the application for the applicant organization’s records, log in to the application portal and choose the Application Packet link. This will create a PDF of the application to be printed or saved. The applicant organization will always have access to its application by logging back into the application portal, even after the application has been submitted.

There are a few common reasons why a user may lose edits. If the applicant stays on one page for an extended period of time without saving, the account may “time out” without warning. It is also possible that a weak internet connection momentarily disconnected the computer while working on the application.

As a safeguard, follow these recommendations:

• Save the application often.
  
  
• Cut and paste the application answers after each question into a Word document to save as backup.

To restore edits, try re-loading the internet page, as sometimes the browser will cache an older version of the page – OR – try logging out, wait a few minutes, and then log back in and re-open the application.

Agency site visits will be scheduled, virtually or in-person, with applicant organizations as deemed appropriate by the Grants Evaluation Team as part of the grant evaluation process.

Having a site visit is not indicative of the status of the grant application in terms of whether or not the applicant will be receiving an award – site visits will be used to ask clarification questions.

DO NOT reach out to the ABC Board to find out if your agency will need a site visit. If it is deemed appropriate, the agency’s primary contact will be contacted.

The Grants Evaluation Team will make award recommendations to the ABC Board at its May 2023 Board of Directors meeting.

Applicant organizations will receive notice of grant status (tentative) by May 31, 2023, by email and/or USPS. The Board of Directors will approve its budget in June 2023 when grant awards will be final. Funding decisions are at the discretion of the ABC Board.

All grantees will be REQUIRED to attend a mandatory post-award workshop in June 2023. Information will be provided about the post-award workshop after grants have been made.

ABC Board staff are here to help with your programmatic and technical questions prior to and during the grant cycle.

For assistance with the Small Grant Program, please contact Autumn Keck, Assistant Program Officer Consultant HERE. To schedule a meeting with Autumn, go to her Calendly link HERE.

For assistance with the Annual Grant Program or Renewal Grant Program, please contact Terry Albanese, Program Officer Consultant HERE. To schedule a meeting with Terry, go to her Calendly link HERE.