CRE: The Counselors of Real Estate Foundation

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GUIDELINES

Grants must complement the objectives and character of The Counselors of Real Estate and should, in some way, relate to the real property business.
Particular emphasis will be placed on applications that include an educational component and enhance the awareness and image of the CRE Designation, organization, or real estate counseling profession.
Grants shall provide positive leverage in terms of dollars, pro bono services, or alliances with other organizations.
Grants will generally be approved for a minimum amount of $2,500 and a maximum amount of $20,000.
Each proposal will include a CRE volunteer to monitor the grant as the Foundation liaison, providing regular progress reports to the Trustees.
No grants will include direct stipends to CREs, except possibly in the case of research.
Preference will be given grants that provide the greatest opportunity for CREs to volunteer their time and services.
Each grant application will include a thorough plan of proposed activity, a detailed budget, and, where possible, a presentation to the Foundation's Board of Trustees at one of its regularly scheduled meetings (held in conjunction with The Counselors of Real Estate fall Annual Convention and spring Midyear Meetings).
Except under unusual circumstances, projects that have been rejected by the Budget and Finance Committee of The Counselors of Real Estate will not be reconsidered by the Foundation.
Except under unusual circumstances, the Foundation does not fund local charities that might more appropriately be funded by local CREs.
Except under unusual circumstances, grants shall be limited to not-for-profit entities.

PROCESS
"Proposals for Funding" are reviewed by The Counselors of Real Estate Foundation Trustees twice annually. A "Proposal for Funding" requires the following components:

Executive Summary
Project Overview
Timetable for Execution
Budget
Identification of Responsible Parties
Methodology for Evaluation
Description of Planned Sustainability of the Program
Relevance Statement
Identification of Potential Partners

HELPFUL HINTS FOR THOSE SUBMITTING FUNDING PROPOSALS
I. Executive Summary: This is the most important section of the proposal in that it summarizes key information about the project. Think of it as a kind of "sales document" designed to convince the reader that this particular project should be funded. An Executive Summary should include a succinct conceptual description of the project, the need it is expected to fill and the $ amount requested. You might also address the type and number of people expected to benefit from the program.

II. Overview: This section should provide detail on how the project will actually be conducted: the process involved, who will be responsible for what activities, the methodology through which progress will be monitored and evaluated. This section is also a good place for more extensive background information on the entity which will funded or is making the request as well as elaboration on the validity of the request - why the project should be funded and what will be achieved. An explanation on the status of local funding should be included. Finally, the project's educational component and relationship to the real property industry should be addressed in this section

III. Timetable: This section should present the order and timing of the tasks involved. What will be achieved and by what date. It also reinforces the basic intent of the project by providing a succinct summary of the steps anticipated to achieve a successful result.

IV. Budget: As you prepare a preliminary budget for the project, note all items relating to its operation. Take into account not only new costs that will be incurred if the project is funded (staffing) but also the ongoing expenses required to make it happen (i.e. travel, printing, consultants, etc.). List any additional sources of funding which might have been acquired. If deemed necessary, include a brief narrative or footnotes to provide elaboration on specific expenditures where explanation is warranted.

V. Responsible Parties: The proposal should include discussion of who will actually be responsible for the project. Professional staff support as well as volunteer involvement and oversight should be carefully detailed here, particularly identification of the CRE's who will participate.

VI. Evaluation: The proposal should address the frequency and methodology of evaluation. What is the measure for success and who will be responsible for making that determination.

VII. Sustainability: How will the program be sustained in the future (those making grants do not generally wish to take on a permanent funding commitment to a particular project; rather they want to know that the project is finite in scope (with specific start up and conclusion dates) or that the grant is expected to be catalytic to the acquisition of additional funding or revenue raising).

VIII. Reinforcement of the character and objectives of The Counselors of Real Estate: The proposal should explain why the project is a good fit for funding by The Counselors of Real Estate Foundation. How does the project reinforce the objectives and/or unique character of the organization? How are The Counselor organization and/or the CRE Designation elevated, effectively positioned, or more widely exposed by The Counselors' potential association with the project?

IX. Alliance Partners: Today's foundations are interested in collaborative projects -projects that combine the resources of both the public and private sector to achieve a common goal. This is particularly appealing to the CRE Foundation if a collaborative partner represents an audience which might benefit from the services offered by a Counselor of Real Estate.

PROPOSAL FOR FUNDING WORD TEMPLATE
Use this Word template here to complete your Proposal for Funding for The Counselors of Real Estate Foundation. Forward the completed Proposal via email to sshumpert@cre.org.

APPLICATION
Click here to download an application in PDF format.
Click here to download an application in MS Word format.

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For more information contact The Counselors of Real Estate.