The North Dakota Dental Foundation (NDDF) provides grants to organizations in three distinct categories:

• Access - Increase access to dental care
• Education - Improve knowledge and understanding of oral health among the public
• Workforce - Support education and training of the dental work force

Grants are considered as a result of a request and a subsequent application process.  NDDF acknowledges three types of grants:

• Responsive grants originate outside of the NDDF for a specific project or initiative of a qualified organization.
• Initiative grants originate within NDDF as a request for proposals intended to meet a specific objective of NDDF.
• Matching grants provide a matching contribution from NDDF for a specific project or initiative of a qualified organization.

TIMELINE
NDDF recognizes two grant cycles per year.  The deadline for grant submissions are March 1^st and September 1^st.  All grant applications received by each deadline will be processed by the Executive Director and submitted to the Grantmaking Committee for review and potential recommendation to the Board of Directors for final approval.

GOVERNANCE
The Grantmaking Committee shall be composed of at least three members of the Board of Directors with a Chair chosen from among these members by NDDF’s Board Chair. NDDF’s Executive Director shall serve on the Grantmaking Committee as a non-voting, ex-officio member.  NDDF’s Board Chair shall serve on the Grantmaking Committee as an ex-officio member.

VOTING
All grant applications shall receive a vote by the Grantmaking Committee whether or not to send the application to the Board of Directors for final decision-making.  It is the responsibility of the Board of Directors to evaluate each grant forwarded by the Grantmaking Committee and to vote whether or not to approve the grant.

TYPES OF GRANTS

RESPONSIVE GRANTS - The process for responsive grants includes:

• A potential grant partner communicating with the Executive Director to determine whether the grant request falls within the mission of NDDF.
  • If it does, the Executive Director sends the potential grant partner a letter of intent and application form via email. (They may take as long as long as they need to complete the application but, to be considered in the current grant cycle, it must be received on or before that deadline).
  • If it does not, the Executive Director sends the potential grant partner a letter or email explaining this, effectively denying them the opportunity to apply.
• The Executive Director reviews all grant applications to ensure that they are complete and conducts an investigation into details of the application necessary for a complete understanding of the grant request.
• The Executive Director then submits to the Grantmaking Committee a summary of the investigation and the grant packet for each grant application.
• The Grantmaking Committee meets in person or virtually to consider all grants and is responsible to make recommendations on each grant to the Board of Directors. Potential grant partner representatives may be invited to offer input at this meeting.
• All grant applications approved by the Grantmaking Committee are forwarded to the Board of Directors who then make final decision to approve or not.
• The Executive Director then notifies each Grant Partner in writing of the Board of Director’s decision in an expedient manner. This entire process should take no longer than eight weeks.
• From this point on the Executive Director handles all of the administrative tasks associated with ensuring that the grant is funded all the way through grant termination and final reporting. These tasks include the following:
  • Develop the grant agreement including payment schedule, report schedule, and performance monitoring/outcome requirements.
  • Send grant payments according to the agreement schedule. These are to include receipts that are required to be acknowledged and returned.
  • Report reminders, including report form, are sent one month prior to report due dates. A semi-annual interim report is required minimally for each year of all multi-year grants.
  • A grant termination form is completed and sent to the grantee organization with a copy being placed in the grant file.
  • Final report and outcome report is required at closure of grant period to be delivered to the Board of Directors.

INITIATIVE GRANTS
The Board of Directors may decide to initiate a project or goal that requires action by another organization to fulfill.  The process includes:

• The Executive Director advertises a Request for Proposals in appropriate media and creates proposal reports for each received and forwards to the Grantmaking Committee.
• The Grantmaking Committee meets to evaluate each proposal and to vote whether or not to forward them on to the Board of Directors for final authorization.
• Upon approval of the Board of Directors, the Executive Director prepares the grant agreement including payment/report schedules as well as performance monitoring and outcome requirements. Organizations submitting the proposal may be invited to present at either the Grantmaking Committee or the Board of Directors.
• The Executive Director monitors the progress of the initiative process through communication with organizations involved in the project. Interim reports as well as a completion report including outcome measurements are required as part of a final report to the Board of Directors. If the initiative is a multi-year project, the Executive Director requests and compiles a semi-annual report to the Board of Directors as well as a final report including outcome measurements at completion of the initiative.

MATCHING GRANTS
Matching grants follow the same process involved in processing Responsive Grants.  The final report must include documentation of matching funds raised and outcomes.

GRANT PARTNER QUALIFICATIONS
Aligned with NDDF’s mission to promote oral health for all.  The grant partner shall be free from any conflicts of interest to ensure the private inurement doctrine is not violated.

AUTHORIZED USE OF GRANT DOLLARS:

• A grant partner must expend the grant funds solely for tax exempt 501(c)(3) charitable and/or educational purposes and/or governmental purposes as defined by the U.S. Internal Revenue Code to carry out the project.
• Grant funds shall only be expended in accordance with the specifications and time frame contained in the grant application.
• Grants are awarded to organizations providing services or programming within NDDF’s service area.

GRANT DOLLARS SHALL NOT BE USED TO:

• Carry on propaganda or otherwise to attempt to influence legislation within the meaning of Code section 4945(d)(1);
• Influence the outcome of any specific public election, or to carry on (directly or indirectly) any voter registration drive within the meaning of Code section 4945(d)(2);
• Make any grants which do not comply with the individual grant requirements of Code section 4945(d)(3) or the organizational grant requirements of Code section 4945(d)(4);
• Undertake any activity for any purpose other than a charitable purpose specified in Code section 170(c)(2)(b); or
• Provide material support or resources to any individual or entity that it knows, or has reason to know, is an individual or entity that advocates, plans, sponsors, engages in, or has engaged in terrorist activity.
• Religious purposes
• Fund endowments
• Provide direct support to any individual
• Operating deficits or retirement of debt
• Administrative overhead such as salaries and benefits

NEXT STEPS
If you have a promising idea to promote oral health for all and would like to be considered for funding, please contact our Executive Director, Mike Little at: mike@nddental.org for a pre-application consultation.

If after the pre-application consultation, you are invited to move forward, you will be asked to submit a grant application in five (5) pages or less to include the following information:

• Cover Letter - page 1
• Organizational Background - page 2
• Statement of Need - page 2
• Goals / Objectives - page 2
• Implementation Plan - page 3
• Evaluation & Measurement Plan - page 3
• Other Funding Sources - page 4
• Project Budget / Organizational Budget - page 5

If you are awarded a NDDF grant, you will be asked to sign a grant agreement, conflict of interest disclosure form, & provide a final impact report.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us!