QUESTIONS ABOUT PROJECT PROPOSALS
May we fax or e-mail the proposal letter?
Yes, but remember to include a complete mailing address to which the application materials may be sent. Application forms are sent by post ONLY.
What is the difference between a project proposal and an application?
After you review our guidelines and determine that your project qualifies for funding, you may submit a project proposal to us. The proposal letter is a solicitation for an application. It is not the same thing as an application. The project proposal must follow the format given in the guidelines. After we review your project proposal, we may send you an application form.
Must I receive an application form in order to apply for funding?
Yes.
May I make my own version of an application form?
No. You must return the original application form in order to qualify for funding. Although the project proposal letter may be submitted by fax or e-mail, the application may not.
How much is typically granted to a project?
The size of the average grant is $10,000 USD. Our grants rarely exceed $15,000 USD.
What are needs internal to a congregation and why don't you fund them?
Sometimes, when sisters hear about the Conrad N. Hilton Fund for Sisters they assume that we award grants to congregations to help them care for their sisters and provide them with necessities such as health care, education, transportation and housing. This is understandable; but, it is not the case. Though these needs are very real and it is critically important for the Church and other organizations to address them, such is not the mission of the Conrad N. Hilton Fund for Sisters. We exclusively provide financial support for the apostolic work of sisters. The funds must be used to support a specific, well-defined and sustainable project in which sisters are directly involved on a full-time basis. We do not award grants for general congregational support.
What is considered full-time involvement?
At least one sister must work at least 30 hours per week with the project.
What is expected in an income/expense report?
An income/expense report lists the income and expenses for the project over the past two fiscal years. A budget itemizes your expected income and expenses for the upcoming fiscal year. For a sample format, click here. Under income, itemize all sources of monetary funding for the project, such as fees, donations, foundations, the sisters' congregation, the government or the diocese. You should also estimate the value of non-monetary donations such as food, labor and facilities. If sisters volunteer their time, for example, estimate what you would have to pay someone to do their work and enter that value as contributed services (you should also enter this value as a salary under expenses even though you do not actually pay them). Do not forget to list the total income of your project. Under expenses, list everything for which you must pay over the course of a year, such as salaries, rent, utilities and the cost of transportation. Even if you do not actually pay salaries to volunteers, you should estimate what you would have to pay them if they were to receive salaries and enter that value as an expense (you should also enter this value as contributed services under income). Subtract the total expenses from total income and list the balance on hand at the beginning and end of each year. Remember to provide a budget and income/expense reports for any institution in which your project is located or with which it is closely affiliated. If you are seeking a grant for a literacy project affiliated with a school, for example, report the income and expenses for the entire school.
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE APPLICATION PROCESS
Who is a monitor/guarantor?
A monitor/guarantor is someone not directly involved with the project who agrees to verify in writing at the end of the grant period exactly how the funds were spent. We prefer this person to be a sister, but a priest or lay person may also serve as monitor/guarantor.
What do we do if we don't have a fax machine or e-mail account?
We only transfer funds outside the United States by wire, and we must have a fax number or e-mail address at which we can contact you to confirm your receipt of the funds. We are willing to use a fax number of another person or organization in the geographical area from which the application is submitted for this communication.
How long does it take to hear if we have been awarded a grant?
The time from which we receive your solicitation for funding until the final review of your application by the committee can be six to nine months, even longer if you fail to include all of the supplementary information we require you to submit along with your application form. We will notify you by mail of the committee's decision as soon as possible following the meeting.
How often may we apply for funding?
Proposals for the same project may be submitted three times in seven years. Second and third proposals for the same project may only be submitted after the grant report from the previous grant has been completed.
How many applications may a congregation or province submit?
It is unusual for the committee to consider more than two projects in each grant cycle from the same region or province.
What are communications grants?
Communications grants are awarded only to national or regional conferences of women religious to promote inter-congregational collaboration and to help establish networks of communication among different congregations within a nation or region.
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