“The quality of life for a child and the contributions the child makes to society as an adult can be traced back to the first few years of life.  From birth until about 5 years old, a child undergoes tremendous growth and change.  If this period of life includes support for growth in cognition, language, motor skills, adaptive skills and social-emotional functioning, the child is more likely to succeed in school and later contribute to society.  However, without support during these early years, a child is more likely to drop out of school, receive welfare benefits and commit crime.”  ( Art Rolnick, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, 2003)

TUCI concentrates on scientific knowledge and proven practices guiding early childhood public policy and model programs.  TUCI emphasizes the importance of parental involvement and skill building, as well as the reduction in fragmentation of services for children and families.  TUCI places a priority on understanding the increasing racial, ethnic, linguistic, and cultural diversity of the early childhood population in Shelby County.  TUCI understands that poverty, single parenthood, and social exclusion are often root causes in poor outcomes for young children.

The majority of TUCI’s grant making and its Request for Proposal (RFP) efforts will be directed towards improving the lives of the 43,000 children who are less than 3 years old in Shelby County including this county’s 14,000 newborns each year.

The following areas indirectly but significantly affect the health and well-being of children from conception to three: family and community violence and unintended pregnancies specifically teenage pregnancy.

The future of Memphis and our community rests upon the hopes and dreams of our children and youth.  Violence is an important public health problem that results in death and injuries.  Family and community violence cuts across all geographic and socioeconomic boundaries.  It is devastating and costly to individuals, families, communities, and society.  Crime is the leading concern of most Americans in urban areas.  Scientific research reveals that investing in children in the earliest years of life, children from conception to three, reduces later involvement with the criminal justice system – both as adolescents and as adults.  The Perry Preschool Study, as one example, reveals that investing in young children has enormous cost savings later – about $17 for every $1 invested.  The majority of these savings come from savings in the criminal justice system.

Unintended Pregnancies: Specifically Teenage Pregnancies

Data about the social consequences of teen pregnancies portray an alarming picture.  Less than one third of teens who begin families before the age of eighteen ever complete high school.  When our youth become pregnant and begin to have children, those children suffer because they more often than not live in poverty with a parent that is not fully prepared to nurture them.  Teenage pregnancy is related to low birth weight in infants, prenatal, perinatal and postnatal complications, and infant mortality.  Unintended pregnancy – often among teenagers – is a continuing and costly public health problem.  Reproductive health services, that result in postponement of pregnancy, are cost-saving and yield an impressive return on investment.  For example, every federal dollar of family planning funding decreases Medicaid costs by at least three dollars.  

Application Procedures

The application process for TUCI grants is designed to gather clear and concise information to support the applicant’s request.  Applicants will receive notification of the status of their request at the completion of each stage of the application process. 

TUCI has two grant request review cycles:  April 1 and October 1.  These are the dates that full applications are due for those who are invited to submit full applications.

Step 1: Letter of Intent

Potential grantees must submit a letter of intent at least 6 weeks prior to grant request review cycle dates (April 1 and October 1).  Letters of intent, then, would be due either the 2nd Friday of February (for the April 1 cycle) or 2nd Friday of August (for the October 1 cycle).  Information about the grant process is also available on the web site: www.theurbanchildinstitute.org.  The letter of intent, which should be three pages or less, needs to include the following:

• Description of the project
• Amount of funding requested
• Results anticipated
• Methods to be used to measure the outcomes of the program if funding is received 
• Copy of the agency’s IRS Tax Exempt certificate 

Applicant organizations, whose interests and experience appear to fall within the current focus of TUCI will be invited to complete and submit a grant application.  Invitations to submit a full proposal will be extended in a timely manner after The Urban Child Institute has received the letter of intent.

Step 2: Full Grant Application – April 1 and October 1

Following are the steps that occur for agencies and institutions that are invited to submit a full grant application: 

• All applications must be received by 5 p.m. on the deadline day of April 1 or October 1 (If there is a variance in the deadline date because of holiday or weekend, the agency will be advised in the invitation exactly when to submit the application).
• All full grant applications must include the following:

1. A list of the current Board of Directors and officers of the organization requesting support as well as key individuals involved in the proposed project.
2. Copy of Board-approved strategic plan and current business plans.
3. Copy of financial statements and current operating budget confirming short-term and long-term fiscal viability.
4. Following is a suggested outline: organization structure, abstract (executive summary), proposal, evaluation component, and budget.

• Following receipt of a grant application, TUCI staff will complete a staff review, grant sub-committee review, reference check, and if needed, an interview and/or site visit.  This process may take several weeks.

• Reviewed grant applications will be forwarded to the Grant Committee of the TUCI Board of Directors for prioritization before submission to the TUCI Board of Directors. 

• The Board of Directors must approve all grants to be funded.

• If the grant request is for longer than one year, TUCI will require an annual update of the project’s status.  This information will be due upon the anniversary date of the grant award, and must be received and approved prior to any subsequent payments being provided.

Application Guidelines

Recognizing that limited resources are available and that leveraging of funds will help maximize the opportunity to achieve desired outcomes, TUCI has established grant application guidelines.  Granting periods will be for duration periods of at least one year.

TUCI looks for the following types of programs and applications when reviewing grant proposals:

• Applications that exhibit a collaboration of groups and organizations, preferably multidisciplinary, that are cooperating on a common issue. 

• Applications that have realistic, achievable, and measurable short term and long term goals.

• Applications that demonstrate unique and effective ways to optimize resources.

• Applications that are replications of validated programs which serve a broad base of participants.

In addition, TUCI will periodically produce Requests For Proposals requesting applicant participation.

RESTRICTIONS

There are certain types of requests that will not be considered by TUCI.  These include:

· Appeals for annual operating expenses

· Grants to individuals

· Assistance for “crisis management”

· Grants for projects outside of Memphis, Tennessee

· Travel grants

· Endowments

· Debt reduction

· Financial aid

· Capital projects

· Indirect costs