URJGENT Grants 2022 FAQ
Frequently asked questions for the 2022 program
What are URJGENT Grants?
The URJGENT Grant Program is a three-tiered funding opportunity from the Office of County of Santa Clara Supervisor Otto Lee for local organizations that have projects that benefit the residents of County of Santa Clara. The tiers for these grants are as follows:
- Tier One (for organizations with a maximum annual budget of $100,00) – up to $5,000 microgrants
- Tier Two (for organizations with a maximum annual budget of $250,000) – up to $15,000 grants
- Tier Three (for organizations with a maximum annual budget of $500,000) – up to $25,000 grants
Please Note: Grants may be approved for lower amounts than what was requested.
What do URJGENT Grants fund?
Project proposals must fit into Supervisor Lee’s policy priorities to be considered. These priorities can be found in the name of this program itself because URJGENT is an acronym!
Unhoused - Racial - Justice - Green - Equity - Neighborhoods - Transparency
Read more about our policy priorities
Applications for this grant will only be considered if they fall under one of these six categories. Additionally, proposals submitted for this grant must be project-based or supply a material need for technology or equipment. Specific requests for salaries, rent, or other ongoing expenses may be included in the application so long as they are related to the provision of services or support that benefits our residents.
Please Note: Sponsorship requests for one-time events are not eligible for the URJGENT Grant because a different process is being created to process sponsorship requests. However, applications proposing a series of events, such as a workshop series or multiple engagement sessions will be considered. Events are considered one-time events if there will only be one session between June 1, 2022 and May 31, 2023.
Who can apply for an URJGENT Grant?
The targets for URJGENT Grants are smaller, emerging grassroots organizations who have not typically been funded by the County of Santa Clara.
All applications must provide services in County of Santa Clara. Applicants are not required to reside or be headquartered in District 3. Further, all applicants must be registered as a 501(c)3 non-profit entity or have a fiscal agent that is registered as a 501(c)3 non-profit entity. Applicants who have a fiscal agent must submit the “Certification of Fiscal Agency” form along with the applications.
There are three grant tiers, and each has its own eligibility requirements.
| TIER | GRANT AMOUNT | ELIGIBILITY |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5,000 | Annual budget of no more than $100,000 |
| 2 | $15,000 | Annual budget of no more than $250,000 |
| 3 | $25,000 | Annual budget of no more than $500,000 |
What if my organization’s budget size is greater than $500,000 annually?
If your organization wants to apply for funding and does not meet the eligibility requirement for an URJGENT Grant, you may submit your request through the same application form. It will be considered separately from organizations that are eligible for URJGENT Grants.
Can I apply if my organization is not based in Supervisor Lee’s district?
Yes. Any organization providing services or benefits in County of Santa Clara may apply.
What are the application requirements?
All applications that are submitted must be in Times New Roman and size 12 font, double-spaced, and one-inch margins. There will be different page limits for the different tiers because the amount of information requested will be greater for Tiers that provide more funding. However, for all tiers, all applicants must provide the following information:
- Introductory Narrative of the Organization (maximum two pages);
- Project proposal or Project Narrative (maximum three pages);
- Potential impacts on (1) youth, meaning under 18 years old, (2) seniors, meaning 65 and older, and (3) environmental sustainability (maximum two page);
- Social media handles (if any);
- Primary contacts; and
- Verification under penalty of perjury that the applicant meets the eligibility requirements to apply for the grants, including annual budget caps.
For Question 3, please provide a narrative about the impact you believe your proposal will have on youth, seniors, and environmental sustainability. If your proposal is intended to focus only on one of these categories, or is not intended to target any of these categories, you may simply state “not applicable.”
Read more about additional specific requirements related to tier of funding
When can I apply?
URJGENT Grant Applications opened on March 23, 2022, and applications will be accepted until 5:00pm on April 13, 2022. Applications will be reviewed and assessed on a rolling basis, so please submit your applications early.
How are applications reviewed?
To ensure that the grant evaluation process is fair and transparent, all applications will be evaluated by the Community Review Panel (CRP), which is comprised of County of Santa Clara residents who were chosen after submitting their own applications to join the panel. Each panelist will score the applications received based on the following criteria:
- Urgency of the identified need;
- Thoughtfulness and uniqueness of the proposed program or project;
- Reliability and past performance of applicant (as presented by applicant and any independent thought or research of the panel); and
- Impact, either direct or projected, of the proposed program or project.
CRP evaluations will be submitted to District 3 senior staff for final decision making, and grantees will be notified no later than April 27.
More information about the CRP
Can I submit more than one application?
Yes, eligible organizations are allowed to submit more than one application, but it is very unlikely that more than one application will be funded.
What if I have more questions?
If you have any questions or comments about this grant, please submit them using this link:
Please note: To protect the integrity of this process, we are NOT able to meet with any applicants to discuss the URJGENT Grant. If you have questions, please submit them using the link above.