CHALLENGE GUIDELINES AND CRITERIA

What is the aim of the AWS InCommunities Louisa County Fund?

The aim of the AWS InCommunities Louisa County Fund, sponsored by the AWS, is to support nonprofit organizations to either start a new project from a selection of available projects or to expand an existing project, with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life for communities. Applicants choose the project they want to start based on their community’s needs, from a portfolio of ideas on the ChangeX site, or alternatively submit an existing project, once it meets the criteria outlined in the following section. Once the applicant has demonstrated their commitment and ability to start or expand the chosen community project by successfully completing a 30 Day Challenge on the ChangeX website, ChangeX will provide funding, information guides and support to give the applicant the best chance of success. In addition, once the applicant has demonstrated the impact the new project is having in their community, they will receive a further installment of funding to support the maintenance of the project. All projects should be managed in an inclusive and welcoming manner and any events organized as part of your project should comply with any relevant public health guidance.

Criteria

The following criteria must be met by all applicants:

• The project must address at least one of the following themes: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math (S.T.E.A.M.) Education, Sustainability & Environment, and/or Cultural Heritage

• Projects must take place in Louisa County, Virginia. 

• Applicants must be a legally registered nonprofit organization (legal documentation will need to be provided)

Opening date

The challenge opens for applications on April 01, 2024. Registrations for all projects will close on June 01, 2024.

Open grant applicants will be notified by July 12, 2024 as to whether they have been allocated funding and can progress with the 30 Day Challenge or whether they have been unsuccessful.

What can the funding be used for?

The funding can be used to cover direct costs relating to the set-up or maintenance of the new or existing project. For example, funds can be used for space rental, insurance fees, seeds and planting materials, tools, training fees; pretty much any materials you might need for a project that benefits your community.

ChangeX shall not be held liable to reimburse any costs that are incurred by applicants, prior to the release of funds by ChangeX. In exceptional circumstances, applicants may seek written approval from ChangeX to incur costs ahead of the release of funds. Written approval will be granted at the sole discretion of ChangeX. Payments will only be made if ChangeX finds that all relevant requirements are met.

Any potential tax consequences, reporting requirements, and consents from third parties are solely the responsibility and liability of the recipient of the funding.

What can the funding not be used for?

Funds may not be used to promote or engage in criminal acts of violence, terrorism, hate crimes, the destruction of any state, or discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, religion, military and veteran status, disability, sex, age, gender identity or sexual orientation, or support of any entity that engages in these activities.

The fund cannot be used to cover costs of work that has already been carried out and can’t be used for anything that is not related to the setup and maintenance of the new or existing community project. It cannot be used to cover the promotion of religious causes, non-charitable activities, sponsorship or fundraising events. Funds cannot be used as payment to group members for their work on the project.

Reporting Requirements and Funding

In return for any funding you may receive, you are required to share the outcomes of your new project with ChangeX and AWS.

The funding allocated to your new project is divided into two stages. The first payment (70% of total funding amount) can be accessed upon successful completion of a 30 Day Challenge on the ChangeX website. For organizations who choose to replicate one of the available projects on ChangeX, during the 30 Day Challenge, several steps that demonstrate the commitment and ability of your nonprofit organization to start or expand the project are taken. These include scheduling a support call with a ChangeX team member; setting up a team meeting; sharing a photo of your team meeting and providing a narrative on what you will spend the funding on, your next steps as a group, and how you hope the project will ultimately benefit your community. For organizations who are selected to receive funding to expand an existing project, the 30 Day Challenge only requires that you share a team photo and provide an update on their project after being notified of their successful grant application and before receiving the first payment.

The second payment (30% of total funding amount) will be issued to you after you have completed an impact survey demonstrating the outcomes of your project. The impact survey will be accessible to complete on your page on the ChangeX platform from three months after you applied to start the project. You will be sent email reminders about completing this survey and will have up to six months after you originally applied to complete it. You will be asked to answer questions such as the number of beneficiaries impacted by your project, as well as specific questions related to the idea you have started. At this stage, you will also be asked to share photos that show your project is up and running and having an impact. These photos should show your group in action and should ideally be taken at any significant events, for example: planting events, trainings, workshops or planning meetings and should include as many of your organizing group and beneficiaries as possible.

It is very important that you keep all receipts and records of how any funding you might receive is spent as ChangeX will collect and review these receipts before releasing the second installment of funding. If receipts cannot be shown, if the funds are found to have been spent on costs other than those relating to the set-up or maintenance of the new community project, or if the project has not met the requirements of the initial project plan, no further funds will be allocated to this project and ChangeX reserves the right to retrieve the funds that have already been distributed. The applicant will be indefinitely ineligible to apply for any subsequent grants through ChangeX.

Multiple applications

Organizations can apply for and receive funding to start up to three different portfolio ideas, once each application and the resulting project is submitted and led by a different member of the organization's team.  Projects taking place at the same location must be different and complementary.

Family

Family and close relatives of ChangeX employees or of are not eligible to apply for funding.

How to apply

Once you have ensured that you meet all the criteria above, you can go to the fund page and choose one of two routes; either select your preferred idea from the portfolio of proven ideas and register to start it; or alternatively, if you are already working on a project in your community that you want to expand, select the option to submit your own project. The amount of funding available for your project depends on which idea you chose to start. Funding amounts are available up to $10,000. For the proven portfolio ideas, funding amounts align with the cost of starting each project. For your own, existing community project, you can apply for funding up to $10,000 depending on need. Once you have completed the application form, if your project is selected to receive funding, you will be allocated funding and assigned your own page on the ChangeX platform, where you can complete a number of simple steps to access the allocated funding. You will be able to access the funding in 2 payments; the first payment (70% of your total funding) is unlocked upon completion of the 30 Day Challenge, and the second (30% of your total funding) once your project outcomes have been demonstrated. If you do not complete the 30 Day Challenge within the allocated time period (30 days from registration), your funding will be reallocated to another group and will not be accessible to you any longer.

In order to receive the funding, you must have a bank account. Once you’ve successfully unlocked your funding, you will be asked to enter your bank details on the ChangeX website to facilitate the bank transfer.

Once you have completed your Challenge and entered your bank information ChangeX will review your application to make sure all elements of the Challenge have been completed successfully. Payment will then be made, and the transfer will take an average of 4 working days to reach the applicant’s bank account.

When the final impact survey has been completed (between three and six months after the original application was made) it will also be reviewed, to ensure the project is active and the second instalment of funding is necessary. Payment will then be made, and the transfer will take an average of 4 working days to reach the applicant’s bank account.

ChangeX, at its sole discretion, decides which applicants will be accepted, what the funds can be used for, documentation requirements, and whether the relevant criteria for payment have been met, prior to the approval of a project. ChangeX may request further information and documentation as it reasonably deems necessary, and can set further reasonable requirements or criteria during the application process or throughout the project.

Supports Available

In order to give you the best chance of success to get your new project active, ChangeX will provide you with a number of supports, resources and tools. These include a 5-Step Guide relating to the idea you are starting, a general guide to starting projects in your community, a call with a member of the ChangeX team, email support, a local webpage to manage your team and previous starter stories to provide information and inspiration.

Accessibility

If you require any additional support to complete the application process or access resources please contact [email protected] and we will do everything in our power to help.

Where is this funding coming from?

This fund is sponsored by AWS. ChangeX is solely responsible for the management of the fund, including the selection of applicants, starter support, fund distribution and impact tracking.

Sharing your project with media or on social 

We encourage you to share news about your community project through social media in order to find people to join and support your project, or just to share some positive news with your wider community. If relevant, you can provide visibility to the project’s sponsor by tagging and/ or by adding the hashtags: #AWSInCommunities and #ChangeX.