We are thrilled by the enthusiasm we have received after our announcement of the Diamond Matching Grant Program. We are hoping that this incentive will encourage our local grantees to look at the resources available to them and try new fundraising strategies in order to insure the sustainability of their organization. The Board and staff of The Staten Island Foundation are looking forward to reviewing your applications. Quite a number of organizations have already started an application and it seems like the request pool will be competitive.

Below you will find UPDATED the guidelines for the Diamond Matching Grant Program. These updates are meant to emphasize the Foundation’s interest in encouraging local grantees to try new fundraising strategies and will provide answers to some of the questions we’ve heard from you as you are developing applications. In consultation with members of the Board who are serving as an Advisory Committee to the Diamond Matching Grant Program, we have given answers to:

  • Is there a limit on the amount we will match to individual requests?
  • What do we mean by “new money”?
  • When can an applicant start securing funds that will qualify for a match?

Please read the information below carefully. The updated program guidelines will serve as guidance as you develop your proposal and will be used by the Foundation to evaluate submissions. Please pass these updated guidelines to anyone in your organization that is part of the team developing your proposal.

Reminder: Application deadline is Friday, July 18.

Please let us know if you would like to schedule an appointment to discuss your ideas for a proposal.

PROGRAM GUIDLINES

Updated June 6, 2025

Supersedes all previous guidelines

PROGRAM GOALS: The Foundation recognizes that while local nonprofits provide essential services to Staten Island residents, their access to resources to build capacity and organizational infrastructure remain limited. The pressures of time, funding, and staffing keep nonprofits and the people who serve their important missions stretched beyond their limits. With these pressures at the forefront the Foundation is offering, this year, an incentive to Staten Island grantees to use available human capital – Board, staff, volunteers, donors, participants – to expand their fundraising strategies in order to match Foundation dollars for general operating funds. This program aims to encourage local grantees to expand their fundraising capacity by trying a strategy that they haven’t tried before. It is the Foundation’s strong belief that collaboration, creativity, and commitment will bring renewed energy to achieving an organization’s goals.

ELIGIBILITY TO APPLY: To be eligible, nonprofit organizations must:

  • have a 501c3 designation from the Internal Revenue Service
  • be based on Staten Island
  • have received a grant from the Foundation of $5,000 or more during the last 5 years and completed all grant requirements satisfactorily
  • have an active Board of Directors who will make a financial contribution to the organization during their current fiscal year.

Applicants may have a current grant from the Foundation. This program is intended to be an additional resource from the Foundation.

WHAT MAY BE USED FOR A MATCH: The Foundation will match funds raised from non-governmental sources that are new to the grantee or represent an increased amount when those resources are part of a new strategy. The Foundation intends for organizations to engage their supporters – Board members, volunteers, donors, members, participants, and other beneficiaries of the organization – in activities that bring additional resources to the organization. This program encourages applicants to think about revenue sources that are new to them, such as:

  • Strategies that increase the number and amount of corporate matching gifts from donors
  • New foundation or corporate grants, especially those generated by a Board or other supporter relationship with the funder
  • Revenue from new membership drives, especially those that engage existing members to increase new members
  • Donation campaigns made above membership fees, traditional annual giving, or annual Board dues that involve a new approach
  • Revenue that is generated by new crowdfunding, social media, or website strategies

Other strategies will be considered as part of the plan outline included in the program application. A sub-committee of the Foundation Board will work with staff and serve as advisors to address questions that may not have been covered by these guidelines. The members of the Diamond Matching Grant Program Advisory Committee are: Kate Rooney, Alfred Cerullo, Alice Diamond, and Suzanne Ainslie.

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY “NEW MONEY?”: By launching this incentive, we are looking for grantees to expand their fundraising capacity by trying strategies that they haven’t tried before. That may mean a totally new activity or event or it may mean a new approach to something that you’ve done before. Some examples of taking a new approach may be adding the ability to make an automated monthly donation to your annual end-of-year solicitation, or adding a silent auction to your annual gala that you’ve never tried before, or providing some incentive to a membership drive, or using a new mailing list that targets a population or community that you haven’t requested donations from previously. Previous donors will qualify for matching funds if their donation responds to a new strategy.

REQUEST LIMITATION: The Diamond Matching Grant Program will match funds raised on a 2:1 basis. The 2:1 match will be provided to approved applications up to the first $250,000 raised. For example, if an organization is approved for matching funds and raises $10,000, then the Foundation will match that money on a 2:1 basis, providing $20,000. If an organization is approved to raise $250,000 in new money, the Foundation will match that amount on a 2:1 basis totaling $500,000 of Foundation funds. Grantees may, of course, continue to raise additional funds but the Foundation match is limited to the first $250,000 raised. We encourage applicants to set targets that are ambitious but are appropriate for your organization. It is also possible that the Foundation will approve less than the amount requested. How many grants are approved depends on the number of applications submitted, the amount of matching funds requested, and the strength of the strategies proposed.

PROGRAM TIMELINE:

  • April 2025 – Applications are released
  • July 18, 2025 – Deadline for submission
  • September 30, 2025 – Recipients announced
  • September 2025 – June 30, 2026 – Recipients may submit documentation of matches

The deadline for submission of applications is July 18. Matching funds must be secured after the application is approved by the Foundation Board (no later than August 15). We will continue to accept evidence of matches to be paid out by the Foundation until June 30, 2026.

PROGRAM SPECIFICS:

Applications will include an estimate of the amount the organization intends to raise to be matched by the Foundation.

Applications should provide a detailed outline of a fundraising plan to secure the Foundation’s matching funds that includes:

  • a timeline
  • the strategy and source of new funding
  • the people and partners who will be involved in the plan
  • and an estimate of the expenses necessary to raise the funds

The Foundation will not provide matching funds for the value of in-kind donations.

To obtain matching funds, the grantee must submit evidence of the new funds raised. Evidence may be:

  • copies of checks with a specific notation from the donor
  • an award letter from a funder
  • receipts of ACH payments that specify the match
  • or other documentation as approved by the Foundation

Requests for matching funds may be made in one lump sum or in monthly installments.

Grantees to the Diamond Matching Grant Program will be required to submit a final report.

Funds raised may be used for general operating support or allocated to any program that the grantee chooses.

As always, we invite you to contact us if you have questions. Questions about the Diamond Matching Grant Program may be directed to Shakeia McPherson, Special Projects Manager, at mcpherson@thestatenislandfoundation.org.