Mrs. Alice B. Diamond is a champion for the Staten Island nonprofit community. In honor of her unique contributions to our community, The Staten Island Foundation (Foundation) celebrates one of our founding members by offering a unique opportunity to our grantees. With Alice as inspiration, we are inviting local nonprofits to propose strategies to raise new money that the Foundation will match on a $2-to-$1 basis.
Alice was born in Birmingham, Alabama and moved to New York in 1962 to study art. The following year, she married Richard E. Diamond, publisher of the Staten Island Advance. For decades Alice has been deeply involved in the work of our nonprofit community, serving in capacities that include fundraising, governance, and advocacy. Alice is a founding Board member of Snug Harbor Cultural Center, has done some volunteer gardening on the site, and advocated for the Center, formally and informally. She was behind the idea to create the Carousel for All Children, due to her Board service with the Greenbelt Conservancy; and saw the project from concept to funding to commissioning and installation. Alice was an inaugural Board member of the Historic House Trust when it was formed under Mayor Koch. She has served on the Boards of the Alice Austen House, the Lynn Robbins Steinman Foundation, and the Staten Island Chapter of the American Red Cross. These are just a few examples of Alice’s support for our community. Many of us have stories about how Alice has furthered our efforts, sometimes working quietly behind the scenes, to improve the quality of life on Staten Island.
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. It is the Foundation’s strong belief that collaboration, creativity, and commitment will bring renewed energy to achieving an organization’s goals.
ELIGIBILTY 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. 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
- 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.
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
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 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 match funds raised on a $2-to-$1 basis. That is, for every $1 the organization raises, the Foundation will provide $2.
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.
THE DIAMOND FORUM: In order to support applicants as they develop fundraising strategies, the Foundation will present a forum on Friday, April 25th, from 9am – 12:30 at Wagner College. Only organizations that meet the eligibility requirements may apply for matching grant funds, but representatives of other organizations may attend the forum, space permitting. Registration details will follow.
Questions about the Diamond Matching Grant Program may be directed to Shakeia McPherson, Special Projects Manager, at mcpherson@thestatenislandfoundation.org.
