2025 City of Columbus Summer Youth Program Grant Application

 

Background

The City of Columbus intends to invest in high-quality programming during the upcoming summer months to benefit young people who reside within the City’s corporate boundary. The purpose of this investment, which will be made available to selected organizations in the form of a grant, is to expand opportunities for Columbus youth to engage in education, recreation, workforce development, and college readiness in a safe and supportive environment.


Providing young people with safe opportunities to learn, grow, and form healthy, positive relationships can reduce the likelihood of their involvement in and/or being impacted by crime, violence, and other unsafe behaviors. As such, the City is keenly focused on supporting summer programs that are most likely to serve vulnerable, at-risk, and/or underserved youth who are disproportionately impacted by crime, violence, and related challenges as well as young people who are not often afforded opportunities to participate in high-quality programming.


The City is also committed to prioritizing support for summer programs that take place in and/or serve youth who reside in the City's "opportunity neighborhoods." The opportunity neighborhoods are designated as such as part of the City's efforts to target resources, services, and initiatives in communities that face significant socioeconomic challenges but also demonstrate the potential for transformative development. The City's opportunity neighborhoods are the Hilltop, Linden, Franklinton, South Side, Near East, Southeast, Northeast, and Northland neighborhoods as well as the Far East Side and the Far West Side.


The City encourages eligible organizations to consider applying for funding to support summer youth programming that fulfills one or more of the following outcomes:

• Increase academic performance and improve health and wellbeing

• Improve career readiness and workplace skills


To be eligible for funding consideration, the applicant organization must be registered as a 501(c)3 nonprofit with the Internal Revenue Service and able to deliver a program during the summer months (i.e., May through September) to young people between the ages of 5 and 18 who reside in the City of Columbus.


The City anticipates making an investment in youth programming during the summer of 2025 at a level similar to the investment made during the summer of 2024. However, the funds available to support summer youth programs is contingent upon the passage of the City's Operating Budget in early 2025.


This grant provides reimbursement for allowable program expenses. Organizations that are selected for funding may submit an invoice for the first half of the grant award upon execution of the contract between the organization and the City of Columbus. The remaining grant award will be disbursed following the completion of the requisite programmatic reporting requirements and the submission of documentation illustrating how all funds were spent on eligible expenses.


The deadline to submit an application for consideration is on Friday, February 14, 2025 at 5PM.


NOTE: This online form will not save your progress if you close out of your browser prior to submitting the application. Therefore, please consider formulating your responses in a separate document prior to entering them into this form and submitting the application.

 

Application Review Process

All applications will be screened for eligibility and then evaluated by an interdepartmental review committee according to the following criteria:


• Ability to increase academic performance and improve health and wellbeing and/or improve career readiness and workplace skills through the implementation of the proposed program

• Ability to serve vulnerable, at-risk, and/or underserved youth who are disproportionately impacted by crime, violence, and related challenges and/or young people who are not often afforded opportunities to participate in high-quality programming through the strategic recruitment and/or selection of program participants

• Ability to deliver a program that takes place in and/or serves youth who reside in the City’s opportunity neighborhoods (see “Background” section for a list of the City’s opportunity neighborhoods)

• Ability to incorporate youth intervention best practices into the proposed program

• Proficiency and capacity to deliver high-quality programming at a reasonable cost

• Ability to clearly measure and consistently report programmatic outcomes

• Experience with the implementation of effective youth programming

• Ability to work collaboratively and productively with community partners

• Submission of a complete application, budget, and other required forms


Applicants can expect to be notified of funding decisions during March 2025.

 

Important Dates

• Monday, January 13, 2025 at 12PM: Grant application is open for submissions

• Wednesday, January 29, 2025 at 5PM: In-person grant application information session*

• Thursday, January 30, 2025 at 12PM: Virtual grant application information session*

• Friday, February 14, 2025 at 5PM: Deadline to submit grant application

 

*Grant Application Information Sessions

The City of Columbus is offering two grant application information sessions to provide general information about the application process and answer questions from organizational representatives who are interested in submitting an application.


An in-person information session will be held at the Jerry Hammond Center (1111 E Broad St, Columbus, OH 43205) on Wednesday, January 29 at 5PM.


A virtual information session will be held via WebEx on Thursday, January 30 at 12PM. Immediately following the virtual information session, a recording of the session will be available upon request.


To RSVP to attend an information session, please complete the online registration form here: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/f6aca69df0be4fc683a4fe0c66e12a97


To request the recording of the virtual information session, please contact summeryouth@columbus.gov.


NOTE: While the City can provide general information about the application process, the City cannot offer advice, guidance, or instruction that is specifically related to the particular circumstances of an applicant.

 

Budget Requirements

As part of the application process, organizations are required to submit a budget that outlines the expenses associated with the proposed program.


Below is a list of allowable expenses, which can be paid for by grant funds, and unallowable expenses, which cannot be paid for by grant funds:


Allowable Expenses

• Salaries and wages

• Fringe benefits

• Insurance

• Meals for program participants only (catering services are recommended)

• Transportation (must be directly related to program participant activities)

• Space/facility rental directly related to programming

• Consumable supplies (e.g., office supplies, printing and copying for meeting materials and public information purposes, etc.)

• Incentives and compensation*

• Consultant and professional services*

• Miscellaneous expenses and other expenses not listed above; all miscellaneous expenses must align with scope of work and illustrate a direct benefit to program participants*

• Indirect costs*


*NOTE: if your program budget includes expenses in the Incentives/Compensation, Consultant/Professional Fees, Miscellaneous Expenses, and/or Indirect Costs categories, you are required to provide a brief description and justification for these expenses in the “Description & Justification” column of the program budget.


Unallowable Expenses

• Projects that take place primarily outside of the City of Columbus corporate boundary

• Project expenses that have been incurred prior to the contract start date

• Sales tax

• Tips and gratuities

• Political contributions and other expenses associated with political activities

• Food and beverages for staff

• Bank late-payment fees and other financial penalties

• Event sponsorships

• Capital equipment purchases (e.g., computers, printers, copiers, etc.)

• Travel to and/or registration for conferences, competitions, symposia, and similar events

• Scholarships and awards of substantial value

• Staff bonuses


All applicants are required to use the 2025 City of Columbus Summer Youth Program Grant Application Budget Template Excel spreadsheet to create the program budget that must be submitted as an attachment to Section 5 of this application. The Budget Template spreadsheet can be downloaded here. If you have difficulty accessing the spreadsheet, please contact summeryouth@columbus.gov.


If selected for funding, the City of Columbus reserves the right to fully or partially award funding to support some or all categories of the program budget based on their alignment with the grant’s purpose and the availability of funds.

 

Reporting Requirements

Organizations that are selected for funding will be required to submit regular reports to the City of Columbus that summarize the outcomes of the funded program. Grantees should be prepared to provide programmatic information that includes, but is not limited to, the following metrics:

• Number of youth enrolled at the start and end of program

• Attendance of youth enrolled throughout program

• Demographics of youth enrolled in program

• School(s) attended by youth enrolled in program

• Home zip code(s) of youth enrolled in program


In addition to supplying this quantitative data, grantees will be asked to provide a qualitative description of the program and its impact on the youth enrolled in it. The City will also conduct in-person site visits to evaluate the efficacy of funded programs.


If a program takes place on City of Columbus property, the grantee will be required to update its insurance policy to identify the City of Columbus as “additional insured” and submit a copy of the updated Certificate of Insurance to the City.


Organizations that are selected for funding and do not satisfactorily comply with the City’s programmatic reporting requirements will not receive the full grant award.

 

Vendor Registration

In order to enter into a grant agreement with the City of Columbus, your organization must be registered as a vendor with the City and a copy of your organization’s Form W-9 must be uploaded to the City of Columbus Vendor Services portal.


To be eligible for funding consideration, an organization must be registered as a vendor with the City of Columbus or have initiated the vendor registration process outlined above no later than the application deadline of Friday, February 14, 2025 at 5PM.


To register as a vendor or verify your vendor registration status, please visit the City of Columbus Vendor Services portal here: https://columbusvendorservices.powerappsportals.com/


To learn more about the vendor registration process and for a step-by-step guide to navigating it, please review the following resources:

•    City of Columbus Vendor Services User Guide

•    City of Columbus Vendor Services YouTube Channel


If your organization needs to complete an updated Form W-9, you may access the blank fillable form available on the Internal Revenue Service website here: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9.pdf


If your organization needs to upload a copy of its Form W-9 to the City of Columbus Vendor Services portal, please complete the following steps:

1)    Visit the Vendor Services portal at https://columbusvendorservices.powerappsportals.com/

2)    Click “Login” and enter the email address and password associated with your Vendor Services account

3)    Click “Vendor Information”

4)    Click “Upload attachments,” which can be found within the “Vendor Information View” section of the webpage

5)    From the menu along the top of the webpage, click “New” and select “W9/W8”

6)    Click “Browse” and select the PDF copy of the Form W-9 saved to your computer

7)    Click “Save”


If you have any questions or could use assistance in navigating this process, please contact the City’s Vendor Services team at 614-645-8315 or VendorServices@columbus.gov.

 

Questions?

Please contact summeryouth@columbus.gov.

 

 

Section 1: Applicant Information

 
 
 
 
 
Phone
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Section 2: Program Overview

 
 
 

(Note: If selected for funding, the organization name, organization website, program name, short description, and public-facing contact information may be published to the City’s website.)

 

(Note: The program must take place during the summer (i.e., May through September) of 2025. All funding must be spent no later than October 31, 2025, after which any unspent funds will be required to be returned to the City.)

 

(Note: The City is committed to prioritizing support for summer programs that take place in and/or serve youth who reside in the City's "opportunity neighborhoods": the Hilltop, Linden, Franklinton, South Side, Near East, Southeast, Northeast, and Northland neighborhoods as well as the Far East Side and the Far West Side.)

 
 
 
 
 

Section 3: Target Population

 

(Note: Program participants must be young people between the ages of 5 and 18 who reside in the City of Columbus.)

 

(Note: The City is committed to prioritizing support for summer programs that take place in and/or serve youth who reside in the City's "opportunity neighborhoods": the Hilltop, Linden, Franklinton, South Side, Near East, Southeast, Northeast, and Northland neighborhoods as well as the Far East Side and the Far West Side.)

 

White (Non-Hispanic)

(Includes individuals having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa who do not identify as Hispanic/Latino.)

 

(Includes individuals having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa who do not identify as Hispanic/Latino.)

 

(Includes individuals having origins in Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South or Central America, or another Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin. This may include people of any racial background who identify primarily as Latino.)

 

(Includes individuals having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America, including Central America, and who maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment.)

 

(Includes individuals having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.)

 

(Includes individuals having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.)

 

(Includes individuals who identify with more than one race.)

 

Male

(Includes individuals who identify as male.)

 

(Includes individuals who identify as female.)

 

(Includes individuals who identify as transgender, non-binary, or gender non-conforming.)

 

English

 
 

(Includes all forms of the Chinese language - e.g., Mandarin, Cantonese, and other dialects.)

 

(Includes languages such as French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Hindi, and other languages from Europe and South Asia.)

 

(Includes languages such as Tagalog, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, and other languages from Asia and the Pacific Islands.)

 
 

(Includes languages such as Swahili, Yoruba, Amharic, Somali, and other languages from Africa.)

 

(Includes Indigenous languages such as Navajo, Quechua, and other native languages.)

 

(Includes languages not otherwise specified in the above fields.)

 

Targeted efforts to serve vulnerable, at-risk, and/or underserved youth include, but are not limited to:

  • Partnering with local schools, shelters, juvenile justice systems, community centers, law enforcement, or mental health providers to identify and recruit youth.
  • Scheduling the proposed program to take place at convenient or accessible times, such as evenings or weekends, to accommodate youth who may have family or work responsibilities.
  • Providing transportation assistance to ensure accessibility for youth who may lack an alternative mode of transit.
  • Engaging with families and caregivers to build a supportive network for youth.


(Enter "N/A" if not applicable)

 
 

Section 4: Program Design and Implementation

 
 
 

• Increase academic performance and improve health and wellbeing

• Improve career readiness and workplace skills


In one or more of the fields below, provide a description of the specific program activities that would deliver the outcome(s) described for the program participants.

_


a) Increase academic performance and improve health and wellbeing (100 words maximum) (Enter "N/A" if not applicable)

 
 

b) Improve career readiness and workplace skills (100 words maximum) (Enter "N/A" if not applicable)

 
 

Youth intervention best practices include, but are not limited to:

  • Evidence-based or research-informed interventions designed to address the specific challenges of the youth you aim to serve.
  • Trauma-informed approaches that recognize and respond to the effects of trauma on youth behavior and development while creating a supportive environment for youth impacted by trauma.
  • Cultural competency in engaging youth, families, and the broader community.
  • Social-emotional learning activities or frameworks that promote the development of skills such as self-awareness, emotional regulation, and conflict resolution.
  • Mentorship and role modeling designed to support the personal and social development of youth.
  • Restorative practices that enable the resolution of conflicts, reduction of harmful behavior, and the development of a sense of accountability and community among youth.


(Enter "N/A" if not applicable)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Section 5: Supporting Documentation

NOTE: Each document listed below must be submitted to be eligible for funding consideration. If an applicant organization does not submit all requested supporting documentation, its application will not be considered.

 

• Program budget (NOTE: applicants are required to use the 2025 City of Columbus Summer Youth Program Grant Application Budget Template Excel spreadsheet to create the program budget. See the “Budget Requirements” section for additional information.)

• Program timeline

• Most recent IRS Form 990

• IRS 501(c)3 determination letter

• Unique Entity ID generated by SAM.gov

• Organizational chart of key program staff with a brief bio of each staffer

• Roster of the board members serving the organization

Drop your files here
 
 
mm/dd/yyyy