Is My Organization Eligible for an Encore Fellow?

Please take a moment to review the following eligibility qualifications and guidelines to determine whether or not your organization is eligible to be a Host Organization for a Dayton Foundation Del Mar Encore Fellow.

To be eligible for a grant, your organization must:

• be recognized as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization, according to the Internal Revenue Code, and be established for at least two years and have a track record of sustainability,
• benefit the citizens in the Greater Dayton Region, (Montgomery, Miami, Greene, Darke, Preble and Warren (north) counties),
• have a diversity/inclusion policy,
• demonstrate systemic collaboration, and
• address needs that are not met fully by existing organizational or community resources.

GUIDELINES

The Foundation gives priority to projects that meet one or more of the following criteria:

• provide for more efficient use of community resources, promote coordination, cooperation and sharing among organizations and reduce the duplication of services in our community;
• test or demonstrate new approaches and techniques for solving important community problems;
• promote volunteer participation and citizen involvement in community affairs; and
• strengthen not-for-profit agencies and institutions by reducing operating costs, increasing public financial support and/or improving internal management.

Selection criteria for a Del Mar Encore Fellow Host include:

• The proposal addresses a significant community need.
• The proposal’s initiative creates systemic change and contributes to the advancement of equity and justice in our community.
• The goals of the proposal are realistic, achievable and sustainable. SMART: Specific; Measurable; Achievable; Relevant and Time-Based.
• A sufficient level of funding for the initiative beyond DMEF has been adequately identified.
• The proposal outlines opportunities for collaboration.
• The proposal outlines how the Fellow will be integrated into the Host Organization’s leadership team.
• The Host Organization has or can assemble a volunteer pool of experienced, older adults to assist, as needed, with the initiative.
• Clear roles, responsibilities and performance measures are identified for the Fellow and the expert Encore volunteers assigned to the initiative.
• The identified Fellowship is not a new or replacement role supporting ongoing operational goals.
• The expected duration of the initiative is a minimum of one year but no longer than three years. Each year should have clear, concrete deliverables for the Fellow.
• The initiative is expected to result in an outcome that provides the Host Organization with a lesson learned, a best practice, or a program that is sustainable, post-Fellowship.