Decision-Making Criteria

Alignment

All funding decisions must be aligned with CT Health’s mission to improve the health status of Connecticut residents.

Magnitude of impact

Funding decisions are also evaluated on three factors:

• Number of people affected
• Depth/intensity of the problem
• Timeline for change

Meaningful and measurable results

All applications must include meaningful and measurable results that indicate change over a specific timeframe.

Sustainability

We invest in projects that will have a lasting impact.

Next: What to Expect

What to Expect

Here’s a general idea of what to expect as an applicant during the grant review process (please see more information about the President’s Discretionary Grant Award here).

• The grant application review process takes approximately three months.  During this time, applications are reviewed first by an internal panel, then the program committee of the board of directors, and finally the full board, who makes funding decisions. The staff’s role is to facilitate and support the board’s decision making.
• We will contact you at several stages in the process to keep you updated on your application status.
• If your application does not receive a grant, there are several points in the process at which you may be notified. Please see our notification timeline for more information. All notifications are made in writing or by phone.
• We only notify grant recipients at the end of our decision-making process after the application has been approved by the full board.
• You may contact us at grantsmanager@cthealth.org about the status of your application at any time.

Previous: Decision-Making Criteria Next: Our Review Process

Our Review Process

For Our Grant Ideas, Your Grant Ideas, and General Operating Support Grants, we review applications as follows:

1. We conduct an internal audit of the submitted application. This ensures that the application includes all required documentation and that all application sections are complete. Incomplete grant applications (those missing significant required information in the narrative or appendix) will not be reviewed. Applicants can typically resubmit a completed application in the following quarter. More information about our deadlines.
2. The application is reviewed by both internal staff and external experts to ensure:
   • That it falls under one or more of the foundations priority areas, is responsive to one or more of CT Health’s strategic objectives, and represents systems change
   • That the proposal and the corresponding budget are realistic and achievable
   • Competency through organizational policy, procedures and practices
3. Reviewer ratings, comments and opinions are incorporated into recommendations to the program committee of the foundation’s board of directors.
4. The program committee then reviews applications, considers the recommendations, and makes its own recommendations to the full CT Health board for a final vote.
5. During quarterly meetings, the board of directors votes to either approve or reject grant applications.

Previous: What to Expect Next: Notification Timeline

Notification Timeline

CT Health staff may contact you in writing or by phone between the proposal and decision deadlines for more information or to provide an update on your application’s status.  Below is a review of our three-step internal review process (President’s Discretionary Grant Award applications are the exception):

• Staff Review: Each application is assigned to a program officer who serves as the proposal’s lead reviewer.  Other CT Health staff or outside experts also may review grant applications.  All proposals requesting at or above $200,000 of funding require an in-person site visit (meeting at applicant’s organization).  If the program officer recommends funding a proposal, the application moves to the next step in the internal review process.
• The program committee of CT Health’s board of directors will review staff funding recommendations.  Committee members may ask additional questions, table the proposal and ask the applicant to reapply in the next quarter, or exclude the proposal from its funding recommendations to the full board of directors.
• The full board of directors votes to either accept or decline the program committee’s funding recommendations during quarterly meetings.  All applicants will be notified of the board’s final decision in writing or by phone within seven (7) business days of the decision deadline.

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Previous: Our Review Process