Health TRUST Rockdale Grant Program Guidelines
The following are the guidelines for the Hospital Authority of Rockdale County's Health TRUST Rockdale grant program. Potential applicants with questions regarding these guidelines are encouraged to contact Hospital Authority Executive Director Julie Mills at 678.977.9280 or via email.
Eligibility
Applicants must meet the following requirements to be eligible:
- Organization is a nonprofit that is exempt under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code or is a governmental entity or a unit thereof. It should be noted that grants will be awarded to governmental entities only when, in the sole view of the Authority’s Board of Trustees, the application proposes an enhancement of health-related services that will advance the Authority’s objectives; grants will not be awarded when sought as an alternative funding source for programs or projects historically funded by the governmental entity.
- Organization serves Rockdale County residents. HARC funds may be used for the benefit of Rockdale County residents only. Grantees will be provided with a copy of a Resolution, adopted by the Authority on March 26, 2013, that offers suggested guidelines in determining if an individual is a Rockdale County resident. Each grant recipient will be required to submit a sworn affidavit to the Authority evidencing compliance with the Authority’s residency requirement.
- Organization has met all application deadlines. Application deadlines are posted at www.healthtrustrockdale.org and may be requested by emailing jmills@healthtrustrockdale.org or by calling 678-977-9280. It is not the Authority’s responsibility to personally notify previous and potential grantee partners of application deadlines, although organizations may receive a courtesy email announcing upcoming grant cycles. Organizations must meet pre-application deadlines (including registering for a pre-proposal conference and/or notifying the director of intent to apply) and must submit four hard copies of the completed application by 5 p.m. on the due date. If an emergency prevents the delivery of hard copies of the application by the due date, the organization must notify the executive director immediately and may be permitted to submit the application electronically by 5 p.m. on the due date, provided that four hard copies are delivered within three business days. Aside from this concession for emergencies, late applications will NOT be accepted.
- Organization is current with all reporting requirements for prior Health TRUST Rockdale grants. Organizations with past-due grant evaluations reports are not eligible to apply until reporting requirements are fulfilled provided that the reports are submitted within 90 days of the due date. Organizations that submit reports more than 90 days after the due date are ineligible to apply for a Health TRUST Rockdale grant for a period of 24 months from the date the report was submitted. Organizations that submit reports on two consecutive grants more than 90 days after the due dates are ineligible to apply for a Health TRUST Rockdale grant for a period of 48 months from the date the last report was submitted. Reports must include all requested information to be considered complete.
Funding Priorities
Health TRUST Rockdale Grants
The Hospital Authority of Rockdale County invests in programs and projects that improve the physical and mental health of Rockdale County residents, particularly those who are indigent, uninsured or underinsured as well as other vulnerable populations. Grant proposals are encouraged to focus on one or more of the categories below (listed in order of HARC’s priorities):
Tier 1
Tier 2
Tier 3
Immediate Need Grants
Immediate Need Grants are intended to fund one-time, unplanned projects or events to address a pressing need or to mitigate emergency situations, such equipment failure or safety issues. The application deadlines and procedures for traditional grants are waived for Immediate Need Grants.
The Hospital Authority of Rockdale County invests in programs and projects that improve the physical and mental health of Rockdale County residents, particularly those who are indigent, uninsured or underinsured as well as other vulnerable populations. Grant proposals are encouraged to focus on one or more of the categories below (listed in order of HARC’s priorities):
Tier 1
- Medical and Dental Care Access (to support charitable clinics and other nonprofit organizations directly providing physical and dental healthcare promotion, disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment services to the medically underserved, and to assist indigent clients of nonprofit agencies with prescription and physician costs, including required co-pays)
- Behavioral/Mental Health Treatment, Prevention and Intervention Services (to expand the availability of services to assist underserved individuals experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, emotional or behavioral disruption, adjustment difficulties, psychiatric illness, etc.)
- Non-Emergency Healthcare Transportation (for indigent residents in need of transportation to physical and mental healthcare service providers)
Tier 2
- Health Screening and Prevention (for agencies to enable their clients to obtain recommended physical exams and health screenings)
- Family Planning, Prenatal Care and Positive Parenting (particularly for at-risk populations)
- Respite Care and Other Support Services for People with Disabilities
Tier 3
- Healthy Lifestyles (to promote proper nutrition, physical fitness, smoking cessation, etc.)
- Health Professional Education (to address a shortage of practitioners necessary to meet the community’s needs)
- Emergency Response (training and tools to empower citizens to assist others with medical emergencies)
Immediate Need Grants
Immediate Need Grants are intended to fund one-time, unplanned projects or events to address a pressing need or to mitigate emergency situations, such equipment failure or safety issues. The application deadlines and procedures for traditional grants are waived for Immediate Need Grants.
Grant Amounts and Application Limits
Health Trust Rockdale Grants
Applicants may apply for one Health TRUST Rockdale grant per calendar year in either of two grant cycles for a specific project or program. If an organization is in need of funding for an additional project or program with a different objective, a second application may be submitted during the next grant cycle.
There is no stated maximum for a grant; any reasonable amount associated with implementing an eligible project or program may be considered.
There is no lifetime limit to the number of Health TRUST Rockdale grants that may be awarded to an organization; however, grantees are strongly encouraged to develop a sustainability plan that includes pursuing other funding sources so that the continuance of a program does not rely on HARC funds.
Many factors will determine whether an applicant is awarded funds, including the consistency of the organization’s goals with HARC’s mission, the amount of funds requested by all applicants during a grant cycle and the amount of grant funds budgeted by HARC for the fiscal year. As such, HARC provides no guarantee that an application will be successful even if it meets HARC’s criteria for funding.
Please note: When funds requested exceed the amount budgeted for any given cycle or fiscal year, the Board of Trustees may opt to select only a portion of the applications to move forward in the application review process (i.e., interviews and site visits). Any agency not selected to move forward in the review process may re-submit its application in the following grant cycle.
Immediate Need Grants
Applicants may apply for one Immediate Need Grant per calendar year at anytime without regard to grant cycles and associated deadlines. Immediate Need Grants may not exceed $3,000.
Applicants may apply for one Health TRUST Rockdale grant per calendar year in either of two grant cycles for a specific project or program. If an organization is in need of funding for an additional project or program with a different objective, a second application may be submitted during the next grant cycle.
There is no stated maximum for a grant; any reasonable amount associated with implementing an eligible project or program may be considered.
There is no lifetime limit to the number of Health TRUST Rockdale grants that may be awarded to an organization; however, grantees are strongly encouraged to develop a sustainability plan that includes pursuing other funding sources so that the continuance of a program does not rely on HARC funds.
Many factors will determine whether an applicant is awarded funds, including the consistency of the organization’s goals with HARC’s mission, the amount of funds requested by all applicants during a grant cycle and the amount of grant funds budgeted by HARC for the fiscal year. As such, HARC provides no guarantee that an application will be successful even if it meets HARC’s criteria for funding.
Please note: When funds requested exceed the amount budgeted for any given cycle or fiscal year, the Board of Trustees may opt to select only a portion of the applications to move forward in the application review process (i.e., interviews and site visits). Any agency not selected to move forward in the review process may re-submit its application in the following grant cycle.
Immediate Need Grants
Applicants may apply for one Immediate Need Grant per calendar year at anytime without regard to grant cycles and associated deadlines. Immediate Need Grants may not exceed $3,000.
Evaluation Criteria
Priority will be given to proposals that meet the following criteria:
Priority will be given to proposals that meet the following criteria:
Hospital Authority of Rockdale County Health TRUST Rockdale Grants Program Guidelines: Adopted October 18, 2011; Revised March 25, 2013; Revised June 17, 2014; Revised April 19, 2016; Revised August 15, 2017; Revised November 19, 2019.
- Demonstrates sustainable ways to improve the health of the residents of Rockdale County
- Reaches underserved populations
- Leverages additional financial or volunteer resources
- Demonstrates the capacity of the organization to implement the grant proposal in a timely and efficient manner
- Include clearly defined and measurable outcomes
- Fills a gap in health-related services/Meets a clearly-defined need
- Demonstrates that the agency is financially sound and follows appropriate standards of financial management, transparency and integrity
- Demonstrates an effort to collaborate with other community organizations with similar goals
Priority will be given to proposals that meet the following criteria:
- Demonstrates sustainable ways to improve the health of the residents of Rockdale County
- Reaches underserved populations
- Leverages additional financial or volunteer resources
- Demonstrates the capacity of the organization to implement the grant proposal in a timely and efficient manner
- Include clearly defined and measurable outcomes
- Fills a gap in health-related services/Meets a clearly-defined need
- Demonstrates that the agency is financially sound and follows appropriate standards of financial management, transparency and integrity
- Demonstrates an effort to collaborate with other community organizations with similar goals
Hospital Authority of Rockdale County Health TRUST Rockdale Grants Program Guidelines: Adopted October 18, 2011; Revised March 25, 2013; Revised June 17, 2014; Revised April 19, 2016; Revised August 15, 2017; Revised November 19, 2019.
