1. Hosted by the Cy Pres Grants Team On Behalf of Lead Class Counsel
Black Farmers Discrimination Litigation Cy Pres Phase I Grants – Technical Assistance Webinar
Hosted by the Cy Pres Grants Team
On Behalf of Lead Class Counsel

2. Outline of Webinar Webinar Overview Introduction to Parties
Overview of BFDL Cy Pres Funds
Timeline
Eligibility Requirements
Types of Funding Requests
The Completed Proposal
The Cover Sheet and Application
Attachments
The Optional Visioning Document
Questions
Outline of Webinar

3. The webinar was recorded and edited for clarity regarding fiscal sponsorships. It can be watched at the following links:
Part I:
Part II:
Webinar Overview

4. The following documents can be found at www. blackfarmercase
The following documents can be found at
Cy Pres Phase I Grants Request for Proposals Overview
Frequently Asked Questions
Conflict of Interest Policy
BFDL Cy Pres Fund Announcement
Contact Information
Cy Pres Phase I Grant Proposal Cover Sheet
Cy Pres Phase I Grant Proposal Application
Cy Pres Phase II Visioning Document (optional)
If you have any questions specific to your organization, please contact the Cy Pres Grants Team at or by calling
Webinar Overview

5. Introduction to Parties
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia approved the Settlement and has ultimate responsibility for the approval of all BFDL Cy Pres Grants.
Lead Class Counsel has represented the Plaintiff Class throughout the litigation. They will make funding recommendations to the Court and assure compliance.
Lead Class Counsel has engaged Farm Aid as technical consultant and advisor. Farm Aid has not and will not receive any Cy Pres Funds. Under the direction of Lead Class Counsel, Farm Aid is responsible for helping design the RFP process, collecting and processing all proposals, communications with applicants, review of proposals, monitoring of awards, and record keeping.
Introduction to Parties

6. BFDL Cy Pres Funds
Funds remaining from the Consolidated Case Settlement following the final deadline for successful claimants to cash their settlement checks.
~ $12 million dollars for distribution to eligible Cy Pres Beneficiaries
Eligible Cy Pres Funds Beneficiaries per the Settlement Agreement
Tax exempt nonprofit organization, other than a law firm, legal services entity, or educational institution, providing agricultural, business assistance, and/or advocacy services, including assistance under Pigford and the Consolidated Case, for African-American farmers and/or ranchers.
Lead Class Counsel expect to recommend that these funds be distributed in two phases.
Overview

7. Lead Class Counsel expect that Cy Pres Phase I Grants will represent 1/3 or ~ $4 million of the total BFDL Cy Pres Funds.
Cy Pres Phase I Grants are intended to stabilize and/or grow the capacity of eligible organizations.
The Request for Proposals for Cy Pres Phase I Grants is now open and will close September 29, 2017.
Lead Class Counsel hope that the Court will award Phase I Grants by the end of 2017 or very early in 2018.
Cy Pres Phase I Grants

8. Lead Class Counsel expect to recommend to the U. S
Lead Class Counsel expect to recommend to the U.S. District Court that the remaining ~$8 million dollars of the Cy Pres Funds be disbursed through Cy Pres Phase II Grants
The process and any specific eligibility requirements or priorities for Cy Pres Phase II Grants have not yet been determined. Lead Class Counsel expect to engage the African-American agricultural community and its allies to shape the funding strategy.
Nonprofit organizations will need to demonstrate that they are eligible Cy Pres Beneficiaries per the Settlement Agreement.
If you are interested in contributing to the strategic approach of Cy Pres Phase II Grants, you are invited to complete and submit the Cy Pres Phase II Visioning Document to
Cy Pres Phase II Grants

9. The RFP for Cy Pres Phase I Grants opened on Monday July 31, 2017
Proposals are due before 11:59 pm Eastern Time on Friday, September 29, 2017.
The Cy Pres Grants Team may contact applicants with questions regarding their proposals between October 23 and November 3, 2017.
Lead Class Counsel hope to recommend that Cy Pres Phase I Grant recipients be approved by the end of
A community convening to inform Cy Pres Phase II is anticipated to take place in early If you are interested in participating, we invite you to complete the Cy Pres Phase II Visioning Document at
Timeline

10. Eligibility Requirements
The intent of Cy Pres Phase I Grants is to stabilize and/or strengthen the capacity of eligible organizations.
To apply for Cy Pres Phase I Grants, your organization must:
Be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, or an organization with a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor;
Have both a historic (defined as before December 31, 2012) and a current record of providing meaningful agricultural, business assistance, and/or advocacy services for African-American farmers and/or ranchers operating in rural/non- urban areas of the U.S. (“eligible services”)
Law firms, legal services entities, and educational institutions are not eligible.
Eligibility Requirements

11. Types of Funding Requests
General Operating Support, which requires that:
The “bulk” of the organization’s work must be providing eligible services for African-American farmers and/or ranchers operating in rural/non- urban areas of the United States.
Must demonstrate meaningful and measurable positive impact.
These funds are unrestricted*: may be used where most needed, including program support, salaries/overheard, capital expenditures, debt repayment, or otherwise.
*Funds may not be used for re-granting activities or endowments.
Types of Funding Requests
Reference FAQ

12. Types of Funding Requests
Project Support:
These funds are intended for organizations for which a portion (not the “bulk”) of their work is providing eligible services for African-American farmers and/or ranchers operating in rural/non- urban areas of the United States.
These funds are restricted to supporting the project or program expenses for the eligible project/program-based work.
Funds may not be used for re-granting activities or endowments.
Types of Funding Requests

13. Types of Funding Requests
How do I determine if my organization is eligible for general operating support?
While there is no pre-determined percentage for “bulk,” consider the following:
Does your mission statement explicitly address African-American farmers?
Was your organization founded to provide agricultural, business assistance, and/or advocacy services for African-American farmers and/or ranchers?
Are African-American farmers and/or ranchers the majority of your organization’s constituency?
Do agricultural, business assistance, and/or advocacy services make up most of your organization’s program budget?
Types of Funding Requests

14. What is the maximum recommended general operating support request?
$ Request ≤ (annual operating budget/3) x # years in grant term
For example, if an applicant/sponsored organization has an annual operating budget of $600,000, the maximum recommended funding request for each year would be $200,000, for a total of $400,000 over a two-year grant term.
What is the maximum recommended general operating support request?

15. What is the maximum recommended project support request?
$ Request ≤ (project budget/3) x # years in grant term
For example, if a project budget is $60,000 annually, the maximum recommended funding request for each year would be $20,000, for a total of $40,000 over a two-year grant term.
What is the maximum recommended project support request?

16. The Completed Proposal
A completed proposal includes:
A signed Cover Sheet and completed Application submitted together
Required attachments
The Completed Proposal

17. The Cover Sheet Found in Part I of the video
If the applicant organization has 501(c)(3) status, the Cover Sheet must be signed by a person authorized to sign on behalf of the applicant organization (CEO, President, Executive Director, etc.)
If an organization does not have 501(c)(3) status, but has a fiscal sponsor with 501(c)(3) status, the Cover Sheet must be completed and authorized by the fiscal sponsor.
The Cover Sheet

18. The Application Found in Part I of the video. Continued in Part II.
The Application is to be filled out from the perspective of the applicant or sponsored organization that is carrying out the work
Word counts are included for guidance and not for strict adherence – you may have slightly more or less text.
The Application

19. Found in Part II of the video.
Required Attachments

20. Submission Information
Please DO NOT mail a hard copy of your Cover Sheet or Application.
as a PDF to:
SUBJ: Org A Proposal
Please attach all electronic copies of required attachments:
OrgA IRS Letter.PDF
OrgA 2017 Budget.PDF
Org A Annual Report.PDF
All materials must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, September 29, 2017.
Submission Information

21. Submission Information
If you If you are unable to create electronic copies of required attachments, you may mail paper copies to the address provided under the Proposal Submission Details of the Application. Be sure to enclose a cover memo so that mailed attachments can be connected to your ed Cover Letter and Application.
You will receive an confirmation that your proposal is complete within 10 business days of the receipt of all required materials.
Submission Information

22. The Optional Visioning Document
Found in Part II of the video
The Optional Visioning Document

23. Review online materials, including the RFP Overview and FAQ document
If questions still remain, you can contact the Cy Pres Grants Team at or by calling
Questions?