SEAPAX

Grants Guidelines

SEAPAX is now accepting grant applications. 

Please read these Grant Guidelines and the Grant Application Form for details and send your completed application to grants.  If you are a member of SEAPAX and are interested in participating in the Grants Committee, please email grantschair.

SEAPAX Grants Guidelines

The Seattle Area Peace Corps Association (SEAPAX) offers small grants to community-based projects both in the state of Washington and countries around the world. We make donations to projects in two ways: in response to requests made to our Grants Committee in accordance with the procedures outlined below and through unsolicited donations recommended by the SEAPAX Board of Directors.

Eligibility

While funding will be equally considered for both domestic- and international-based projects, timelines for application review and subsequent decisions made by the SEAPAX Board may garner favor to those applications whose projects are based in Washington State. However, the following applicants will be considered, in no particular order:

• Applicants whose project is in a country where Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) serve and Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) have served, either currently or in the past
• Applicants who are RPCVs currently working for an organization in Washington State
• Applicants who have an otherwise close connection with SEAPAX
• An RPCV who has been a current SEAPAX member for at least six months prior to submitting the request
• A current PCV who is from or will be returning to Washington State

Funding Guidelines

Up to $500 USD per project may be allocated, taking into consideration the nature of the request and SEAPAX budget status. The Grants Committee may recommend to the SEAPAX Board to approve grants larger than $500 on a case-by-case basis. The following factors will be considered in the assessment of each funding request:

• Feasibility
• Community need and involvement
• Anticipated impact
• Sustainability

Other considerations for approval

• Community contribution must be at last 25% of the total budget.
• Preference is given to projects not previously funded by SEAPAX.
• Preference is given to projects that have secured co-funding from other sources (e.g., Peace Corps Small Project Assistance grant, local funders, donations from individuals and/or businesses, etc).
• Urgent needs related to emergency relief are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
• Current members of the SEAPAX Board or Grants Committee are not eligible to apply for SEAPAX grant funding on behalf of a project until six months after leaving office.
• Due to SEAPAX’s mission to fund community-based projects, individual student scholarships will not be considered.

Application Procedures

The SEAPAX Grants Committee will aim to review applications three times a year (in February, June, and October) while grant funding is available, and select those recommended for funding. Funding recommendations will then be sent to the SEAPAX Board, which will make final grant decisions upon approval by a simple majority vote. The Board will authorize the Treasurer to release funds to the selected projects. The Grants Committee Chair will notify all applicants of the outcome of their request. If certain applications are not selected during one round of reviews, they will be retained for the next round if the applicant’s timeline allows for it.

For RPCVs

• The applicant must be a SEAPAX member to request a grant.
  Visit home.seapax.org/join/ for membership information.
• The sponsoring SEAPAX member should submit a completed SEAPAX Grant Application via e-mail to grants.
• The SEAPAX Grants Committee will review applications three times a year and will acknowledge all submitted applications by sending an email confirmation within thirty days.

For Current PCVs

• The Grants Committee also welcomes applications from current PCVs but timelines for these projects may not align with the application review sessions.
• Applicants may send the Grants Committee a brief email message to grants with their name, country of service, when they will complete their service, a brief description of their project, and when they expect the project will be completed. (Note: notifying SEAPAX is strongly recommended but does not guarantee SEAPAX will fund a project. It is intended to alert the Grants Committee to review a particular project.)