Weekly Funding Opportunity: The Ashley Stewart Stores Community Foundation

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Each week, Neighborhood Networks provides potential funding sources to help centers develop and improve programs and services. Featured this week is The Ashley Stewart Stores Community Foundation.

With nearly 200 stores located in urban areas from New York to Los Angeles, Ashley Stewart has been styling customers and setting fashion trends for the plus-size fashion industry since the early 1990s. The company's flagship store is located on 125th Street in Harlem, New York City. Stores are located in Alabama, California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Program Areas: The Ashley Stewart Community Foundation is a private foundation that is funded annually by Urban Brands Inc. (the parent company of Ashley Stewart) and with the generous support of customers, vendors, and business partners.

The Ashley Stewart Stores Community Foundation's philanthropic giving focuses on:

	Ensuring women's health/wellness, education and empowerment.   Promote health and wellness programs for women of color.   Facilitate job creation, workforce development, and empowerment for women of color.   Provide economic development for women of color.   Facilitate access to higher education for women of color.
	Education.   Facilitate need/merit-based access to higher education for under-represented groups.

Targeted Area: Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and West.

Eligibility: The Ashley Stewart Stores Community Foundation does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, creed, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. The foundation provides grants to 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations whose programs/projects align with the foundation's funding criteria.

Award Amount: Award amounts vary.

Application Process: To apply for funding, organizations must submit a proposal that includes:

Program and organization information:

	Legal name, address, and telephone number of the organization and the name and address of the contact person.
	A brief description of the organization, including its goals, purposes, short history, and if appropriate, any recent organizational changes.
	Proposals submitted under the Organizational Effectiveness Program that include consultant costs for capacity-building activities should include a work plan (including budget) for these services.
	A description of the project for which funds are sought, what it hopes to achieve, and how it will be accomplished.
	The names and qualifications of individuals responsible for implementing this project.
	A list of the board of directors of the applicant organization and evidence that the request is endorsed by the board.
	Documentation of the organization's nonprofit and tax-exempt status, if not a church or governmental body (municipality, county, etc). Be sure to include a copy of the 501(c)(3) ruling from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

Suggested questions to consider when writing a proposal:

	What do you want to change?
	Who wants you to do it?
	How will you go about changing it?
	What will you need to do it?
	Who will help you?
	How will you know when it's done?
	How are you going to communicate your results to others?
	How will your work be accessible to all members of the community?

Financial information:

	The specific amount being requested.
	A complete budget for the project, including projected revenues and expenses.
	An audited financial statement for the organization's previous fiscal year, if available, or a copy of its most recent IRS 990 tax return.
	A list of other funding sources for this project. The foundation encourages applicants to seek funding from a variety of sources.
	A description of future funding plans.

Organizations may also complete a foundation application to request funding.

Deadlines: Ongoing. Applications are reviewed on a quarterly basis and all decisions are communicated in writing.

Contact: For more information about The Ashley Stewart Stores Community Foundation, contact:

The Ashley Stewart Stores Community Foundation
100 Metro Way
Secaucus, NJ 07094
(201) 319-9093 ext. 2100
Email: info@ascommunityfoundation.com