Community Services & Enrichment Grant Program

The City of Rockville administers the Community Services & Enrichment Grant Program to support programs that benefit Rockville residents and advance community priorities. Beginning with FY28 awards, applicants are asked to demonstrate alignment with one or more of five Impact Focus Areas: Household Stability, Economic Mobility, Youth and Family Success, Service Access and Navigation, and Community Belonging and Enrichment. The program also continues to support nine service areas: adult education, arts and culture, food and clothing services, health care, housing services, immigrant community resources, public safety, senior services, and youth development. Competitive proposals should connect their activities and measurable long-term results to the city's adopted priorities. For this funding cycle, proposals greater than $10,000 will be considered, and awards are typically between $10,000 and $100,000. Requests of $10,000 or less are directed to the Community Empowerment Mini-Grant Program application cycle scheduled for March 2027. Grant funds are expected to support the proposed program rather than unrelated organizational expenses. The city does not prescribe a cap on indirect costs; instead, program budgets are evaluated holistically based on client needs, service cost estimates, anticipated outcomes, and the organization's overall budget. Grant funds are reimbursed quarterly through an invoice workbook, with receipts or other supporting documentation required. The guide does not state a cost-share or matching requirement. The guide describes the city's intended partnership with nonprofit organizations, and applicants must complete an eligibility form through the online grant portal before submitting the application. The program is centered on benefits for Rockville residents, with the highest evaluation scores available when serving Rockville residents is the program's primary purpose, particularly for underserved, high-need, or high-priority populations. The guide does not specify an Internal Revenue Code subsection, fiscal sponsorship policy, faith-based restriction, minimum operating history, or other detailed entity-level eligibility rules. Applicants are required to provide an IRS Form 990 for the most recent completed operating year along with organizational and program documentation. The application opens September 8, 2026, in the online grant portal and is due October 16, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Applicants must create an account, complete the eligibility form, and submit all required materials through that portal. All applicants are required to attend one virtual technical session; sessions are scheduled for September 8, September 24, and October 8, 2026. Required materials include the most recent IRS Form 990, a document of application submission authority on organizational letterhead, the completed Budget, Outputs, and Outcomes Workbook, a board roster with officer names and term limits, and a staff roster for grant or program administration with names, titles, and emails. A blank logic model is available as an optional planning resource. The application requests general organizational and program information, a public-facing program abstract, service areas, program type and locations, program schedule, intended participants, participant eligibility requirements, community needs or goals, Impact Focus Area alignment, JEDI Strategic Priority alignment, partnerships, the FY28 grant request, partial-funding priorities, data-collection and evaluation methods, historical and projected participant counts, organizational capacity information, and the required Budget, Outputs, and Outcomes Workbook. Applicants must identify at least one short-term access outcome, one intermediate engagement outcome, and one long-term sustained-impact outcome that is measurable and reportable during the grant term. Applicants must also identify a quantifiable unit of service and corresponding service count. Applications are scored on a 100-point framework. Program Impact and Alignment is worth 45 points and considers community need, benefit to Rockville residents, JEDI alignment, Impact Focus Area alignment, and collaboration. Program Design, Budget, and Outcomes is worth 40 points and considers effectiveness, the funding request, data collection and program measures, and ability to achieve outcomes. Organizational Capacity is worth 10 points, and overall application quality is worth 5 points. Review occurs from October through December, with panel recommendations delivered to the City Manager in January 2027. The proposed FY28 budget, including grant recommendations, is expected in March 2027, followed by the city budget process in March and April, award announcements in May 2027, and the first quarterly reimbursement processing in October 2027. Program contacts are Nik Sushka, Collective Impact Manager, at nsushka@rockvillemd.gov or 240-314-8321, and Sarah Maizel, Program and Grants Specialist, at smaizel@rockvillemd.gov or 240-314-8304. The application guide emphasizes evidence of a demonstrated community need, direct and substantial benefit to Rockville residents, credible JEDI outcomes, measurable Impact Focus Area results, effective partnerships, evidence-informed program design, appropriate and diversified funding, and strong qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods. Applicants are encouraged to use a logic model to connect resources, activities, outputs, outcomes, and long-term community impact.

Demonstrate a relevant community need with compelling evidence and participant input; show direct and substantial benefit to Rockville residents, particularly underserved or high-priority populations; align clearly with one or more Impact Focus Areas and demonstrate achievable long-term outcomes; provide credible JEDI outcomes and show how participant feedback or lived experience shapes programming; document established partnerships that improve access, outcomes, or leverage resources; use an evidence-informed program design; support the request with a reasonable budget and diversified funding strategy; connect activities, data collection, outputs, and outcomes through a logic model or similar framework; use measurable numerical targets and appropriate qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods; keep the application complete, responsive, and clearly communicated