Emergency Grant Program

Program Overview

The Sarah Ralston Foundation (SRF) is committed to supporting its General Operating Support Grantees through times of unexpected hardship. The Emergency Grant Program offers timely financial assistance to organizations facing unforeseen budget shortfalls due to urgent and unanticipated crises.

Eligibility

• Open exclusively to Current General Operating Support Grantees of the Sarah Ralston Foundation.
• Organizations must be in good standing with SRF reporting and compliance requirements.

Purpose of Funding

Emergency grant funds are intended to provide short-term relief for budgetary gaps caused by time-sensitive emergencies that significantly disrupt organizational operations or the ability to serve older adults in Philadelphia.

Examples of Acceptable Crises

• Catastrophic Loss of Funding: Unexpected loss of a committed or foundational source of funding that threatens program continuity.
• Facility Emergencies: Sudden building or other physical damage (e.g., flooding, fire, HVAC failure) affecting the safety or functionality of the organization.
• Staffing Crisis: Sudden leadership or key staff departure impacting critical operations, necessitating immediate interim support or consulting.
• Other: Other emergencies that are catastrophic to the organization’s ability to deliver programming.

Grant Parameters

• Program Open Continuously.
• Emergency Funding may only be requested once per cycle.
• Grant amount determined on a case-by-case basis; not to exceed $25,000.
• Funding cannot be used to cover pre-existing deficits, planned capital improvements, or routine organizational challenges.

Request Process

1. Initial Inquiry
   Grantees experiencing a crisis should contact Sarah Ralston Foundation staff for an initial conversation:
   • Allison Cooper – Grants & Financial Manager, ACooper@SarahRalstonFoundation.org
   • Heather Finnegan – Executive Director, HFinnegan@SarahRalstonFoundation.org
2. Preliminary Vetting
   Sarah Ralston Foundation staff will share the request with the Sarah Ralston Foundation Board, who will assess whether a request meets the criteria for emergency assistance.
3. Invitation to Apply
   If the request qualifies, the organization will be invited to submit a short application outlining:
   • Description of the crisis and its impact.
   • Amount requested.
   • Timeline for response and recovery.
   • Detailed plan for response and recovery.
   • Non-monetary support needed (from SRF, peers, or others).
   • Any relevant supporting documentation (e.g., budget shortfall analysis, incident reports, amount requested from other funding sources).

Review & Decision Process

• Applications will be reviewed by Sarah Ralston Foundation on a rolling basis.
• Decisions will be made within 30 days of submission.
• Funding will be disbursed promptly upon approval.

Reporting Requirements

• A brief final report will be required within 60 days of utilizing the funds, detailing:
  • How funds were used.
  • Recovery status.
  • Additional needs (monetary or non-monetary).