Download the Application for Support

The Community Collaborative will provide leadership and support to community initiatives and programs that deal with Community Priorities, along with critical service needs that enhance our existing safety net in Washtenaw County.  The CCWC will support / endorse the following:

• Community Initiative – A long-term collaborative project that seeks a specific outcome related to identified service gap or community indicator. To be successful, the initiative will require the long-term support and the leadership of the Community Collaborative.

• Letter of Support – A one-time community event designed to gather information and highlight a specific issue related to a specific community priority or gap in services. To be successful, the Roundtable requires limited administrative support and leadership of the Community Collaborative.

Official endorsements are provided for grant applications to the State of Michigan which require support from the Community Collaborative of Washtenaw County (as the County’s Multi-purpose Collaborative Body) and those that advance the goals of the CCWC.

Any workgroup or Initiative may focus on a variety of community issues, for example:

• State Sponsored Collaborative Initiatives (Early On, Strong Families/Safe Children, Community Partners/Child Protection, Housing/Homeless Continuum of Care Groups)
• Categorical (Substance Abuse Prevention, Transportation, Violence Prevention, Domestic Violence, Juvenile Delinquency Prevention, and Asset Development)
• Age-Based Groups (0-5, Youth Initiatives including teen health and teen pregnancy, Senior Issues, Children’s Services, Parents)
• Collaborative Service Delivery (Wraparound Services, Community/ Neighborhood Resource Centers, Family Support/Human Resource Teams, Interagency Family Plan of Service/Assessment Process, Services Coordination)
• Functions to Support the Collaborative (Finance, Training/Communication, Evaluation, Membership, Steering/Executive)

Items related to a “Request for letter of Support” from the Community Collaborative include:

• Completed requests must be submitted to the Community Collaborative Coordinator for inclusion on the agenda of the Coordinating Group.
• A “Request for Support”  must be submitted to the Community Collaborative Coordinator a minimum of two weeks prior to a meeting of the Coordinating Group.
• The Community Collaborative Coordinator will ensure that the request for support will be reviewed and decided on in a timely fashion.

Community Initiative:

Community Initiatives are the collaborations that focus on specific community issues that lead to real system change. A Community Initiative may be chartered by the Funder's Committee to address a specific Community Priority, may emerge by request of the state to promote a specific policy initiative, or may be developed independently in the community to address a specific service gap.

A Community Initiative can seek recognition and support of the Community Collaborative by submitting the “Request for Support” (Attachment A) to the Community Collaborative Coordinator. The Community Initiative will be required to outline clear timelines, leadership requests, funding support, administrative support and initiative outcomes.

The Community Collaborative Coordinator is responsible for receiving and forwarding requests to the Funder's Committee and the Coordinating Council. Support will be provided based on the request for support submitted by the Community Initiative.  

The Community Collaborative Coordinator will also ensure that the requirements are being met, and request annual reports to be included on the Executive Committee Agenda.  The Community Collaborative Coordinator will provide notice to the liaison of any Community Initiative at least one month prior to being put on the agenda.

Community Initiative Status

Community Initiative status allows for the representation of the support of the Community Collaborative in all printed materials that may be distributed by an agency or organization.  A Community Initiative may request time on the agenda of the Stewards and Executive Committee to discuss issues of interest. 

• Community Initiatives may seek funding and funding prioritization from members of the collaborative as a supported project of the Community Collaborative.
• In printed materials, Community Initiatives may reference the support of the Community Collaborative for existing programs and activities.

Responsibilities of Community Initiatives

• The project manager or senior level staff of a Community Initiative will serve on the Coordinating Group for the term of the project’s existence.
• Community Initiatives will articulate clear outcomes related to Community Priorities, community indicators or an identified service gap.
• Community Initiatives will report to the Funder's Committee and report to the Stewards as requested by the Funder's Committee.