Instructions, Guidelines and Useful InformationA submission for the Portraits of Compassion Video Story Contest consists of a 1-2 page online application and a link to an Internet address at which you have posted your video story. Submission chosen as winners will be asked to provide additional material prior to being announced.
- Portraits of Compassion video entries should be no more than 3 minutes in length and should convey an engaging, visual account that captures either:
- The positive impact upon your community of your organization’s partnership with government to serve the needy. For example, an entry could convey how a modest grant was used to expand an innovative program for the homeless that has made a significant difference on chronic homelessness in a community.
- The positive impact in the life of one or more individuals of your organization’s partnership with government to serve the needy. For example, an entry could portray the story of how an individual ex-offender’s life was changed through an innovative mentoring program based in a Federal prison.
- Videos must be submitted via an online Internet video sharing site such as YouTube, Yahoo! Video, Google Video, iTunes, MySpace, etc. Additionally, a DVD of the original video should be available upon request. (For more information making and uploading videos, visit the Frequently Asked Questions.)
- Each submission requires a one page application which includes:
- Contact information and, if applicable, website of your organization
- A description of your organization of 100 words or less.
- A description of your organization’s partnership with the government of 100 words or less.
- A description of the submitted video of 100 words or less.
- An Internet link to your video
- Applicants must verify that upon request, they can provide:
- Waivers signed by each person appearing in the video (PDF Wavier - 14KB)
- A written transcript of the video’s audio
- A DVD of the video submission
For more information making and details, visit the Frequently Asked Questions. The components of a winning video are defined below along with the amount of points that can be awarded in each section. The combined criteria totals 100 points. Compelling underlying narrative—40 Points The “portrait” should convey a moving and memorable story of how a community, family, and/or individual has been positively impacted through the service of one or more faith-based and/or community organizations. Engaging presentation—30 Points The ”portrait” should be presented in an engaging manner that includes poignant images, personal interviews, and any other elements such as music or editing which contribute to an effective presentation. Professional-grade production is not necessary, but do not allow poor audio or visual quality to be a distraction. Evidence of impact beyond a single anecdote—15 Points Each “portrait” submission should include information that provides evidence of positive impact that is wider than just one story. This can be accomplished in a number of ways, including statistics that demonstrate strong program outcomes and/or testimony from a community leader that describe positive impact within the community. If appropriate, it may also be helpful to briefly note the broader context of the need being addressed--for example, a program that works with returning prisoners may wish to mention the number of prisoners returning to the community (or nationally) each year. Demonstration of a meaningful public-private partnership—15 Points Each “portrait” submission should indicate how creative collaboration between government and one or more FBCO(s) is enabling FBCOs to be more effective in the lives of the needy. The partnership highlighted must be consistent with all elements of Federal equal treatment regulations, and can include models of partnership ranging from grant funding to a formal referral relationship between a government-funded agency and the organization. Eligible entities include any domestic or international nonprofit organization that since 2001 has received Federal funding to aid in the provision of social services to the needy, as well as any nonprofit organization that has entered a formal partnership with a Federal, state or local program that receives Federal funding to provide social services. Both faith-based organizations and those without religious affiliation will be considered on an equal basis. Definitions: Federal Funding: Federal funding includes all of the following: direct grants and other direct Federal awards that are awarded on a competitive basis; sub-grants and other sub-awards received from a recipient of a direct Federal award; and indirect funding such as voucher payments funded through a Federal program. Click here for a list of eligible programs. Nonprofit faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs): Any not for profit organization engaged in the provision of social services that is based in the region in which it serves, whether in the U.S. or abroad. This includes organizations both with and without a religious affiliation. If an organization which received funding is a national organization which has local affiliates, the local affiliate of the national organization which is located in the local service area should apply, rather than the national organization. For organizations engaged in service outside the United States, entities defined for the purposes of this contest as FBCOs include American and indigenous organizations that meet the description above, as well as U.S.-based organizations that have or could have met the eligibility requirements for the New Partners Initiative of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (i.e. no more than $5 million in U.S. Government funding during the preceding five years, excluding disaster and emergency assistance or funding as a subcontractor.) Direct Award: A grant, cooperative agreement, a contract, or other award won directly from the Federal government via a competitive process. Indirect or Sub-Award: A sub-award, or subcontract refers to funding received by an FBCO from an intermediary organization that received direct Federal funding. Examples include sub-awards made to grassroots nonprofits under programs such as Communities Empowering Youth, the Compassion Capital Fund Demonstration Program, and the Department of Labor's Workforce Investment Board Intermediary Grants (2004 and 2005). In all of these cases, an intermediary or lead organization (whether a nonprofit agency, state or local government, or other entity) received a competitive Federal award and provided sub-awards to FBCOs. Indirect/Voucher Funding: Payments provided through a voucher or other “indirect” funding mechanism that is wholly or partially funded by the Federal government. For example the Department of Health and Human Services’ Access to Recovery program provides direct grants to states to operate voucher-based substance abuse recovery programs. Any FBCO receiving voucher payments through this or similar program is eligible. Other examples include FBCOs receiving payments for providing services under the Department of Health and Human Services’ Mentoring Children of Prisoners’ voucher program, the Department of Labor’s Beneficiary Choice Contracting Pilot program, Supplemental Education Services (funded through the Department of Education and administered at the state and local level), and similar programs Formal Partnership: Any contract, memorandum of understanding (MOU), grant agreement, or other written agreement that commits the parties involved to working together to enhance one or both parties’ services to the needy. This could include federal, state or local government programs that receive Federal funds. Examples of state and locally funded programs include Federal block grants such as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) or Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funds. Eligible partnerships range from grants provided by state and/or local governments using federal funds, to formal Memoranda of Understanding for the purposes of a referral for services.
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