The North American Railway Foundation (NARF) is a nonprofit, private operating foundation which was founded by the Brotherhood's Relief and Compensation Fund (BR&CF). Its purpose is to explore, nurture and support railway safety, efficiency and technology and to educate about and preserve the history of railroads. To achieve these goals, the foundation provides direct funding and support for nonprofit projects that exemplify its purpose.
Application for Direct Project Funding (Note: NARF Does Not Offer Grants) –
Fiscal Year 2012-2013 (October 1, 2013 – September 30, 2013)
General Information – All Questions Must Be Answered Or Addressed:
Applicant Organization Name:
Applicant Organization Address:
 
Applicant Organization Telephone:
()
Main Contact Person/Agent for the Applicant Organization:
Name:
Address:
 
Telephone:
()
Fax:
()
Email:
Position or Relationship with the Applicant Organization:
How did you hear about NARF:
Tax Information Regarding Your Organization - All Questions Must Be Answered Or Addressed:
Applicant Organization’s Form? (check one)
Corporation    Individual    Other:
Applicant Organization’s Nationality? (check one)
United States    Canada
Applicant Organization’s U.S. EIN# or Canadian I.D.#:
Is the Applicant Organization U.S./Canadian Tax exempt?
Yes    No
If exempt, under what U.S. Federal (IRS)/Canadian code section?
What state(s)/province(s) is the Applicant Organization incorporated/located in?
Has the Applicant Organization been audited by the U.S. Federal Government (IRS) or its Canadian counterpart within the last 5 years?    Yes    or No (If yes, please attach results/findings.)
Please provide us with the following documentation related to the Applicant Organization (MANDATORY):
1) Most recent U.S. Federal tax return or Canadian Equivalent
2) Most recent audited or reviewed financial statements
3) Copy of the U.S. Federal IRS Exempt Status Determination Letter or Canadian Equivalent
About Your Organization and Your Project - All Points (A-G) Must Be Addressed::
In the order listed below, please share with us some information about your organization and the project(s) that you would like us to consider. Your response has no minimum or maximum but we do ask that you think about each topic carefully and craft your responses in a clear and concise manner. Please note that there are no “right” or “wrong” answers in your responses … we are simply trying to gather as much information as possible in order for us to make the best funding decisions we can.
A) Summary – Please write an executive summary, including total costs, for each of your proposed projects (1 clear, concise and summarized page per project please), make sure each project page is "tabbed" for easy access and identification
B) Vision – Please describe the goal/purpose of your organization, what communities do you serve, what is your vision for the organization’s future
C) Background – Please provide a brief history of your organization and tell us about recently completed or in-progress projects and your current successes and challenges
D) Resources – Please provide us with detail about your membership base and your volunteer base … what have your visitor numbers been over the last three years, have you had any significant outside funding in the recent past … talk about the organizations that are associated with yours (organizations that you support or that support you)
E) Project Details – Please describe each project you are applying for separately and in more detail: what would it accomplish, who would it affect, provide a more detailed cost breakdown, will it be supported with funding from other foundations etc., will volunteers work on the project, will there be a major outside contractor performing much of the work on the project, etc.
F) Timeframe - What is the timeframe for completion of the project – our fiscal year runs from October 1 through September 30 … if your project would exceed the September 30th end date you may want to consider a multi-year request
G) Other Items - Are there pictures or other materials, letters of support etc. related to the project that would help us better understand your organization and your request
Please attach your responses and the mandatory items noted above (in bold italics) to this application and submit the entire package before the deadline so that it will be deemed complete and ready for review. One copy of your entire submission will be sufficient for our review.
We expect that all projects (which require an outside contractor or vendor) will be completed using Union Labor wherever possible. We realize that not all work can be performed with Union Labor; in those rare cases, we will request that three (3) estimates be obtained for that specific work to be performed and we (together) will select the appropriate contractor/vendor at that point. If the Applicant Organization believes that using Union Labor will be too costly or that their work is not up to quality standards or if there are no companies that utilize Union Labor, then the Applicant Organization’s Agent should discuss this factor with NARF as soon as possible.

FISCAL 2012-2013 DEADLINE FOR NARF APPLICATION SUBMISSION
ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE PHYSICALLY RECEIVED BY 6/15/2012 IN ORDER FOR THEM TO BE CONSIDERED FOR FUNDING IN THE 2012-2013 FISCAL YEAR BUDGET. THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS! APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THIS DEADLINE WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR THE SUBSEQUENT FISCAL YEAR. YOU WILL BE NOTIFIED BY NARF WHEN YOUR APPLICATION IS RECEIVED AND WHEN A DECISION IS MADE.
YOUR APPLICATION MAY NOT BE CONSIDERED IF YOU HAVE NOT ADDRESSED ALL OF THE QUESTIONS ABOVE OR IF ALL THE APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS REQUESTED ARE NOT INCLUDED IN YOUR SUBMISSION PACKET.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS APPLICATION, PLEASE CALL THE NARF OFFICE AT 717-232-8696.

Please submit your application to:
North American Railway Foundation
PO Box 867
Harrisburg, PA 17108-0867
Attn: Mr. Philip J. Sullivan II, CPA, Executive Director

Signature
By signing below, you attest that you have read and understand this application, the information above is true and accurate and that you have provided, or will provide … at our request, all the necessary documentation to support this application.
Name of Applicant Organization and Contact Person/Agent
Contact Person/Agent Signature
Title of Signer
Date