MISSION & CORE VALUES

•  Mission – The NCB Foundation respects and embraces charitable causes that are relevant to the betterment of Jamaica and leads in corporate social responsibility through strategic partnerships focused on the development of our nation's people.
•  Core Values
  •  Commitment to improving Jamaica
  •  Relevant and excellent service to the community
  •  Human Development through learning and educational growth
  •  Results-driven strategic partnerships
  •  Exemplary leadership in corporate social responsibility

AREAS OF FOCUS FOR THE NCB FOUNDATION

• To provide or harness opportunities for meaningful change/improvement in the Jamaican society by focusing on specific sectors agreed to by the Bank.
•  To enhance the NCB brand by generating and strengthening the goodwill created from the Foundation's philanthropic activities.
•  To encourage and facilitate volunteerism amongst NCB employees.

FUNDING APPROVAL LIMITS

•  The Foundation will have four (4) levels of funding:-
  • Level One – funding of $20,000,000 and over 
  • Level Two – funding of $3,000,000 to $19,999,999 
  • Level Three – funding of $500,001 to $2,999,999 
  • Level Four – funding up to $500,000 
• Requests for funding at Levels One through Four will be approved as follows:-
  • Level One – Board of Directors (subject to approval by NCBJ Executives)
  • Level Two – Board of Directors
  • Level Three - Approvals Committee
  • Level Four – Chief Executive Officer and Designated Officer or a Director and Designated Officer
• A minimum of three (3) members of the Approvals Committee will constitute a quorum, with decisions being decided by majority vote.
• Approvals may also be made by the Bank directly through the Group Managing Director, Deputy Group Managing Director, the Group Chief Financial Officer and the General Manager, Marketing, Communications and Service Delivery.
• Branches/Regions are allocated a budget on a quarterly basis to cover Branch donations in support of Donation and Business Development and goodwill at the Community level.

REVIEW OF PROJECTS & REQUESTS FOR FUNDING

•  Budget will be set and approved by Designated Officer and a Director'
•  Each project or request for funding will be reviewed to determine if it falls within the areas of focus for the Foundation. Approval will be first subject to this primary condition being met, unless exceptionally agreed by the Board of Directors.
•  In assessing requests that do fall under the areas of focus for the Foundation and which require funding at Levels One or Two, preventative approaches and collaborative endeavours with government, philanthropic, private sector and not-for-profit entities will be more favourably considered, with priority given to projects that leverage additional support and serve as catalysts for long-term, systemic change.
•  As a general rule, the Foundation's charitable contributions will not be used for:
  •  General operating costs – any proposal whatsoever to fund an operating cost requires specific Board approval
  •  Festivals & parades
  •  Religious Institutions i.e. construction/upgrading of buildings
  •  Sponsorship of fundraising events – only established registered charities
  •  Political causes, organizations or candidates
  • Overseas programmes, trips and travel
  •  Veteran or fraternal organizations.
  • Endowment Funds
•  The Foundation will not give money for personal aid exceeding $50,000 annually to an individual, except for scholarships, or unless exceptionally agreed by the Board of Directors.
•  Contributions/Donations will be made payable to suppliers for individuals approved for personal aid (i.e. medication, groceries etc.).
•  All proposals for funding over $250,000 must include the following information:-
  •  The organization's full legal name, complete mailing address, phone number, fax number, contact person's name and e-mail address.
  •  If applicable, a description of the organization's relationship with NCB, the NCB Foundation or any of its Directors and Members. 
  •  A brief description of the organization, its purpose, history, programs and achievements.
  •  A statement describing the specific purpose of the funds requested, including how the project meets the objectives of the NCB Foundation
  •  A statement of the amount of money requested and over what period of time.
  •  A plan for how the program or services will be sustained after the conclusion of funding from NCB Foundation.
  •  Financial information, including the organization's current operating budget and the budget for the proposed project.
  •  A list of sources of income and amounts, including support from other corporate donors, Foundations, Not-For-Profits and the Government – committed and expected.
  •  A copy of the organization's certificate of tax status.
  •  A list of officers and board members with their contact details.
  •  The NCBF reserves the right to request any additional documentation in support of the proposal for funding.
  •  A plan for measuring results and reporting periodic progress, as well as for a final evaluation.
•  Funding requests under $250,000 will be assessed within the context of the objectives of the Foundation and decided on a discretionary basis by a Designated Officer and Chief Executive Officer or a Director and a Designated Officer. In exercising this discretion, the assessment will consider, but not be limited to how the request can help advance work in a particular area under the objectives of the Foundation, as well as evidence that the applicant is likely to achieve the purpose for which the funding is being requested.
•  In some instances the Foundation will request that the organization making the request match the Foundation's donation with funds from other sources.
• Individuals and organizations should visit the NCB Foundation website (www.ncbfoundation.org) to download their Project Application Form and also use this channel to submit their requests.

PROCESSING TIME FOR REQUESTS FOR FUNDING

 All requests will be promptly acknowledged by telephone or email and the applicant advised whether their request is within the objectives and budget limits of the Foundation. Normally, applicants may expect to receive within the following timeframes, an indication of whether their request is approved or declined:-

• Level One - at least six (6) weeks after submission
• Level Two - at least four (4) weeks after submission
• Level Three - at least two (2) weeks after submission

INVOLVEMENT, MONITORING AND MEASUREMENT OF FOUNDATION IMPACT

• As far as possible all projects for which funding of over $250,000 is provided by the Foundation must have a measurable impact/outcome to define the level of success.
• Progress on Level One projects that are funded by the Foundation will be reported to the Board of Directors at scheduled Board Meetings, where the project is ongoing – this includes both projects that are directly initiated and primarily sponsored by the Foundation and those for which funding was solicited by an applicant.
• The Board will receive a reports on all disbursements made in the Board Papers which will include outcomes of any monitoring and impact measurement that have resulted.
• The Foundation will encourage the participation of its Directors and NCB employees in the projects that are approved for funding, soliciting their feedback on the impact of the project towards advancement of the objectives of the Foundation.
• In order to facilitate and promote the spirit of volunteerism, the Foundation will consider more favorably than others, requests for funding towards those charitable works that NCB employees and directors donate to or are involved in, provided these fall within the objectives of the Foundation.