Nonprofits

Grants

Stewardship Through Charitable Funds

The Community Foundation's mission is to be stewards helping donors make our communities a better place to live every day. After receiving a gift from our donors, we invest it and use part of the earnings to make grants to 501(c)3 non-profit organizations that are improving the quality of life in the communities we serve for this generation and generations to come.

Since our beginning in 1991, the generosity of our donors has allowed us to make grants of more than $20 million to help make our community a better place. This amount includes approximately $17 million in grants and $3.5 million in scholarships, with an additional $4.6 million in Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships.

For Grant Seekers

First-time applicants must contact the Foundation to discuss grant proposals prior to submission. 

We welcome grant applications from any 501(c)3 organization that is doing work to make our community a better place. Our staff will be very glad to work with you. For more information, please contact Emerald Blankenship at (765) 454-7298/(800) 964-0508 or by email at emerald@cfhoward.org.

We are continuing our strategic grants in response to the three aspirations that were prioritized by our community listening process. The development of our more intentional and focused strategic grants process supports the aspirations of Howard, Clinton, and Carroll Counties. Our participants want a community that is:

Mentally healthy, safe and drug-free

Progressive, growing, vibrant and economically healthy

Inclusive, supportive, connected, engaging & culturally diverse

Grant Programs

Based on our strategic plan and community listening processes, the Foundation grant programs are outlined below.

  • Our communities and nonprofits may face unexpected, short-term crises or opportunities. Small grants will be available between our grant cycles. These are to be used for specific, one-time opportunities or unexpected, short-term crises. An organization may receive one small grant in a calendar year but may not receive a small grant the following calendar year. These grants are not for recurring costs or for general operations. We will continue accepting applications on a rolling cycle. Small grant guidelines:

    1. Requests must be for $5,000 or less

    2. Requests for emergencies or immediate needs will be given priority.

    3. Requests should be for a one-time expense. Small grants will not sustain operating or programming costs from year-to-year. Small grant requests to cover a portion of a new ongoing expense must explain the plan for future sustainability.

    4. Requests for funding for sponsorships or events will not be considered.

    5. The implementation of small grant requests should fall outside the annual grant cycle timeframe. Small grant requests received during the annual grant cycle application cycle must either be 1) an emergency request where funding is needed immediately or 2) a request for a small, one-time project under $5,000.

    6. Organizations may only receive one (1) small grant per calendar year.

    7. Small grants are administered on a rolling cycle each calendar year. Applications are accepted and evaluated on a first-come, first-served basis until funds available for the calendar year are gone.

    If you have a request that falls within these parameters, please contact Emerald Blankenship at emerald@cfhoward.org with any questions. You can submit a letter of inquiry at any point through December 1, of the current year.

  • -Grants will be made only to organizations whose programs benefit the residents of Howard, Clinton or Carroll counties and preference will be given to those projects that have high visibility in the community.

    -Grants will be made only to organizations which provide a responsible fiscal agent and adequate accounting procedures.

    -Most grantees are required to submit a final grant report to the Foundation. We may delay a decision on new applications if we have not received a final report for a previous grant.

    Typically, we do not award grants:

    -For costs incurred prior to the grant application being approved. Please be mindful of board action deadlines when completing your application.

    -For annual fund drives or generic solicitation letters.

    -To individuals, families, or businesses.

    -For attending seminars or taking trips except where there are special circumstances which will benefit the larger community.

    -Sectarian religious purposes but will consider grants to religious organizations for general community programs.

    -Endowment funds.

    -Projects which have been proposed by individuals or organizations responsible to advisory bodies or persons unless letters of recommendation or approval from those advisory bodies or persons accompany the grant proposals.

  • In 2019, the Community Foundation conducted 16 community conversations in Howard County, 16 community conversations in Clinton County and 14 community conversations in Carroll County to hear the issues citizens feel are important to the future well-being and growth of our communities. We are seeking applications that make significant progress in one of these aspirations prioritized by you and our neighbors:

    Mentally Healthy, Safe and Drug-Free: This includes support of criminal justice initiatives, affordable housing, shelters, mental health and substance abuse services (bilingual services for care), removing barriers (includes transportation) to access services, family strengthening initiatives, safe housing, job training and education for those struggling with behavioral health and substance abuse issues.

    Progressive, Growing, Vibrant and Economically Healthy: This includes community development, workforce diversity and skills, workforce development, education, building an innovative and diverse business environment, affordable housing, transportation and quality of place initiatives.

    Inclusive, Supportive, Connected, Engaging and Culturally Diverse: This includes initiatives that encourage inclusiveness, cultural diversity, connectiveness, and bilingual services, collaborative activities, socioeconomic interaction initiatives, diversity in community outreach, human rights programs and accessibility for all to resources.

  • Also part of our regular grant cycles, general grants are a continuation of our traditional, responsive grantmaking program which supports a variety of programs and services in our counties. It also includes grants for nonprofit capacity building

    Health & Medical: to include the support of health and medical related programs

    Social Services: to include the support of human service organizations, programs for children and youth and services to the aged;

    Education: to include support for programs in pre-school, elementary and secondary education, post-secondary education, scholarships and for special education programs;

    Cultural Affairs: to include the support of programs and facilities which are designed to establish a diversified county cultural program that offers widespread participation and appreciation;

    Civic Affairs: to include support of programs related to criminal justice, community development, employment, citizen involvement, leadership training, and other general community activities;

    Community Beautification: to include the support of projects that advocate, stimulate and support community vitality, beautification/environmental preservation and adornment.

  • The Community Foundation follows these grantmaking values, guidelines, and policies for our unrestricted community endowment philanthropic funds. These funds support the community’s changing challenges and needs. When they established these funds, donors entrusted the Foundation with the selection of the most needed programs to receive grant funding based on a competitive process. Donors may establish other types of funds with different criteria.

    Grantmaking Values

    Whenever possible, we hope our grantmaking reflects these values:

    Being change-oriented and problem-solving in nature with emphasis on "seed" money or pilot project support rather than for ongoing general operating support; Coordination with other sources of funding, including using matching or challenge grants; and Building the effectiveness and efficiency of nonprofits and collaboratives.

  • We use these criteria when evaluating grant applications:

    Does the purpose of the project fit with the purpose of the organization? Is the organization able to implement this project?

    Is there an established need for the program or project in the community?

    How well has the purpose of the project been defined and who will be served by the project?

    When completed, will the grantee know whether its project was effective? What kind of impact (measurable outcome) did the project have on the organization/clients/community? Is it a visible project?

    Are there other, more compatible, sources for potential funding?

    Does the Community Foundation have adequate resources to effectively respond to this need?

Grant Cycle

We welcome grant applications from any 501(c)3 organization that is doing work to make our community a better place. Our team is ready to assist you. For more information, please contact Emerald Blankenship, Senior Vice President, at (765) 454-7298.

*First-time applicants must contact the Foundation to discuss grant proposals prior to submission.

2024 Grant Cycle for Strategic Grants and General Grants

Deadline Letter of Intent: Letters of Intent (LOI) are welcome year-round from groups engaged in charitable projects. LOI should be submitted through the grant portal at least two weeks before the target grant deadline to allow adequate time to construct a full proposal. 

**Projects may begin the day after board approval

Howard

Clinton

Carroll

Out-of-cycle Grant Requests

Grant applications may be considered outside of the annual published grant application cycles in special circumstances wherein the applicant can demonstrate that:

a)  An emergency condition exists whereby delay in consideration of the grant could lead to the endangerment of life, property or continuation of services provided, or
b) A time sensitive opportunity to leverage Foundation funds which will expire prior to the conclusion of a published grant cycle.

All out-of-cycle grants remain subject to all application submission requirements, including submission of a letter of inquiry, which should specify the applicant’s desire for out-of-cycle grant consideration and justification for such consideration.  Applicants may be asked to document that the circumstances which have led to the submission of an out-of-cycle request materialized after the conclusion of the most recently concluded grant cycle, and do not exist due to the delay of the applicant in submitting a timely application for consideration during the previous grant cycle.

Grant Application Portal

The grant administrator will have access to the grant portal to submit online applications, check the status of applications, review grant histories and submit final reports.
The system is secure, and this Applicant Tutorial is available to help. Please click here to create your online account

Small Grants

We are allocating money for small grants (requests up to $5,000) to offer a quicker turnaround. These grants help the Foundation respond to short-term emergencies, opportunities, and evolving community needs.

We will continue to make general grants to respond to a wide variety of opportunities to benefit Howard, Clinton, and Carroll Counties. All grants will be awarded from the variety of unrestricted community endowment funds established by donors.

The letter of inquiry and application process are now available through our online grant application portal. If you are logging into the portal for the first time, please see this Applicant Tutorial for a step-by-step guide. Our staff will be very glad to work with you. For more information, please contact Emerald Blankenship at (765) 454-7298/(800) 964-0508 or by email at emerald@cfhoward.org.

Note: All grants are considered based on funding availability.

Read more about the impact of giving in our stories:

Grant FAQs

  • We make grants to tax-exempt agencies classified as 501(c)(3) organizations, which are public charities as defined by the Internal Revenue Service. The Community Foundation will consider only grant requests that benefit residents of Howard, Clinton and/or Carroll Counties. Not-for-profit organizations without a 501(c)(3) classification may seek funding with the support of a fiscal agent.

  • The Community Foundation Serving Howard, Clinton, and Carroll Counties does not make grants or loans to individuals. As a community foundation we support the charitable projects and programs being provided by not-for-profit organizations in Howard, Clinton, and Carroll Counties.

  • Grant guidelines, schedule, and instructions are provided on this website. The grant application is easy to follow and asks for basic information about your organization and its project.

    First-time applicants must contact the Foundation to discuss grant proposals prior to submission.

  • The Foundation does not generally make grants to individuals, for religious purposes, for covering budget deficits, for travel, for fundraising events, for endowments, for salaries, or for projects normally the responsibility of a government agency. Most grantees find the guidelines to be a very helpful tool in the application process.

  • Competitive Grants are reviewed on a schedule determined by the Grantmaking Committee in each county. Please check the Grant Schedule above for the upcoming grant application deadlines. Applications must be submitted online by 4:30 p.m. on the day of the grant deadline.

  • A few days after receiving the phone call informing you that a grant is being awarded to your organization, a Grant Agreement form will be assigned to you in the grant portal. Funds will not be released for a grant until we have received the signed Grant Agreement. The Foundation asks that you wait to request the funds until you are ready to begin your project. Once you determine that your group is ready for your grant award, please notify Emerald Blankenship, Senior Vice President, at (765) 454-7298 that you would like the grant distribution.

  • We generally ask that projects be completed within 12 months of your group being awarded a grant. However, we understand that sometimes projects are delayed due to unforeseen circumstances. If you do find that your grant project will not be completed within 12 months, please contact Emerald Blankenship, Senior Vice President, for an extension of your grant term.

  • Grants are provided by the Foundation for specific purposes as stated in your application. If your project changes or you do not require all of the funds provided, you must contact the Grants Committee for a determination. In some cases the funds must be returned. In other cases, the committee might approve a variance. Please contact Emerald Blankenship, Senior Vice President, at (765) 454-7298 to discuss your individual situation.

  • Internal Revenue Service policies require that a Final Grant Report be completed for every competitive grant we award. Reports are usually due a month after the date you submitted as the End Date for the Project. If your project end date changes please contact Emerald Blankenship, Senior Vice President, so the due date for the Final Grant Report can be adjusted.

    We also ask that you promote our support of your project whenever possible. If you are printing posters or other promotional materials, please contact our office about ways to publicize the grant received from Community Foundation. For a logo suitable to use in your promotional materials, please contact our office.

    We also ask that you provide photos of the project to us.

  • We are always looking for ways to tell our grantee stories. Please send high quality electronic files of photos such as .jpg or .tif files. E-mail electronic files to emerald@cfhoward.org. The photo should show how the project is helping make our community a better place. Also, let us know when it would be a good time for us to take photos, do videotaping, and/or interview people involved with the project.

  • There is a wide range in the size of grants awarded. Grants in previous years have ranged from $1,500 to $20,000. Applicants should request the amount actually needed to successfully complete the proposed project.

  • Grant requests are generally funded for one year.

  • The time from the letter of inquiry to receiving an approval is 2-3 months. Once the grant is approved, it takes up to 14 days after returning the appropriate forms to receive a check. Release of the check is triggered by returning the signed grant agreement.

  • Donors that have established donor advised funds make grants to not-for-profit organizations based on their own areas of interest. Donors make grant recommendations to the Community Foundation Board for final approval. Donor advised funds do not accept applications. If you have a request for a project or program that Foundation staff members feel would be a good fit with a donor advised fund, we will communicate with the advisor of the fund.

  • If your proposal doesn't fit the funding criteria for the Community Foundation grants program, Foundation staff may be able to suggest other funding sources. A list of not-for-profit organizational and grant resources is listed under Resource Links on this website.

  • The Community Foundation generally awards only one grant to an organization per year. We recommend that not-for-profit organizations prioritize their funding needs.