Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation Announces Winter Grant Cycle

The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation announces its first grant cycle for 2018 for local charitable nonprofits. Applications will be accepted through Thursday, February 15, 2018 at 4:30 p.m. CST. Grants will be awarded to organizations that enhance the quality of life in Linn County.

The Community Foundation accepts applications from nonprofit organizations with a 501(c)(3) status, governmental organizations, and non-501(c)(3) organizations that have completed arrangements to obtain a fiscal sponsor. Grant applications are submitted online at www.gcrcf.org. The online grant portal will open on Monday, January 15, 2018. On the website, applicants can find more information about funding opportunities as well as a video tutorial to learn how to use the online application portal.

For this grant cycle, applications will be accepted for the following funds:

• Program Fund: Supports new, innovative programs and sustains current and/or ongoing programs.  Grant awards are a maximum of $60,000 (maximum of $30,000 in any given year).  Grants can be multi-year grants up to three years for organizations with strong track records.  The award limits are based on organizational age and size.
• Organizational Development Fund: Supports nonprofits in building their capacity to carry out their mission. Grant awards are from $2,000 to $15,000. Organizations that have been fully operational for two years or longer are eligible.
• Competitive Donor-Advised Funds: Supports nonprofits that align with the funding priorities of the donor-advisors. The Community Foundation accepts grant applications for a number of local corporations and family foundations. The programs, grant award sizes, and activities to be funded are determined by each donor-advisor and may include programmatic or operating support, capital campaigns, event sponsorships and religious activities. The following Competitive Donor-Advised Fund will accept applications through February, 15, 2018: GreatAmerica Financial Services Corporation.

Two pre-application grant briefings will also be offered to grant writers that will highlight grant opportunities for the year and provide an overview of the application process.  The optional briefings will be held on Thursday, January 18 at from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. and Friday, January 19 from Noon – 1 p.m.  The briefings will be held at the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation at 324 3rd St. SE, downtown Cedar Rapids.  Please RSVP to grants@gcrcf.org.

For more information on the Program Fund or Competitive Donor-Advised Funds, please contact Elizabeth Cwik at 319.774.2372 or elizabeth.cwik@gcrcf.org.

For more information on the Organizational Development Fund, please contact Rochelle Naylor at 319.774.2373 or rochelle.naylor@gcrcf.org.