A Look Ahead at 2022 Grant Cycles

Published: January 26, 2022 | By: Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation | Category:

On Monday, January 24, the Community Foundation hosted a virtual Nonprofit Know-How: 2022 Grants at the Community Foundation. Program Officers provided an overview of upcoming grant opportunities and changes to grantmaking policies and procedures. Key changes include a new name for the President’s Fund, standardized and simplified budget forms, and the implementation of a grantmaking equity statement.

Moving forward, the President’s Fund has been renamed Rapid Response Grants. These grants will continue to support emergency expenses and emerging opportunities for nonprofit organizations, and applications are considered on a rolling basis. The new name more accurately reflects the intent of this grant program.

To simplify the grant application process, the Community Foundation will also begin using a standard budget form across grant programs (with the exception of Endowment Challenge Grants and requests for General Operating Support). A companion document has also been created to explain the terms and line items on the updated budget form.

With the announcement of the Grantmaking Equity Statement, the Community Foundation has begun a process of increasing focus on equity and justice in grantmaking which will be incorporated in 2023 grant applications. This statement has replaced the previous non-discrimination statement as the Community Foundation works to prioritize grant funding for organizations that are deeply engaged in or actively working to improve organizational equity practices.

“We want to emphasize that the Community Foundation is committed to providing learning and funding resources to assist in this transformational process,” said Elizabeth Cwik, Senior Program Officer. “We recognize that engaging in equity and justice work takes time and commitment; our commitment is to provide supports to organizations to help with that journey.”

The Community Foundation will continue to accept applications to the Disaster Recovery Fund for long-term recovery efforts, focusing on unmet human needs. The Creating Safe, Equitable and Thriving Communities (SET) Fund will once again hold planning sessions to bring potential applicants together ahead of the July 1 deadline.

All grant deadlines, eligibility criteria, and application instructions can be found at gcrcf.org/grants. A recording of the January 24 event is available to view here.

Visit the Nonprofit Giving Center and the Nonprofit Calendar to search for a nonprofit fund, organization, cause, or event to support.
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