Program Support Grants

Purpose
Program Support Grants support new, innovative programs and sustain current and/or ongoing programs that demonstrate impact on the quality of life in Linn County, Iowa.

This fund is intended to target the programmatic work of an organization and is not intended to assist with capital infrastructure projects (bricks and mortar) projects.

Eligibility
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.

Ineligible Activities

• Fundraising events and activities
• Religious activities or efforts supporting an organization’s core religious mission contact program officer for clarification
• Scholarships for primary and secondary education and post-secondary degree programs
• Expenses for projects and programs that have already occurred or will occur during the grant review process
• Travel out of the region

Maximum Request Amount
New initiatives are limited to a single year request.

*The Community Foundation generally does not fund more than 20% of an organization’s budget.

Duration of Grants
12-24 months

Frequency of Application and Funding Limits

• Organizations have four application opportunities between Program Supports Grants (PSG) and Organization Support Grants (OSG) in the calendar year with the following exception: a current active grant removes the application opportunity for that grant program.  Contact the Program Officer for clarification if needed.
• Organizations with operating budgets of less than $250,000 are generally limited to up to 20% of their operating budget in total from these two grant programs during the calendar year.
• Organizations with operating budgets of $250,000 or higher are limited to $50,000 total from these two grant programs during the calendar year.

Grantmaking Equity Statement
The Community Foundation is committed to ensuring equity in our grantmaking strategy. Review the Grantmaking Equity Statement adopted by the Community Foundation’s Board of Directors here.

Application and Forms
Download Program Support Grants Application Packet
Download Program Support Grants Budget Form
Download Sample Application Budget and Explanation Key
Download Organization Demographics Form

Questions? Contact
Sanjana Raghavan, Program Officer at sanjana.raghavan@gcrcf.org or at 319.200.2279.

NOTE: The Community Foundation maintains strict standards to uphold the integrity of the grantmaking process. Our conflict of interest policy applies to grant committees, board and staff requiring recusals in cases of conflict of interest. The Community Foundation review processes are methodical and transparent, with scoring tools for competitive grant applications available in the online applications.