Competitive Donor-Advised Funds are different from other grants offered at the Community Foundation because they are donor-driven. The funding priorities, exclusions, decision-making and timing of grant awards are determined by the donor advisor.
Competitive Donor-Advised Funds are not related to the Program Support or Organization Support Grant programs. Therefore, applications to Competitive Donor-Advised Funds are not subject to the application limits for those two grant programs.
Grant Details
Purpose
The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation accepts grant applications for a number of local corporations and family funds. Funding priorities are determined by each donor-advisor and may include programmatic or operating support, capital campaigns, event sponsorships, and religious activities.
Organization 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.
- Eligible activities and funding priorities are different for each donor-advised fund. Information regarding donor-advisor priorities may be found here.
Duration of Grants and Frequency of Application
- Typical award ranges for each competitive donor-advised fund may be found here.
- Typically, organizations may receive one grant from each competitive donor-advised fund in a 12-month period, however, there are exceptions. Please contact the program officer for clarification.
Timing of Grant Awards
The timing of grant awards is different for each donor-advised fund. Donor advisors typically provide grant recommendations two or three months after the deadline, however, it may take longer.
Important Note
Under federal legislation, donor-advisors may not receive tangible benefits, goods or services as a result of a grant from their fund. This includes membership, dinners, tickets and other benefits.
Duration of Grant
12 months
Funding Priorities, Typical Awards, & Deadlines
Competitive donor advisors accept applications in the following grant funding cycles:
| Fund Name | Priorities, Eligible and Ineligible Requests | Average Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 | 2024 | 2024 |
|||
| Altorfer, Inc. | Priorities: Historic preservation, community development Eligible: Program or Capital Ineligible: Individual public schools, projects outside Linn County, fundraisers/sponsorships | $2,400 | |||
| Bloomhall Family | Priorities: Health-related activities Eligible: Program or Capital Ineligible: Fundraisers/sponsorships (instead, consider applying for the program for which you are raising funds), conferences, travel expenses, religious organizations for religious purposes | ||||
| CRST International | Priorities: Arts and culture Eligible: Program, Capital or Sponsorship Ineligible: Individual public schools, religious organizations for religious purposes, United Way agencies may not apply for program support but may apply for capital requests | $500 to $30,000 | |||
| Diamond V | Priorities: Health-related activities Eligible: Program or Capital Ineligible: Fundraisers/sponsorships (instead, consider applying for the program for which you are raising funds), conferences, travel expenses, religious organizations for religious purposes | $7,500 | |||
| Girls With Goals | Priorities: This fund supports nonprofit organizations working to empower girls ages K-8 in Iowa. Eligible: Program, Capital or Sponsorship | Up to $1,000 | |||
| GreatAmerica Financial Services Corporation | Eligible: Program, Capital or Sponsorship Ineligible: Individual public schools, travel expenses, religious organizations for religious purposes | $9,000 | |||
| Lil’ Drug Store Products | Priorities: Projects within Cedar Rapids Eligible: Program, Capital or Sponsorship | Up to $5,000 | |||
| McGrath Automotive Group | Priorities: Children's needs Eligible: Program, Capital or Sponsorship Ineligible: Travel expenses, projects/organizations outside Linn County | $3,000 | |||
| World Class Industries | Priorities: Basic health and human services, classroom education for Iowa Core Standards, capital improvements to support program areas (please submit a program application for these improvements to provide context) Eligible: Program Ineligible: Fundraisers/sponsorships (instead, consider applying for the program for which you are raising funds), religious organizations for religious purposes | $500 to $10,000 | |||
Applications and Forms
The forms below are updated for each grant cycle. Please download new forms for each grant cycle to avoid using outdated versions.
Each category – program, capital, or sponsorship – has a unique set of questions within the application. To determine the correct category for your project or program, look at the questions on the following pages of the Competitive Donor-Advised Application and Scoring Criteria document:
- Program questions begin on page 4
- Capital questions begin on page 4
- Sponsorship questions begin on page 5
If you have questions regarding the appropriate category, please contact the Program Officer prior to beginning work on your application.
Download 2024 Competitive Donor-Advised Application and Scoring Criteria
Download Competitive Donor-Advised Project Budget Form
Download Budget Explanation Key
Questions? Contact Us.
 Dylan Cooley, MFA |