Program Support Grants

Grant Criteria

Purpose

Program Support Grants support new, innovative programs and sustain current and/or ongoing programs of non-profits that serve Linn County, Iowa.

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

Deadlines

The Program Support Grants deadlines for 2024 are Friday, March 1 and Friday, September 13 at 4:30 p.m. CST.

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.
• Multiple organizations may submit a joint application for a collaborative project – contact Program Officer to discuss this further.
• Organizations based outside of Linn County may only apply for the Linn County portion of program costs.

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 that have occurred or will occur during the grant review process (which is approximately 10 weeks from the grant deadline)
• Travel out of the region 
• Re-granting awarded funds to other nonprofits
• Capital infrastructure [bricks and mortar] projects
• Organization received a Program Support Grant in the previous grant cycle
  • If a one-year Program Support grant is awarded in the fall of the previous year, organization may not apply again until fall of the current year. 
  • If a two-year Program Support grant is awarded in the fall of the previous year, organization may not apply again until fall of next year. 
  • If a time extension was requested to complete a previous grant, please contact Program Officer to confirm eligibility.

Maximum Request Amount

• For organizations with operating budgets greater than $125,000, the maximum request amount is $25,000 per year.
• Organizations with operating budgets less than $125,000 may request an amount up to 20% of their operating budget per request (rounded up to the nearest $100).

• The Community Foundation generally does not fund more than 20% of an organization’s operating budget between Program Support and Organization Support grants total in a calendar year.   
• Organizations that are primarily volunteer-driven and/or have a very small operating budget should contact the program officer to discuss the eligible amount for their specific situation. 

Duration of Grants

12-24 months (for a two-year request)

Program Support Funding Limits

• New initiatives are limited to a single year request. Contact the Program Officer if you have questions about this.

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 2024 Program Support Grants Application and Scoring Criteria
• Download Organization Demographics Form
• Download Project/Program Budget Form
• Download Budget Explanation Key

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.