Organization Support Grants

Grant Criteria

Purpose

Organization Support Grants provide funding for general operating costs or capacity-building projects for nonprofits that serve Linn County, Iowa.

Deadlines

Organization Support Grants deadlines for 2025 are Friday, March 14 and Friday, September 12, both at 4:30 p.m. Central Time.

Organization Eligibility*

For Capacity-Building Projects

• Be a nonprofit organization with current 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the IRS 
• Operating budget is less than $20 million 
• Organizations based outside of Linn County may only apply for the Linn County portion of projects 

General Operating Support

• Must be headquartered in Linn County
• Be a nonprofit organization with current 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the IRS
• At least two years old (based on IRS letter of determination)
• Operating budget is less than $5 million

*A shorter application for both Capacity-Building Projects or General Operating Support is available if the organization and request also meets the criteria below, (with the exception that organizations do NOT need to be at least two years old to apply for General Operating Support):

• • Must be headquartered in Linn County
  • Be a nonprofit organization with current 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the IRS
  • Operating budget is less than $125,000
  • Request amount is $5,000 or less
  • One-year requests only

Information about organization capacity building and organizational assessment tools can be found in Nonprofit Network Resources.

Ineligible Organizations or Activities

• Capital infrastructure [bricks and mortar] projects
• Expenses that have already occurred or will occur during the grant review process (approximately 10 weeks after the grant application deadline) 
• Fundraising events and activities
• Program-specific direct costs (consider applying for a Program Support Grant)
• For capacity-building projects only: overhead costs that are not directly related to the project 
• Religious activities or efforts supporting an organization’s core religious mission
  • Organizations with a core religious mission are not eligible for general operating support
• Re-granting awarded funds to other nonprofits
• Travel out of the region
• Organizations with an active Organization Support Grant:
  • For example, if a one-year Organization Support Grant was awarded in the fall of the previous year, organization may not apply again until fall of the current year
  • If a time extension was requested to complete a previous grant, 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 (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 per 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

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.

How to Apply

Applications are accepted online here. For detailed instructions on the application process, click here. The documents below are for reference and planning only – all information will need to be entered directly into the online portal.    

• Organization Support Grants Application and Scoring Criteria
• Short Organization Support Grant Application for Small Organizations
• Organization Support Grant Scoring Criteria
• Budget Form for Capacity-Building Projects
• Budget Explanation Key for Capacity-Building Projects

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 criteria for competitive grant applications available.