Community Foundation Grant Application Forms

Community foundation grant application forms can help your organization thrive in the coming calendar year by providing you with the proper financial resources needed to stay in operation. With community foundations all across the United States and abroad, it is simple to apply for financial assistance through your local chapter.

There are many non profits looking for funds

Before requesting grant funding, it’s important for an applicant to know what exactly a community foundation is. By standard definition, community foundations are in society to help gather together donations into grant making designated toward improving the community of a designated area. For example, a San Francisco community foundation would grant funding to groups in the bay area for the sole purpose of meeting social and economic goals within its own community. There are currently approximately 1400 community foundations around the world, with over seven hundred in the United States alone.

Grant applications can be quite intimidating if you are unfamiliar with how they work. Much more daunting than a college entrance essay or probably any other important document you’ve had to fill out, a grant application has a lot riding on it, and you’ll want to do the best job possible.

First and foremost, have a clear and concise message you can convey to the community foundation you will be communicating with. If your non-profit does not have a mission statement, now is the time to create one. The more you can say in as few words as possible will help you win over those who will be reading your application.

Next, you will need to figure out how exactly your local community foundation coordinates grant requests. Since community foundations do not provide grant money directly, they will be working on your behalf to see if any of their contributors will be interested in supporting your organization. Each community foundation handles this in a separate manner. The Tulsa Community Foundation, which is currently the largest community foundation in the United States, requests that non-profits email the foundation directly to receive potential grant information. For those agencies who already have a previously established fund with Tulsa, they can obtain a grant request form through the official website.

The San Diego Foundation lists its grant opportunities on its website, allowing you to see what exactly the foundation supports before you apply with their form. These include the Community Impact Grants, the Social Venture Partners Grants, and the Teachers’ Fund Grants. There are many other categories provided by San Diego that you may fall into, and you will also find community foundation grant application forms on their website as well.

Also in California, the San Francisco foundation makes it simple to apply for a grant online. You can find the application form and other pertinent information through their established Grantee Center. This allows you to register, apply, and follow up on the status of your pending grant approval.

Like many other financial assistance and sponsorship programs, community foundations require you to meet certain criteria before applying for a grant. While requirements vary from state to state, most are similar enough that you can get a basic idea of what is expected before you dive in. To fill out a grant form, you must be a 501©(3) non-profit organization. You can also be a tax exempt group such as a school, church or government agencies. You are not allowed to fill out an application if you are an independent individual, discriminating toward a specific people group, or supporting a certain political or ethical stance that may cause community division.

Finally, if you are unsure how to fill out a certain portion of a grant application form, check to see if your local chapter holds instructional classes or workshops. Many will have seminars designated specifically toward helping you be successful in your application process.

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