Deadline: 11-Sep-20
Applications now open for ‘Community Thrives Challenge’ to support nonprofit organizations with projects focused on community building. Community Thrives is a grant making and crowd funding program from the USA TODAY NETWORK, which includes USA TODAY and Gannett’s hundreds of local media brands.
The initiative is part of the Gannett Foundation. It offers a way to get your neighbors, friends, family, and peers excited to support your community-building ideas, and most importantly, a chance at +$2,000,000 in grants to get them off the ground and running.
Funding Information
There are three types of grants in the A Community Thrives program.
- National Project Grants can be awarded to any applicant accepted to the challenge after the organization meets the fundraising minimum; either $3,000 or $6,000 depending on the organization’s operating budget. Grants will range from $25,000 to $100,000.
- Local Operating Grants can be awarded to any applicant that serves a local Gannett market, accepted to the challenge, after the organization meets the fundraising minimum; either $3,000 or $6,000 depending on the organization’s operating budget. Minimum grants will be $2,500.
- Fundraising Grants will be awarded based on fundraising success – more details are below. A total of $200,000 will be awarded during the Fundraising phase of the Campaign to those qualifying organizations that raise the most funds, as follows:
- Top Fundraiser Grants: The top three (3) fundraisers with at least ten (10) sole source donations in each of the two (2) Tiers at the end of the Campaign Challenge period will receive an incentive grant of:
- $25,000 Top Fundraiser (one winner in each Tier)
- $15,000 Second Highest Fundraiser (one winner in each Tier)
- $10,000 Third Highest Fundraiser (one winner in each Tier)
- Top Fundraiser Grants: The top three (3) fundraisers with at least ten (10) sole source donations in each of the two (2) Tiers at the end of the Campaign Challenge period will receive an incentive grant of:
Bonus Challenge Grants
- Bonus Challenge #1: Four (4) charities (2 in each tier) with the most sole source donations on its Official Fundraising Campaign Page will receive $5000.
- Bonus Challenge #2: Eight (8) charities (4 in each tier) to raise the most Eligible Donations on its Official Fundraising Campaign Page will receive $3000
- Bonus Challenge #3: Six (6) charities (3 per tier) that receive the most sole source donations on its Official Fundraising Campaign Page will receive $4000
- Bonus Challenge #4: Eight (8) charities (4 in each tier) to raise the most Eligible Donations on its Official Fundraising Campaign Page will receive $4000.
Eligibility Criteria
- The ACT Challenge is only open to legal entities
- incorporated or organized within the 50 United States, Guam, or the District of Columbia,
- with valid Employer Identification Numbers (“EINs”) and physical mailing addresses,
- located in the U.S., Guam. or District of Columbia and support domestic projects only, and
- that have and will maintain tax-exempt status under sections 501(c)(3), and 509(a)(1,2) of the Internal Revenue Code throughout the ACT Challenge.
- If you are an individual submitting an entry and agreeing to these Official Rules on behalf of a legal entity, you represent and warrant that
- you are an authorized representative of such entity and able to legally bind such entity or that you have permission from such entity to submit an entry on its behalf and
- have read, and hereby agree to, these Official Rules on behalf of such entity.
- All entries made in connection with the ACT Challenge are governed by these Official Rules and are subject to verification of eligibility before a grant is awarded. Sponsor and Grant Provider and their respective parents, affiliate companies, subsidiaries, their respective officers, directors, independent contractors, agents, judges, advertising and promotion agencies and anyone involved in the development of the ACT Challenge are not eligible to submit an entry or to receive an award.
- Employees, independent contractors, officers, and directors, of Administrator as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings, and children and their respective spouses, regardless of where they live) and household members of each such employee, whether or not related, are not eligible to participate. Entries that are submitted in connection with the ACT Challenge will only be eligible if the charitable entity’s fundraising Campaign, and related content posted by the entrant, does not contain content that is unlawful, hateful or obscene, in the Sponsor’s Grant Provider’s, and/or Administrator’s sole and absolute discretion. or as otherwise stated in Section 5(c) herein.
For more information, visit https://acommunitythrives.mightycause.com/giving-events/act20/home