Deadline: 15-Jul-23
The Greater Toledo Community Foundation has launched the Community Impact Grants Program that provides seed money for new, innovative programming that addresses unmet community needs or expands successful programming to reach unique audiences.
Emphasis is placed on programs that will: Create safe, positive living environments; Enable families to develop the skills/resources needed to support and nurture each member; and Foster the development of responsible young people who are capable of achieving their fullest potential.
Community Impact grant program support a variety of services in the fields of education, social services, physical and mental health, neighborhood and urban affairs, natural resources, and the arts.
Focus Areas
- New innovative programs that addresses unmet community needs
- Existing program expansion to reach unique audiences
Funding Information
- Requests of $50,000 or more will be considered. Multi-year requests are eligible and encouraged if the applicant organization can show an expected progression of the project over time.
- Organizations seeking multiyear support must request at least $50,000 in year one of the project to be eligible for consideration. Requests in years two and/or three of the project may be less than $50,000.
Eligibility Criteria
- The Foundation seeks transformational projects with the potential to impact the community for years to come. For this reason, eligible applicants must have an established organizational infrastructure with a track record of success.
- To qualify for funding consideration from the Community Impact grant program, organizations must have been in existence for a minimum of five years and have an operating budget of $500,000 or greater. Organizations that do not meet these requirements may partner to submit a collaborative project request, provided the combined operating budgets of the project partners equals $500,000 or more.
- Grants will only be awarded to nonprofit, charitable organizations which have been designated as having tax exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service code. Applications must propose to provide services benefitting residents of northwest Ohio or southeast Michigan.
Criteria
- Competitive grant proposals will address the following:
- Promote coordination, cooperation and sharing among organizations. Applications which propose deep partnerships among organizations will receive high priority consideration.
- Demonstrate a clear understanding of other organizations providing similar services in the immediate geographic area and represent an unduplicated opportunity to meet a significant community need.
- Demonstrate a clear understanding of relevant community planning efforts and how the proposed program may correspond to and advance those plans.
- Encourage more efficient use of community resources.
- Test or demonstrate new approaches and techniques in the solution of community problems.
- Propose a specific program rather than general operating support for the organization.
- Include a thoughtful, reasonable plan for obtaining continuing financial support once Foundation funds are expended.
- Propose to generate matching funds, thus leveraging additional support.
- The Foundation usually will not make grants from its Community Impact program to:
- Support the general operating budget or budget deficit of established organizations.
- Annual campaigns.
- Capital campaigns or building projects.
- Exclusively purchase equipment, such as computer hardware/software, phones, motor vehicles, etc.
- Produce films, videos, television programs, and the like.
- Support sectarian activities of religious organizations.
- Conduct an organizational specific needs assessment.
- Replace the loss of public dollars.
For more information, visit Greater Toledo Community Foundation.
