Deadline: 29-Apr-22
The Community Foundation of Howard County is inviting applications for its grant program “Strategic and General” to connect people, resources and causes to produce a positive and sustainable change in the communities they serve.
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Strategic Grants: In 2019, the Community Foundation conducted 16 community conversations in Howard County to hear the issues citizens feel are important to the future well-being and growth of the communities. They are seeking applications that make significant progress in one of these aspirations prioritized by you and our neighbors:
- Mentally Healthy, Safe and Drug-Free: This includes support of criminal justice initiatives, affordable housing, shelters, mental health and substance abuse services (bilingual services for care), removing barriers (includes transportation) to access services, family strengthening initiatives, safe housing, job training and education for those struggling with behavioral health and substance abuse issues.
- Progressive, Growing, Vibrant and Economically Healthy: This includes community development, workforce diversity and skills, workforce development, education, building an innovative and diverse business environment, affordable housing, transportation and quality of place initiatives.
- Inclusive, Supportive, Connected, Engaging and Culturally Diverse: This includes initiatives that encourage inclusiveness, cultural diversity, connectiveness, and bilingual services, collaborative activities, socioeconomic interaction initiatives, diversity in community outreach, human rights programs and accessibility for all to resources.
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General Grants: Also part of the regular grant cycles, general grants are a continuation of the traditional, responsive grantmaking program which supports a variety of programs and services in the counties. It also includes grants for nonprofit capacity building.
- Health & Medical – to include the support of health and medical related programs;
- Social Services – to include the support of human service organizations, programs for children and youth and services to the aged;
- Education – to include support for programs in pre-school, elementary and secondary education, post-secondary education, scholarships and for special education programs;
- Cultural Affairs – to include the support of programs and facilities which are designed to establish a diversified county cultural program that offers widespread participation and appreciation;
- Civic Affairs – to include support of programs related to criminal justice, community development, employment, citizen involvement, leadership training, and other general community activities;
- Community Beautification – to include the support of projects that advocate, stimulate and support community vitality, beautification/environmental preservation and adornment.
Grant Policies
- Grants will be made only to organizations whose programs benefit the residents of Howard County and preference will be given to those projects that have high visibility in the community.
- Grants will be made only to organizations which provide for a responsible fiscal agent and adequate accounting procedures.
- Most grantees are required to submit a final grant report to the Foundation. They may delay a decision on new applications if they have not received a final report for a previous grant.
Eligibility Criteria
The Foundation welcomes grant applications from any 501(c)3 organization that is doing work to make the community a better place.
Evaluation Criteria
The Foundation uses these criteria when evaluating grant applications:
- Does the purpose of the project fit with the purpose of the organization? Is the organization able to implement this project?
- Is there an established need for the program or project in the community?
- How well has the purpose of the project been defined and who will be served by the project?
- When completed, will the grantee know whether its project was effective? What kind of impact (measurable outcome) did the project have on the organization/clients/community? Is it a visible project?
- Are there other, more compatible, sources for potential funding?
- Does the Community Foundation have adequate resources to effectively respond to this need?
For more information, visit Community Foundation.
For more information, visit http://www.cfhoward.org/grant_seekers.html#gsc.tab=0