Deadline: 15-Mar-21
The Benton County Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, is seeking applications for its grant program 2021 to improve life in Benton County, Iowa. The Foundation wants to help develop communities that people want to live in, as well as to benefit rural areas of the county.
The Benton County Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created by and for the people of Benton County. The Foundation’s mission is to strengthen Benton County by encouraging charitable giving to create legacies for the future. The Foundation offers world-class donor services and wise investing. The grants are designed to act as a catalyst for community transformation and growth, enriching the lives of area citizens.
Focus Areas
Areas of Foundation giving are:
- Arts & Culture
- Community Betterment
- Education & Youth Development
- Environment & Animal Welfare
- Health
- Human Service
Funding Priorities
Highest priority for funding is given to projects that:
- Address a community need, demonstrate broad-based community support, and provide benefits that are community/county wide.
- Show a high level of support or leveraged funding from other sources. For government entities, requests with committed funds from the city/county for the project are given higher priority.
- Maximize community resources through cooperation and collaboration with other organizations in the community and work to eliminate redundant services, programs, or projects.
- Show long-term sustainability of the project without annual grant support from the BCCF.
Eligibility Criteria
Organizations must provide benefits to the people of the Benton County and must meet the following criteria in order to apply for a grant:
- Be classified as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or be a government entity. Tax-exempt organizations classified as other than 501(c)(3) are also eligible if and only if the project is deemed charitable; please contact office to discuss the project’s eligibility prior to submitting a proposal.
- Be current with all state and federal reporting requirements, such as filing of 990 forms.
- Must not have any past due grant reports for previous Benton Community Foundation grants.
- For groups, projects, or initiatives that do not meet the above eligibility requirements, the Community Foundation will consider applicants requests if submitted through a fiscal sponsor. Fiscal sponsors must be classified as a 501(c)(3) or a government entity. The Foundation prefers that the fiscal sponsor’s mission closely align with the sponsored project. Fiscal Sponsors will be legally and financially responsible for any grant funds that are awarded by the Benton County Community Foundation.
Restrictions
In addition to the eligibility requirements, the following restrictions apply:
- One application per organization with the exemption of Government Entities and Fiscal Sponsors; however, fiscal sponsors may submit only one application per sponsored organization.
- Government entities may submit only one application per department. Schools are considered government entities for grant purposes.
- Applicants must use the Budget Template that is embedded in the application; those that do not include the required Budget Template will be disqualified.
- Amounts requested that are less than $1,000 or more than $10,000 will be disqualified.
- Inherently religious activities such as religious worship, instruction, or proselytization or activities that promote specific religious doctrine are not eligible.
- Capacity building requests that include salary or operations support will be considered. However, capacity building rationale must be included in the application for this type of request.
- Requests for building projects and/or veterans’ needs from veterans’ organization are eligible if project benefits the community as a whole; requests for veterans’ memorials are not eligible.
- Requests for funding of city welcome signs and way finding signs are not eligible for funding.
- Requests for pass-through funds or funds that will be regranted by the applicant are not eligible.
- Late, incomplete, or hard copy applications will not be considered. Incomplete applications are those in DRAFT mode at the time of the application deadline.
For more information, visit https://www.cfneia.org/affiliates/benton-county