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We are your premier partner in Giving for Good. With our donors and nonprofits, we lead philanthropy locally to close the gaps on current and chronic challenges. We work to strengthen every corner of our counties through transformative grantmaking and scholarships. And we have been helping our region rise for over 50 years.
We require that all applicant organizations are designated as current 501(c)(3) organizations from the IRS and are in good standing with the State of Florida. In very rare cases it is possible for an organization who does not have 501(c)(3) status to apply using a fiscal sponsor with tax exempt status.
Applying for a grant is simple on our new Online Grant Interface.
Yes. Our current priorities include:
Education and Youth: programs that will lead young people to their fullest potential, including scholarships.
Economic Opportunity: programs that focus on job training and workforce development that lead to greater economic success and an improved quality of life.
Thriving Community: programs that address a broad range of issues aligned with current community needs (e.g., arts and culture, environment, housing, mental health, community revitalization, etc.).
Crisis Preparation and Response: as acute challenges arise (e.g., hurricanes, pandemics, etc.), programs that meet immediate and urgent needs for our area’s residents.
No. Nonprofit organizations are only allowed to apply once under one area.
The Community Foundation staff will review all Letters of Inquiry (LOI) and invite a select number of applicants to submit a full proposal. Community Foundation staff will review and rate all proposals and may arrange site visits as needed. Final grant decisions will be recommended by the Community Impact Committee and approved by the Board of Directors.
Reporting requirements will be determined by the type of grant received. Mini-grant recipients will report once at the end of the grant period. All other Community Impact grant recipients will report mid-year and at the end of the grant period.
Yes, each application is considered on its own merits. Our competitive process is typically open only once a year so contact Community Impact staff to check on the current grant cycle.
An organization can submit one application in each of our priority areas.
Grants from donor-advised funds are made to nonprofit organizations based on the donor’s areas of interest. For many of the donor-advised funds, there is no formal application process. Our staff may request an application from specific organizations that meet donor intent.
Staff often work with our fundholders to identify opportunities which match their interests for philanthropic investments. Because of this, we highly recommend that you keep the Community Impact staff abreast of current projects or events you may be having.
We will not consider competitive grant requests for any of the following:
- annual appeals
- capital campaigns or capital projects
- deficit financing
- for-profit, parochial, charter, private, or individual public schools
- fundraising events
- open space purchase
- nonprofit endowments
- requests for a specific individual
- requests to support religious or political causes, or to organizations organized for religious or political purposes
Yes, provided the funds are not used for religious purposes.
In order to better support nonprofits with summer programs, we have adjusted our timeline to ensure that award notifications and payments are sent out prior to mid-May. Summer grant applications will be evaluated with the same timeline described above.
We do not provide assistance with writing proposals. We recommend checking out the resources available on Nonprofits First's website and contacting them if you are in need of grant-writing assistance.
Staff time is quite limited due to the sheer volume of requests. However, we are happy to talk over the phone to clarify eligibility questions or technology issues provided there is adequate time. We do not review or critique individual proposals or answers.
No. However, if you are a graduating high school senior, please refer to our scholarship page to learn more about that program.
