Grant Application For Funding
The Marshall County Community Foundation offers grants to nonprofits for charitable projects and scholarships to individual students to obtain higher education.
If you are a nonprofit organization you may be eligible to apply for grants from one or more funds at the Community Foundation. The Community Fund is an unrestricted endowment held by MCCF that is one of the most responsive of the more than 300 funds at MCCF in addressing emerging community needs. Each year, through generous contributions from community members, this fund distributes approximately $180,000 to be used for grants and awards that will enhance the Marshall County community.
MCCF seeks to fund catalytic humanitarian, cultural, educational, recreational and environmental projects and programs that will have significant impact. Favorable grant requests will include new and innovative projects, pilot programs, collaborative efforts, and/or a creative solution that addresses a pressing need in the community. Strong requests will have the capability of impacting a broad segment of the community and/or have a positive effect on the community as a whole.
MCCF also accepts grant proposals for the Ralph C. Vonnegut Jr. Fund. The purpose of this endowment fund is to provide funding for environmental, educational or recreational projects directly related to Lake Maxinkuckee.
Just a few reminders and helpful tips:
- We strongly advise that you seek the assistance of the Community Foundation staff if you have any questions or difficulties with the grant application process. We are here to help any grant applicant in need of assistance.
- We list all grants that have been awarded on our web site. Be sure to visit that area. There is a lot of information that will help you with your grant application. Are you asking for more than is typically granted? Have we funded this type of project before? Will your proposal duplicate a service already provided in our community?
- Include ALL required documentation. Follow the checklist and instructions completely. Provide the requested number of copies. All copies should be identical.
- Provide a reasonable, detailed budget of the project. Grant committee members will recognize under-budgeted or padded requests. Applications with budgets that include other sources of funding (match money) are generally more successful.
- Do your homework on costs. Provide price lists or written estimates as attachments. Include competing estimates or bids (not more than three) if the work/project is to be contracted.
- Statistics are helpful to justify your proposals, but statistics specific to our county will provide a better argument for funding. How many of our county residents will be served by your program? What is the source and relevance of your statistics?
- Avoid jargon, abbreviations and acronyms. Ask someone who is not familiar with the project to read and critique your application. Will they be able to understand and clearly explain what your project is, the costs, the results you hope to achieve?
Good luck in writing your grant proposal and please feel free to contact the Community Foundation office for assistance.