Giving is the heart of what we do here at the Community Foundation. Every year, we give over $1 million dollars to non-profits, community entities, and college-bound students here in Grant County. From swing sets and dog parks to gardens and special events, we fund a variety of causes that promote sustainable impact towards the betterment of Grant County. Your project may be next! Although we expect to remain flexible in our grant-making decisions, the Community Foundation traditionally addresses needs that fall into the categories of Human Services, Health, Education, Community Development, and Scholarships.
2021 Grant Timelines
Cycle 2: Give to Grant Cycle
Proposals $2,500 to $10,000. Organizations have the option to crowdfund if they want up to $20,000, or if they want to leverage our dollars with a matching campaign.
Application open: February 27, 2021-March 24, 2021
Reviews: March 25, 2021-April 9, 2021
Distribution Committee Meeting: April 21, 2021
Announce winners: April 23, 2021
Cycle 3: Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program Grant Cycle
Four year, full-tuition scholarship for Grant County graduating high school seniors.
Application open: August 1, 2021-September 11, 2021
Reviews: September 12, 2021-October 3, 2021
Interviews: TBD
Announce winners: TBD
Cycle 4: CAPE Grant Cycle
Partnership between the Community Foundation and Indiana Wesleyan University. To financially support Grant County, Indiana organizations that offer career exploration experiences, provide career guidance and counseling, and encourage workplace internships and job shadows.
Application open: September 12, 2021-October 16, 2021
Reviews: October 17, 2021-November 20, 2021
CAPE Committee Meeting: November 23, 2021
Announce winners: November 25, 2021
Cycle 5: Scholarship Grant Cycle
Scholarships for Grant County students.
Application open: November 1, 2021-January 31, 2022
Reviews: January 31, 2022-March 20, 2022
Meeting: March 25, 2022
Offers: April 1, 2022
Verification: April 1, 2022-April 15, 2022
Award letters sent: July 1, 2022
Checks Sent to universities: August 1, 2022
2022 Grant Timelines
Cycle 1: Third Path Cohort Implementation Grant Cycle
Organizations in the Third Path Cohort will have the opportunity to apply for a non-competitive implementation grant. Organizations will be alotted the same funding amount as the original grant awarded.
Design thinking session: TBD
Application opens: January 14, 2022
Application closes: January 28, 2022, 11:59pm
Reviews: January 29, 2022 – February 13, 2022
Distribution Committee Meeting: February 16, 2022
Approval (unless rewrites required) February 18, 2022
Cycle 2: Give to Grant Cycle
Proposals $2,500 to $10,000. Organizations have the option to crowdfund if they want up to $20,000, or if they want to leverage our dollars with a matching campaign.
Application open: February 25, 2022-March 25, 2022
Reviews: March 28, 2022-April 17, 2022
Distribution Committee Meeting: April 20, 2022
Announce winners: April 22, 2022
Cycle 3: Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program Grant Cycle
Four year, full-tuition scholarship for Grant County graduating high school seniors.
Application open: August 1, 2022-September 11, 2022
Reviews: September 12, 2022-September 30, 2022
Scholarship Sub-Committee Meeting: TBD
Announce winners: TBD
Cycle 4: CAPE Grant Cycle
To financially support Grant County, Indiana organizations that offer career exploration experiences, provide career guidance and counseling, and encourage workplace internships and job shadows.
Application open: September 12, 2022-October 23, 2022
Reviews: October 24, 2022-November 20, 2022
CAPE Committee Meeting: November 23, 2022
Announce winners: November 25, 2022
Cycle 5: Scholarship Grant Cycle
Scholarships for Grant County students.
Application open: November 1, 2022-January 31, 2023
Reviews: February 1, 2023-March 15, 2023
Meeting: March 27, 2023
Offers: March 31, 2023
Verification: March 31, 2023-April 14, 2023
Award letters sent: July 1, 2023
Checks Sent: August 1, 2023
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Helpful Information
Before you start your grant application, please review the helpful information by clicking the link below:
Grant Rules
As of December 2018, our Board of Directors finalized guidelines that would determine boundaries of our grant funding. We share these with you now, so you are aware of what we will not fund.
Due Diligence
In the week following the grant due date, our staff will complete a due diligence process to make sure rules have been followed and the necessary information is included in the proposal. Click the link below to review the due diligence process.
Application Questions
Beginning with our Crowdfunding Competitive Grant Cycle (Application open January 24th-March 27th) our application questions will change. Please click the link below to review those questions before applying.
Evaluation Questions (Rubric)
As part of our strategic plan (developed May 2018) we are aiming to define our grants process. Through that definition, we are aiming to be more transparent, educational, and streamlined in our process. Part of that transparency is to outline exactly what each proposal will be graded upon. Click the link below to view the evaluation questions (rubric).
How to Write a Successful Grant Request
Use these helpful tips to achieve writing a successful grant request.
Grant Station Subscription
Grant Station offers nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and government agencies the opportunity to identify potential funding sources for their programs or projects as well as resources to mentor these organizations through the grantseeking process.
The Community Foundation has purchased this database subscription and would like to make it available to our local nonprofits. If you believe this database might help you find, build, write, and win grant opportunities to fund your programs and projects, we ask that you make a $25 donation to our Annual Operation’s Fund by clicking the button below and including your request in the donation details. We will forward you the login information.
To complete your grant application, you will be required to submit the 5 documents listed below.
Project Budget ∙ Balance Sheet ∙ Income Statement ∙ Fiscal Year Budget ∙ List of Board Members
We believe that organizations conducting charitable activities with both public and private donations should establish basic policies that govern the organization and provide for optimal transparency. If you have and abide by the following policies, please attach them. If not, we recommend that you strengthen your organization by adopting them in the near future.
2021 Crowdfunding
Marion Community School of the Arts (CSA) – To save community theatre in Grant County through the acquisition of the Marion Civic Theatre.
– Grant from the Community Foundation: $15,000
– Raised from the community: $23,460
– Total amount to the organization: $38,460
Habitat for Humanity of Grant County – To support the construction of a new home in Grant County.
– Grant from the Community Foundation: $20,000
– Raised from the community: $25,660
– Total amount to the organization: $45,660
2021 Give to Grant Collaborative Cycle
Ivy Tech Foundation was awarded $10,000 to provide up to 12 students with dual enrollment opportunities. Ivy Tech Community College has one of Indiana’s largest dual enrollment programs in a statewide partnership with K-12 schools. The Marion Campus, in partnership with Grant County schools, is doing its part to prepare students for post-secondary success.
The City of Marion Fire Department was awarded $9,911 to purchase seven AED devices for the City of Marion Fire Department. The Department receives several medical calls a day and relies heavily on the equipment they carry. In addition to the Give to Grant Collaborative, the Travis Simpkins Memorial Fund contributed to awarding this grant.
Meals on Wheels was awarded $10,000 to subsidize meals for those who are unable to afford to participate, as well as cover additional overhead expenses related to growing their client base. Meals on Wheels works alongside local hospitals, nursing homes, and social workers to assist patients with getting access to food services in Grant County so that they can remain in the comfort of their own homes.
Cardinal Greenways was awarded $10,000 to purchase a new truck for Grant County volunteers to use in maintaining the trails. The large group of dedicated volunteers provides many hours every year maintaining the ten miles of trail in Grant County. This grant provided volunteers the proper tools and equipment they need to complete their work safely and efficiently.
Cancer Services of Grant County was awarded $10,000 to support the Breast Education Screening and Survival (BESS) program. Since the program’s inception in 2000, Cancer Services has provided over 9000 mammograms and has educated over 100,000 Grant County individuals. This program provides countywide education outreach, mammography, and further diagnostics to anyone who cannot afford these services.
Hands of Hope was awarded $10,000 to purchase a vehicle for Hands of Hope staff to use as they expand their outreach and mobile advocacy services to victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, and stalking in Grant County. This grant will make staff accessible where the victim might feel more comfortable such as a victim’s home, local park, local restaurant, or library. In addition to the Give to Grant Collaborative, the Anna Mae Harrison Fund, the Heidi Sue Chastain Memorial Fund and the J. William and Eleanor G. Long Memorial Fund contributed to awarding this grant.
SAWs – Servants at Work was awarded $9,000 to install six high-quality removable and reusable wooden wheelchair ramps for mobility-challenged Grant County residents. A SAWs ramp provides persons who are dependent on a wheelchair or other movement-assisted device the ability to gain freedom from their homes to access health care and other quality of life activities.
Mad Anthonys Children’s Hope House was awarded $5,000 to offer temporary, minimal-cost lodging to parents and families of Grant County children receiving medical care away from home. Mad Anthonys Children’s Hope House offers comfortable beds, hot meals, laundry facilities, and showers, to families with a hospitalized child in any Fort Wayne medical facility. They provide these basic needs in a safe, stable, and supportive environment while their loved one is just a short walk away.
Euclid Neighborhood Association was awarded $3,100 to complete the Euclid Neighborhood Association’s two-phased beautification project by planting 18 additional trees in the area. This project will foster a safe and welcoming atmosphere by improving the forgotten streetscape in the city’s right of way. It is a local grassroots initiative, spurred by residents passionate to create change while preserving the historic street for future generations.
Third Path Capacity-Building Cohort Grant
We challenged organizations to propose a plan that will deepen their relationship with another organization. The organizations selected will take part in a three-year capacity-building program with a grant component. This cohort style will not only provide opportunities for members to deepen relationships between their partnering organizations, but with all the organizations in the cohort, including the Community Foundation.
The organizations selected to participate in the Third Path Cohort, and receive a grant are:
Carey Services – To incorporate the necessary services of the Grant County Society for Crippled Children and Adults into Carey Services programming; $49,167
Hope House, College Wesleyan Church, and Grant County Family YMCA – To create an outdoor community center with events and programming which will be implemented by Hope House, College Wesleyan Church, and the Grant County YMCA; $50,000
Grant County Rescue Mission, and Thriving Grant County, Thriving Mill Township – To create the Mill Township Community Resource Center by restoring the historic St. Paul Episcopal Church of Gas City; $50,000
Rapid Response Grants
Total Grantmaking $129,127
Family Service Society
Carey Services
Project Leadership
Second Harvest Food Bank
Grant County Rescue Mission
Bridges to Health
St. Martin de Porres Community Center
Children’s Bureau
Hope House Ministry
LifeStream Services
Grace House for Transition & Recovery
PAWSS – People for Animals Working Side-by-Side
Affordable Housing Corporation
Gas City Rescue Squad
Lift Eastbrook Afterschool, Inc.
Marion-Grant County Senior Center
Visiting Nurse and Hospice Home
Ivy Tech Foundation
Hands of Hope
August 2019
CSA-Marion Community School of the Arts – 2019-2020 CSA Student Performance Series; $5,000
Hands of Hope – “Whatever it Takes” initiative to address domestic violence victims struggling with substance abuse; $10,000
Grant County Rescue Mission – Construction repair of the Open Heart Women’s Shelter; $12,904
Indiana Wesleyan University Tennis Program – Tennis equipment for the IWU Tennis Program’s elementary school program; $3,201
Kinwell Academy – Financial education for Kinwell Academy students; $745
April 2019
Carey Services – For two new transportation buses
– Grant from the Community Foundation: $10,000
– Raised from the community: $10,150
– Total amount to the organization: $20,150
Hoosier Shakes – For their 2019 summer stock season
– Grant from the Community Foundation: $10,000
– Raised from the community: $11,500
– Total amount to the organization: $21,500
Marion Parks Department – For six new pickleball courts with lighting in Matter Park
– Grant from the Community Foundation: $20,000
– Raised from the community: $39,192
– Total amount to the organization: $59,192
SAWs – Servants at Work – Materials and installation of twelve wooden wheelchair ramps
– Grant from the Community Foundation: $6,000
– Raised from the community: $6,000
– Total amount to the organization: $12,000
February 2019
Bridges to Health – For individuals to participate in a smoking cessation program; $5,000
Cancer Services of Grant County – Breast Education Screening Survival (BESS) program; $10,000
Bridges to Health – New desktop computers and printers; $9,676
Euclid Neighborhood Association – To replenish the tree stock in the Euclid Neighborhood; $3,200
WonderSpace – To provide support for high quality, safe, and inclusive play in Grant County; $9,925
August 2018
Boys and Girls Club of Grant County – Google Chromebooks, projector and screen; $7,000
CSA – Marion Community School of the Arts – Student Performance Series; $5,000
Fairmount Police Department – AED’s for the Fairmount Police department; $3,118
Family Service Society – Hands of Hope – To replace the fence at the Flannery-Keal Home; $5,000
Gas City Concerts in the Park – Gas City Concerts in the Park 2019 concert series; $5,000
Grant County Sheriffs Chaplaincy – Manhood 101 program; $5,000
Kinwell Academy, Inc. – Life Coach for Kinwell Academy students; $10,000
Mississinewa Community Schools – Comprehensive outdoor/nature educational classroom; $10,000
Services for the Visually and Hearing Impaired, Inc. – Central air conditioning unit; $2,000
Walkway of Lights – Display for the Walkway of Lights; $2,644
YMCA of Grant County – Blighted property elimination and downtown improvement; $10,000
April 2018
Quilters Hall of Fame – Maintenance attention of the exterior of The Marie Webster House; $4,500
– Grant from the Community Foundation: $4,500
– Raised from the community: $5,500
– Total amount to organization: $10,000
Marion High School Alumni Association – Marion Giants marching band uniforms; $20,000
– Grant from the Community Foundation: $20,000
– Raised from the community: $20,725
– Total amount to the organization: $40,725
City of Gas City – Veterans Monument in downtown Gas City; $15,000
– Grant from the Community Foundation: $15,000
– Raised from the community: $54,407
– Total amount to the organization: $69,407
The Amara House – Proactive Grant for capacity building ; $1,500
January 2018
Upland Area Greenways Association – Pave the first mile of pedestrian and bicycle trails in Upland; $10,000
Grant County Rescue Mission – Renovate the women’s shelter; $10,000
Hostess House – Purchase and install a security system and smoke detectors; $6,447
Hoosier Shakes, Inc.– Funding for another season of Shakespeare; $2,500
The United Way – Marketing material for Early Childhood Coalition to inform parents about Kindergarten readiness and On My Way Pre-K; $5,025
The Training Center – Chrome notebooks and charging unit; $3,500
On My Way Pre-K – 5% match for the $211,174.39 state grant for 100 students countywide; $10,558.72
Capacity Building Training – Partnership with Harris International for additional Leadership Development for local non-profit orgs; $5,000
October 2017
King’s Academy, Mississinewa, Oak Hill, and St. Paul – Youth Grants; $6,000 ($1,500 for each corporation)
White’s Residential & Family Services – Program materials for the Strengthening Fatherhood program; $1,490
Marion Design Co. – Second phase of the development and launch of the City of Marion’s website; $6,000
Family Services Society – Marketing for the System of Care (SOC) program; $3,860
JA Serving Grant County – Funding to support new financial literacy elementary programs within Grant County; $9,860
Sheriff Department – Deputy vests; $18,700
Thriving Families, Thriving Grant County – Beautify the corner of 5th and Washington Street; $10,000
Marion Youth Judo and Jujitsu – Fund entry fees and mats for children to participate in classes; $10,000
July 2017
Storm Lifeline, Inc.– Start-up costs of the organization; $5,000
St. Martin Community Center– Provide training in basic computational thinking skills to the children who visit St. Martin Community Center; $4,041
May 2017
Marion Community Gardens Association – Installation of an irrigation system in the Curfman Community Garden; $4,000
Cancer Services of Grant County – Breast Education Screen Survival (BESS) Program; $5,000
Science Central – Science4U, Science Central’s school outreach program (Grant County Elementary and Middle Schools); $5,000
March 2017
Grant County Rescue Mission – Renovate third floor of the Grant County Rescue Mission’s main shelter; $10,000
Gas City Concerts in the Park – Indiana Artist Series; $10,000
Upland Parks Advisory Board – Upland Park Renovations; $3,209
January 2017
Gilead Ministries – Upgrade online giving platform, Network For Good; $4,200
White’s Residential & Family Services – Growing Teens for Life: initiative which seeks to equip adolescents with skills to maintain future employment; $1,000
Grace House for Transition and Recovery – Better-Equipped: initiative to support maintenance projects using skillsets of the men in Grace House; $5,000
Hoosier Shakes – Launch Hoosier Shakes, Inc. by bringing Shakespeare to Marion and Grant County; $5,000
What Do You Fund?
Although we expect to remain flexible in our grantmaking decisions, the Community Foundation traditionally addresses needs that fall into the categories of Health, Education, Human Services, Community Development, and Fields of Interest.
Grant Proposals written in collaboration with community partners are both encouraged and appreciated.
What types of programs are ineligible for funding?
- Political activity
- Profit making enterprises
- Projects/programs that benefit a specific church
- We do not grant to individuals
- Any organization with an outstanding grant report due to the Community Foundation from a previous grant
Can I Print Off The Grant Application And Turn It In At Your Office?
All of our grant applications are completed online and must be turned in via AwardSpring (our grant application platform).
What questions are on the application?
Which Documents Are Required To Complete An Application?
You will be required to attach these documents:
- Proposal Letter
- Program Budget
- Full Organization Balance Sheet
- Full Organization Income Statement
- Entire Organization Current Fiscal Year Budget,
- List of Board Members
Find Samples of these documents above under Application Checklist.
How Many Cycles Do You Have Throughout The Year?
We have 4 grant cycles throughout the year – 2 regular (Jan and Aug; requests of $10,000 or less), crowdgranting (April; requests of up to $20,000), and Impact Grant (Oct; requests ranging from $10,001 to +/- $150,000).
What happens if my project is awarded a grant?
If you are awarded a grant, a representative from your organization will be required to join us for a Give Me Five celebration. Details will be included in your award letter.
A representative from your organization will be required to join us for a High-Five celebration at a later date to tell us about all the good things your organization accomplished with your grant. Details will be included in your award letter.
How will I know if my grant was awarded and what happens next?
- If accepted, you will be notified by mail and asked to sign a formal grant agreement accepting all terms of the grant prior to release of funds.
- You will be asked to attend a special celebration at the Foundation office where you will receive a check for your project.
- At the celebration, you will be given a Publicity Kit to help inform the Grant County community of your exciting news and your upcoming project.
- Immediately following the expenditure of the grant money, a final report and evaluation summarizing the results of your project/program must be submitted along with receipts and photos of the completed project.
- All public announcements concerning your project/program should indicate the Foundation’s participation in the program funding. (The Publicity Kit we provide will help with this!)
- Failure to comply with these requirements will jeopardize future funding requests.
What is a High-Five presentation?
Your High-Five presentation will allow you to show us the impact of the grant you received in just 5 short slides. Tell us what the headline would be if the media wrote a story about your grant. What would you like to say to the donor that provided the fund for your grant? Tell us specifically how you invested these grant dollars and the outcome of your program/project. Finally, we want to give you the chance to tell us how you would like us to promote your grant on social media…give us a picture and the story we should share with our followers. What would you like for us to say about your organization and this grant?
Find a copy of the High-Five slideshow here.
Should I write a press release?
Absolutely! You’ve worked so hard to receive this grant and to steward the funds for your project. Shout it from the rooftops! Tell all the people about the good things your organization is doing in our community. To help, here is a sample press release.
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