An Overview of the Grantmaking Process

Grant applications are reviewed twice a year, in MARCH (this is a new date) and October. When the Community Foundation receives your grant application it is first reviewed by the staff and forwarded to the appropriate committee. Once the committee, with the help of the Community Foundation staff, has collected all the necessary information, they will make their recommendation to the Board of Trustees at the next regularly scheduled Board meeting. This process takes approximately two months. You will be notified of the Board’s decision by the Community Foundation staff as soon as possible.

Please call the Foundation to discuss your proposal before submitting an application. This is an important first step that will avoid unnecessary work on the part of the applicant. Once it has been determined that the proposal meets the grantmaking guidelines of the Community Foundation, you will be asked to submit an application, which will be sent to you at that time. It is also a good idea to call to confirm the grant deadline. Current deadlines are in early March and early October, but are subject to change.

The grantmaking of the Community Foundation covers a wide variety of needs throughout Emmet County. These include, but are not limited to: Arts and Culture, Education, Environment, Community and Economic Development, Health, Human Services, Recreation, Historic Preservation and Youth. We encourage proposals for projects which:

• Enhance cooperation and collaboration among organizations, thereby eliminating duplication of services.
• Address emerging needs in an innovative way or try new approaches to address existing needs.
• Receive additional funding from a broad base of supporters.
• Yield substantial community benefits and serve a broad segment of the community.
• Focus on the prevention of problems rather than the cure.

Click here to learn what recent grants have achieved in our community:Recent Grant Results