CFQA: Community Grants

Gather

We work with individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofits to create tailor-made funds that help them make their charitable visions a reality. Donors can trust that the Community Foundation will act as a steward of those funds, ensuring funds are used according to their intent and vision.

Grow

Together with a team of trusted, local advisors, we invest funds to build endowments so they are available to support ever-changing needs and opportunities in the 12 counties we serve.

Community Grants

The Community Foundation annually awards grants through its Community Grant process to meet needs and advance opportunities in its 12-county region. Through the Community Grant program, the Community Foundation seeks to strengthen nonprofit services to enhance the quality of life throughout the region that we serve. Due to the broad scope of this program, it is a competitive process and requests are evaluated by a volunteer committee based on the annual program budget and fund restrictions.

Grants in the areas of

• arts & culture,
• community betterment,
• education,
• health,
• human services.

Priorities:

Through the Community Grant program, the Community Foundation seeks to award grants that will enhance the quality of life in West Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri by:

• Helping organizations better respond to defined needs or opportunities within the community they serve;
• Encouraging community collaborations and partnerships to maximize the impact on the community and population served;
• Reaching a significant number of community members or specific groups of underserved community members throughout its 12-county service area;
• Supporting nonprofit organizations which are physically located in or have demonstrated, active services that directly benefit residents within the Community Foundation’s service area.
• and  making a significant impact on the success of the overall request (consider the size of the grant in relation to the total budget).

Eligibility

_You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website._

• Grants may be awarded to:
  • Nonprofit organizations that are recognized as exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code.
  • Government entities applying for grants that are exclusively for public or charitable purposes.
  • Faith-based organizations applying for grants that benefit the public good, but not for specifically religious or sectarian purposes, or programs that require participation in a religious activity as a condition for receiving services.
• Applicant organizations and grants awarded must directly serve at least one of the following 12 counties:
  • Adams,
  • Brown,
  • Hancock, or
  • Pike in Illinois;
  • Clark,
  • Knox,
  • Lewis,
  • Marion,
  • Monroe,
  • Pike,
  • Ralls, or
  • Shelby in Missouri.
• New in 2025:
  • Each applicant organization may only submit ONE application request to this program during a given year/program cycle.
  • However, applicants are welcome to submit additional request summaries for inclusion in our annual “Book of Opportunities,” which is distributed to Donor Advisors and available publicly on our website.