CRCF General Grants

The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation offers CRCF General Grants aimed at enhancing community welfare through flexible funding for emerging needs and one-time costs. Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) organizations serving Southern Chautauqua County, with a focus on mission alignment and broad impact. This bi-monthly grant process facilitates support for program enhancements, capital improvements, and technology upgrades, ensuring that community needs are met effectively.

The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation’s grant programs are the most direct way the Foundation works to improve the community.
This bi-monthly process provides the most flexible funding opportunities for grantees, intended to assist with emerging needs or one-time costs. These include: purchases for program or service delivery enhancement, modest capital improvements, and upgrades to technology.
This process has a standing grant review committee. Each request will receive a follow up from one community volunteer. The full committee then reviews all submitted requests. Typically, you will be notified on a funding decision in the following month.
Criteria
The following criteria are used in consideration of funding, information is obtained from a combination of the grant application and further discussion with the volunteer assigned to your request.

Eligibility

The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation grants to 501 (c) (3) organizations located in or serving Southern Chautauqua County. Some grant funding is also made to municipalities, school districts (for public purposes) and religious organizations.All requests must be charitable in nature as defined by the I.R.S. and central to the mission of the organization.Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3) are: “charitable, religious, educational, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, fostering national or international amateur sports competition, and the prevention of cruelty to children or animals. Generally accepted legal sense and includes relief of the poor, the distressed, or the underprivileged; advancement of religion; advancement of education or science; erection or maintenance of public buildings, monuments, or works; lessening the burdens of government; lessening neighborhood tensions; eliminating prejudice and discrimination; defending human and civil rights secured by law; and combating community deterioration and juvenile delinquency.”Organizations may submit up to two request per year, through this monthly grant process.However, we do not set a limit on the number of times an organization can apply per year across all grant processes.

Ineligibility

The following are not eligible for consideration:Expenses that have occurred or are scheduled to occur before a funding decision is known.Expenses for consumable or giveaway items (food, t-shirts, backpacks, promotional items, trophies etc.) or one-time events, fundraisers, trips or trainings.Expenses for medical equipment.The Community Foundation reserves the right, at any time and in its sole discretion, to decline a grant request that could be viewed as having a specific political, partisan, or religious agenda.