Detailed Grant

The Marion County Community Foundation provides grants to enhance the quality of life for residents through innovative projects in health, education, culture, and heritage. It's particularly interested in proposals from coalitions of service providers and projects that benefit broad populations. Grants are not for annual budgets or completed projects, ensuring support goes to initiatives that create lasting impact and foster community growth.

Marion County Community Foundation
A resource for building bridges from today to an enhanced quality of life tomorrow for current and future residents of Marion County.
Applicants should serve a charitable purpose by enhancing the quality of life in Marion County in areas such as: health, education, culture, religion, recreation or the enhancement and preservation of the county’s heritage.
Principles for Grant Making
The Foundation makes grants to support creative and innovative programs, current or emerging charitable opportunities, services not presently offered and capital projects—all of which should enhance the quality of life in the county. Grants are not made in support of annual operating budgets or for projects normally included therein.
Especially interesting are projects proposed by coalitions of service providers, those likely to gain support from matching fund arrangements, and those replicative in design.Projects funded should not represent significant duplication of initiatives already undertaken by other non-profit agencies.Requests will generally be denied for crisis intervention, current budget support, elimination of deficits, reduction of debt or funding of completed projects.Special attention will be given to projects that apply to broad segments of the population.Low priority will be given to programs or projects of churches which have a narrowly sectarian purpose. However, programs will be considered if they have ecumenical base or are designed to serve persons in need of food, clothing, shelter or counseling without regard to their religious affiliation.
Criteria to be used by the Distribution Committee
Proposals will be judged on the basis of such things as:
The intrinsic merit of the project proposedThe priority of the need to be metThe ability and past experience of the staff in terms of successful completion of the projectsThe clarity and measureability of the project goalsPlans to fund the project beyond the grant periodThe feasibility of the time frame given for completion of the project

Eligibility

To be eligible for a grant, you must demonstrate all of the following characteristics:Be a non-profit, legally tax-exempt organization.Be located in and primarily serve clients in the Marion County area.Serve a charitable purpose by enhancing the quality of life in Marion County in areas such as: health, education, culture, religion, recreation or the enhancement and preservation of the county’s heritage.

Ineligibility

Requests will generally be denied for crisis intervention, current budget support, elimination of deficits, reduction of debt or funding of completed projects.