ECF Helping Today Grant

The ECF Helping Today Grant supports Erie County nonprofits addressing urgent community needs, prioritizing projects in health, economy, and education. Grants do not exceed $50,000 and must be utilized within 12 months. Eligible organizations include those with 501(c)3 status or those partnering with a fiscal sponsor. The grant aims to enhance nonprofit capacity for operations, programming, planning, marketing, capital purchases, facilities improvements, and evaluations, fostering impactful community solutions.

NOTE: A pre-application meeting with a member of our Community Impact Team is required before submitting any application! Applications, not meetings, are due at the deadlines above.
The work of The Erie Community Foundation is made possible through the gifts of generous donors, past and present. We do this in various ways, including the support of local nonprofit partners, through our grantmaking.
Helping Today Grant Program
Helping Today grant program seeks to support Erie County nonprofits addressing the most immediate needs of our community. Helping Today intentionally casts a wide net, but prioritizes projects that address health, economy and education. Helping Today awards do not exceed $50,000 with all grant monies expensed within 12 months of receiving the award.
Focused on helping nonprofits build capacity to better address issues in our community, Helping Today grants can support (but are not limited to) the following:

• operations
• programming
• planning
• marketing/community awareness
• capital purchases (including technology and vehicles)
• facilities improvements
• evaluation
• Please click here for more information about the Foundation's mission-aligned vision and strategy for priority grantmaking.

Eligibility

The Erie Community Foundation awards grants to nonprofit organizations defined as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code.If an applicant does not have its own 501(c)3 tax exempt status from the IRS, it may apply for a grant using a 501(c)3 organization as its fiscal sponsor, provided the grant furthers the sponsor’s own tax exempt purpose.  Eligible nonprofits must be located within Erie County or demonstrate service to a sizable population in Erie County. Eligible nonprofits may receive funding one time per grant program in a 12-month period.

Ineligibility

In general, grants are not made to:IndividualsScholarship FundsFundraising EventsDeficit ReductionAnnual Operating CostsGovernment Funding CutsEndowment CampaignsMunicipal Capital Related CostsSectarian Religious ActivitiesProgram AdsReimbursements for Expenses Already Incurred