Fund for Columbia County: General Operating Support Grants

The Region We Serve
Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation serves Berkshire, Columbia, northeast Dutchess and northwest Litchfield counties. This unique area where New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts meet contains 2,200 square miles of natural beauty and small-town charm that is home to nearly 230,000 people.
Introduction
Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation established the Fund for Columbia County (FCC) in 1998 to help strengthen communities and improve the quality of life for everyone in Columbia County. The fund serves as a resource for organizations that make life safer, healthier, and more equitable for all residents of the county.
Grants for General Operating Support
Through its General Operating Support Grants, FCC supports organizations that have a deep, lasting, and positive impact on the residents of Columbia County, with particular emphasis on low-income and underserved adults and children.
FCC’s primary focus areas include:

• Youth development
• Education
• Services for the elderly
• Health and social services
• Civic and community engagement through arts, culture, and education
• These Grants provide flexible general operating support, which may include:
• Personnel and overhead costs
• Planning and implementation of programs
• Technology, equipment, or material costs
• Strategic planning, staff/board development, and/or succession planning
• Investments to increase organizational capacity
• Other annual operating expenses

Eligibility

Non-Profit Status: Organizations must have IRS-designated 501(c)(3) status or an existing fiscal sponsor.
Service Area: Organizations must be in and/or actively serve Columbia County residents. If you have locations outside the region, you must demonstrate local presence through indicators such as locally based staff, regional offices, or programs targeting our region’s residents.
Years in Operation: Organizations must have at least three (3) years of recent operating history.
Fiscally sponsored organizations are eligible; in these cases, the organization itself—not the fiscal sponsor—must meet the three-year operating requirement.
Operating Budget: Strong preference for organizations with operating budgets under $5 million

Ineligibility

Individuals
Sectarian or religious organizations (unless serving as fiscal sponsor for a broad community benefit)
Government entities (municipalities, fire districts, etc.)
"Friends" organizations supporting schools, municipalities or government agencies
For-profit organizations
Endowments or capital campaigns (funding must be used towards annual operating expenses)