Summit Grants

The Summit Grant, provided by the Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama, aims to support short-term projects (up to 12 months) that enhance community leadership development and organizational technology. Eligible organizations must be 501(c)(3) charities operating for at least one year in specified counties. Funding is available for training, technology upgrades, and other related expenses, emphasizing non-profit capacity building and operational improvements.

The purpose of the Summit Grant is to encourage short-term projects of (12 months) to provide advancement in community leadership development, training, and organization technology advancement, to strengthen not-for-profit organizations.
The Foundation welcomes grant applications that focus on the following areas:

• Community Leadership Development and Training:
• Local city council
• School boardsNot-for-profit senior leadership staffNot-for-profit board
• County commission
• Organizational Technology Advancement:
• Improve gifts and donor tracking systems
• Improve ability to work remotely
• Update current technology
• Improve financial tracking system
• Improve cyber security
• Approved Funding Areas
• The following are examples of areas of funding available for community leadership development, training and organizational technology advancement.
• Professional program trainers for approved training
• Tuition/registration, mileage, and lodging to attend conferences, workshops, courses, or trainings
• Training curriculum
• Technical software and hardware
• Technical support for new software installation and upgrades
• Technology to support technological upgrades
• Gift and donor tracking systems
• Financial tracking system
• Cyber security software

Eligibility

Grants from the Summit Grant are restricted to 501(c)(3) qualified public charities physically located and operating for at least one year in one of the Foundation’s nine (9) county service areas (Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, DeKalb, Etowah, Randolph St. Clair. and Talladega).Eligible for one grant per organization every three years

Ineligibility

In compliance with federal regulations and Community Foundation policies, the following types of grants will not be considered or funded:Organizations that have discriminatory policies and/or practices on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex/gender, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information or political beliefs;
Organizations with no 501(c)(3) IRS status unless you are a government/state agency;
Grants to endowments or other discretionary funding pools;
Grants for capital campaign contributions (for building construction) or use of funds to cover capital campaign feasibility studies or campaign implementation expenses.
This does not include regular maintenance;Grants for prizes, awards and scholarships;
Grants for lobbying-related expenses;
Grants for event sponsorships;Organizations that do not have a physical location in one of the nine-county service areas;

Organizations that do not serve residents in our 9 county service area;Grants to organizations operating less than one year;
Grants to religious organizations for religious purposes;
Grants to organizations for projects outside CFNEA’s nine (9) county region;
Grants for political purposes or to influence elections; and
Organizations that have an existing/open grant from the Foundation may not apply for a new grant within the same fund until the current grant documentation is completed and closed.
For a grant to be considered completed and closed, the not-for-profit partner must have successfully submitted their Final Grant Report.