Sustainability Grants

Sustainability Grants provide essential operational support to charities in Door County, ensuring the quality of life for local residents. These grants assist with various needs, such as funding case managers for troubled teens, purchasing equipment for arts groups, and supporting educational programs. Although not glamorous, this funding is vital for maintaining community programs and addressing challenges faced by families during the seasonal economy. Grants typically range from $2,500 to $5,000.

Sustainability Grants provide the critical operational support for the charities that sustain our quality of life in Door County.
Sustainability grants help pay the salary of a case manager working with troubled teens, buy music stands for a local performing arts group, install piping to bring water to a community garden, and pay teachers to help with math and reading instruction during the summer.Sustainability Grants are rarely glamorous and are usually not the big ideas that stir one’s soul. But this operational support is essential to the programs that sustain the parts of Door County that we love – and alleviate the challenges faced by working families because of the seasonal nature of our economy.The Community Foundation offers Sustainability Grants because it has a fundamental belief that charities are essential part of our quality of life. Helping to support their operations is key to maintaining the parts of Door County that we love – and to alleviating the social issues arising from our unique seasonal economy.Through the application for a Sustainability Grant, a non-profit organization might receive assistance from the Arts Fund, the Children & Youth Fund, the Education Fund, the Green Fund, the Health & Human Needs Fund, and/or the Historic Preservation Fund. There no longer are separate applications for each of these Discretionary Funds as there were in the past.
Funding
There is no minimum or maximum grant amount, but we anticipate awarding multiple grants during each Sustainability Grant cycle typically in the range of $2,500 to $5,000.

Eligibility

Applicants must be qualified public charities or units of government. The proposed activities should serve the people of Door County or improve the quality of life in Door County. Each charity is limited to one application per Sustainability Grant cycle. However, charities may submit applications in successive grant cycles or to the other granting programs of the Community Foundation that might be open at the same time.

Ineligibility

The following do not qualify for a Sustainability Grant:Retiring debt or budget deficitsLoans or re-granting programsMulti-year commitments (charities may reapply in future cycles for the same idea)Activities which advance a particular religious beliefIndividuals or groups that are not qualified public charities or units of governmentWe generally do not make grants to pay for activities that occur prior to the awarding of a Sustainability Grant.Fundraising expenses, capital campaigns and grants to an endowment are generally not supported by Sustainability Grants unless the applicant can articulate special circumstances which make their request particularly important.