Grants

The Fayette Community Foundation’s mission is to inspire a spirit of philanthropy and leadership in Fayette County to enhance the quality of life. One way we pursue this mission is by offering two regular grant cycles per year which are open to charitable entities in our community. The grants made during these cycles are funded in large part by our Community Impact endowed funds. Learn more about these and other permanently endowed funds here.

Interested in applying for a grant $2,500 or less? Instead of going through an entire grant cycle please fill out a mini grant application.

For grants exceeding $2,500, organizations must apply through our Competitive Grant Cycle. The Fayette Community Foundation currently holds one competitive grant cycle a year, typically in the summer.

Read the following steps to learn about the Fayette Community Foundation’s grant cycle process.

Step 1: Review your organization and request eligibility

Click here to read about the Fayette Community Foundation’s grantmaking guidelines. Strong grant applications are those which are grounded in an organization’s mission, align with the Fayette Community Foundation’s funding areas, and are intended to make a positive, lasting impact on the Fayette County community. Please keep in mind that the Foundation does not fund the same project or program on an annual basis, and we encourage potential applicants to consider how their projects and proposals will be sustained by other methods once the grant funds are depleted.

If you are uncertain about your organization’s or request’s eligibility, please reach out to Becky Turney at rturney@givetofcf.com or (765)827-9966!

Organizations ineligible to apply on their own, such as service clubs, neighborhood associations, etc, may partner with one or more eligible organizations to propose collaborative programs. For such programs, the eligible organization will act as fiscal agent and project leader for any funds awarded to the work of the collaborative project.

Step 2: Review the timeline

May 22, 2023: Letter of Intent is active

June 6, 2023: Office Hours 10:00am-3:00pm (give us a call or come in to the office to chat about your request)

June 8, 2023: Office Hours 10:00am-3:00pm (give us a call or come in to the office to chat about your request)

June 12, 2023: Letter of Intent due @ 11:59 AM

June 16, 2023: Application Opens (for applicants that have been approved to apply)

July 3, 2023: Applications due @ 11:59 AM

July 26th- Aug 7th: Follow-Ups (applicants might be invited to a meeting for clarifying questions)

Late August: Grantseekers notified

Step 3: Read the Application Software User Guide

Click here for the GOapply User Guide. This guide will take you through the process of creating an account, starting an application, and submitting an application. This is new to all of us so please reach out to Morgan Hamilton at mhamilton@givetofcf.com if you have any questions or concerns.

Step 4: Fill out the Letter of Intent

A link to the LOI form will be available here once the next grant cycle opens!