Animal Welfare, Environment, & Historic Preservation in Florida

Indian River Community Foundation provides discretionary grant funding in support of its vision for a healthier, more prosperous, and more generous Indian River County community. Its discretionary grantmaking priorities are informed by the most recent community needs assessment and current data and information from Indian River Indicators. The funding opportunity addressed here focuses primarily on animal welfare, environment, and historic preservation in Indian River County, Florida. Competitive grants are limited to organizations located in and/or serving Indian River County. The discretionary funding is divided into two categories. Proven Programs provides grants of up to $50,000 for proven programs operated by nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organizations dedicated to serving Indian River County primarily in animal welfare, environment, and historic preservation. Capital Projects provides grants of up to $100,000 for capital projects, including facility expansion or facility enhancement, operated by qualifying nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organizations serving the same priority areas. Capital campaign requests are eligible when at least 75 percent of the campaign goal has already been achieved. The Foundation does not currently consider multi-year requests. Applicants must be 501(c)(3) public charities dedicated to serving Indian River County, Florida. They must have an online grant application account through the Foundation and an updated GuideStar profile at the Platinum level. The Foundation does not fund individuals, federated appeals, organizations that collect funds for redistribution to other nonprofit groups, or institutions limiting their services to people of a single religious sect or denomination. Funding also may not support propagandizing, influencing legislation or elections, voter registration, political candidates or campaigns, organizations engaged in political activities, litigation, or social or political problems outside the United States. Organizations with previous Foundation grants must have all required reports on file before applying for additional funds. The application process begins with a Letter of Idea, or LOI. LOIs are due by 5:00 PM on the last day of each month and are reviewed monthly in the order received. Full applications are invited only from organizations that qualify and present compelling cases; unsolicited full applications that have not resulted from a reviewed LOI will not be considered. All competitive grant applications must be submitted online. Applicants are encouraged to attend a monthly nonprofit grantseeker orientation by contacting the Foundation. First-time applicants may be required to participate in a pre-application grantee conference, and organizations seeking renewal funding for a fourth consecutive year may be required to undergo a pre-application review. Full applications are evaluated for evidence that the proposed work addresses a pressing community need or urgent community problem, supported by a community needs assessment, Indian River Indicators, or other scientific research. Reviewers also consider whether the application clearly describes the specific use of funds and intended results, demonstrates that responsible personnel have appropriate experience and capacity, provides an achievable timeline tied to key activities, establishes meaningful and measurable benchmarks and indicators of success, and demonstrates a record of financial responsibility. Full applications are reviewed by a committee composed of members of the Indian River Community Foundation Board of Directors and other community members. Required application materials include the most recent independent audited financial statement for organizations with annual operating budgets of $1,000,000 or more, or an independently reviewed financial statement for organizations with annual operating budgets below $1,000,000. Applicants must also provide the most recent IRS Form 990; current organization operating budget, program budget and/or capital project budget; the most recent balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash position; a current board of directors list; and minutes from the previous 12 months of board meetings. For multi-county organizations, applicable budget documents must specifically address Indian River County. Grantees are required to submit regular progress reports, participate in site visits, publicize the grant award, and share results and lessons learned. Submitted full applications are reviewed in the order received, with approval or denial by the Board of Directors on a quarterly basis by March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31 each year. Based on the monthly LOI schedule and the analysis date of August 19, 2026, the next stated LOI deadline is August 31, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET, followed by another monthly cycle. Questions may be directed to grants@ircommunityfoundation.org or 772.492.1407. Brooke Sauserman may be contacted regarding the recommended Nonprofit Grantseeker Orientation at brooke@ircommunityfoundation.org.

Attend grantseeker orientation and base proposal on needs assessment or Indian River Indicators data