Heron Creek Community Foundation Grants

Heron Creek Community Foundation is offering its Grant Cycle to support charitable work benefiting residents of North Port, Florida. The foundation states that its mission is to financially support qualified charitable organizations that serve the citizens of North Port and improve quality of life within the local community. Its Board of Directors and Grants Committee seek to support organizations capable of producing the greatest positive community impact, including organizations addressing both reactive and proactive needs as North Port grows and experiences social and economic change. The grant cycle is open to applicants serving citizens of North Port. Although the announcement initially refers to all individuals or organizations that serve North Port residents, it subsequently states that applicants must be tax-exempt organizations as defined under section 501(c)(3) of the Federal IRS code or Chapter 212 of the Florida State Statutes as of January 1, 2026. Applicants must provide a tax-exempt determination or exemption document from the applicable agency. The application also asks whether the organization maintains a local office or physical presence in the City of North Port. Grant funds must be used for the purposes described in the application and must benefit North Port residents who are in need of the stated grant purpose. Applicants must describe the proposed use of the requested grant, the amount requested, the total project cost when the requested grant will not cover the entire project, and how remaining project costs will be paid. They must estimate how many North Port residents will benefit and explain that estimate. Applicants must also describe how program or project success will be measured, disclose previous Heron Creek Community Foundation grants, and identify other funding sources approached for the same project, including when an award or denial decision is expected. The source does not state a minimum award, maximum award, total amount available, or number of awards. The application does distinguish between requests of 3000 dollars or more and requests of less than 3000 dollars, but this does not establish an award floor or ceiling. The application requests extensive organizational and clientele information. Required organization information includes the organization name, contact person, telephone number, email, address, and organizational mission. Applicants must report the estimated number of people served during the past year and identify usual operating funding sources, including contributions, government funding, charitable contributions, and other sources. Applicants are also asked whether the organization is a subsidiary of a local, state, national, or worldwide organization and whether it has a local office or physical presence in North Port. Clientele questions address referral sources, needs requirements for assistance, and the process used to screen potential clients to ensure foundation funds benefit people who are in need and cannot otherwise pay for services. Required supporting documentation includes a list of the names of Board of Directors members and Trustees, including their terms on the Board; a copy of the IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt determination letter or Florida State Sales Tax Exemption documentation; and a budget for the requested Heron Creek Community Foundation grant. The application also contains a matching funds section asking whether the organization is eligible to receive matching funds and, if so, the source. A Letter of Intent from the matching donor must be attached when applicable. The source does not state that matching funds or cost sharing are mandatory conditions for receiving an award. Applicants certify that their information is true and correct, that they comply with grant eligibility requirements, and that awarded funds will be used for the stated purposes benefiting North Port residents in need. The application window runs from August 1, 2026 through September 30, 2026. Applications are vetted by the Grants Committee throughout October and November. Committee recommendations are then presented to the full Board of Directors, with final decisions typically rendered at the December Board meeting. Grant recipients are subsequently notified and invited to the Heron Creek Community Foundation annual meeting in January, where checks are presented. The source does not provide a grant performance period or establish that this grant application cycle automatically recurs annually. Applicants can complete the online form, save it as a draft for later completion, upload the required supporting documents, provide the legal signature of an applicant representative, and submit the grant application. Questions may be directed to Grants Committee Chair Rick Bliss by telephone at 607-346-7247.

Clearly demonstrate how the proposed work will benefit North Port residents and improve local quality of life; explain the realistic number of residents expected to benefit; describe how clients are screened to ensure funds serve people in need who cannot otherwise pay; define how program or project success will be measured; clearly explain how any project costs not covered by the requested grant will be funded