Discretionary Grant Program – Vulnerable Individuals and Families

Indian River Community Foundation offers discretionary grant funding under the Vulnerable Individuals and Families funding priority to advance its vision of a healthier, more prosperous, and more generous Indian River County community. Funding priorities are informed by the most recent community needs assessment and current data collected through Indian River Indicators. The program focuses primarily on health, housing, education, and economic opportunity and gives priority to programs and projects serving vulnerable children, adults, and seniors while addressing documented community needs. Funding is available through two categories. Category 1, 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. Category 2, Capital Projects, provides grants of up to $100,000 for capital projects, including facility expansion and facility enhancement, operated by qualifying nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organizations serving the county. 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. Eligible applicants must be 501(c)(3) public charities dedicated to serving Indian River County, Florida. Applicants must have an online grant application account with Indian River Community Foundation and an updated GuideStar profile at the Platinum level. Competitive grants are limited to organizations located in and/or serving Indian River County. Grants are not provided to individuals, organizations limiting services to persons of a single religious sect or denomination, federated appeals or organizations collecting funds for redistribution to other nonprofit groups, political candidates or campaigns, organizations engaged in political activities, or activities involving propagandizing, influencing legislation or elections, voter registration, or litigation. Social or political problems outside the United States are also excluded. The application process begins with a Letter of Idea, or LOI. LOIs are due by 5:00 p.m. on the last day of each month and are reviewed monthly in the order received. Organizations that qualify and present compelling cases may be invited to submit full applications. Unsolicited full applications that have not been requested following review of an LOI are not considered. Applicants are encouraged to attend a monthly nonprofit grantseeker orientation by contacting the Community Foundation team at grants@ircommunityfoundation.org or 772.492.1407. 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 must provide supporting financial and governance documentation. Required 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; the most recent IRS Form 990; the current organization operating budget and applicable program 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 budgets and financial documents must relate to Indian River County. Applications are evaluated for a compelling, evidence-supported case that funding will address a pressing community need or urgent community problem; a clear description of the proposed use of funds and expected results; evidence that responsible personnel have the experience and capacity to achieve those results; an achievable timeline corresponding with key activities; meaningful and measurable benchmarks and indicators of success; and a record of financial responsibility. Evidence of community need should be supported by a community needs assessment, Indian River Indicators, or other scientific research. Full applications are reviewed by a committee composed of members of the Indian River Community Foundation Board of Directors and other community members. Submitted full applications are reviewed in the order received and approved or declined by the Board of Directors quarterly, by March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31 each year. Most grants require reporting on use of funds, and reports from past grants must be on file before an organization can apply for additional Foundation funding. Applications from organizations with delinquent reports are considered non-responsive and are not reviewed. Grantees are required to submit regular progress reports, participate in site visits, publicize the grant award, and participate in sharing results and lessons learned. The monthly LOI schedule makes the opportunity recurring, with the current expected LOI deadline falling on August 31, 2026.

Organizations are encouraged to attend monthly grantseeker orientation sessions.