Coast Electric Community Trust Operation Round Up Grant

The Coast Electric Community Trust Operation Round Up Grant is administered through the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in South Mississippi by connecting philanthropic resources with community needs. The foundation operates as a regional grantmaking entity that supports charitable initiatives across multiple sectors, with a focus on fostering local impact through partnerships with donors, nonprofits, and community stakeholders. Through its stewardship of donor-advised and designated funds, including the Coast Electric Community Trust Fund, the foundation facilitates targeted investments into programs that align with community priorities and values. The Operation Round Up program is funded through voluntary contributions made by members of Coast Electric’s cooperative, who choose to round up their electric bills to the nearest dollar. These aggregated funds are then distributed as grants to eligible organizations within the cooperative’s service area. The purpose of this funding opportunity is to support nonprofit, charitable, and educational initiatives that directly benefit residents in Hancock, Harrison, and Pearl River counties in Mississippi. The program emphasizes projects that align with Coast Electric’s mission, culture, and values, ensuring that funded initiatives contribute meaningfully to community well-being and resilience. Funding through this grant is available for a variety of programmatic uses, including but not limited to community service initiatives, economic development activities, educational programming, youth-focused services, and environmental projects. The grant allows organizations to request funding of up to 10000 dollars for a 12 month project period. While specific restrictions on allowable expenses are not explicitly detailed, the funding is intended to support programmatic efforts rather than unrelated operational or capital expenditures, and applicants are expected to demonstrate alignment with the stated funding categories and community impact goals. Eligibility for the grant is limited to organizations and charities that operate within the designated service counties and that align with the mission and values of Coast Electric. Although the source does not explicitly define organizational types, the context strongly indicates that nonprofit organizations and charitable entities are the primary eligible applicants. Applicants must demonstrate that their proposed activities will benefit the local community and fall within one or more of the program’s major funding categories. There is no indication of a required cost share or matching contribution, suggesting that the grant does not impose a matching requirement. The application process is structured around two annual grant cycles, occurring from February 1 through February 28 and from August 1 through August 31. Applicants must submit their proposals within these defined windows, and there is no indication of a rolling application process outside of these periods. While specific submission mechanics, required documents, or evaluation criteria are not detailed in the provided information, it is implied that applicants must present a clear project proposal aligned with the program’s priorities and demonstrate organizational capacity to implement the proposed activities within the 12 month funding period. Evaluation of applications is likely based on alignment with funding categories, community impact, and consistency with Coast Electric’s mission and values, although explicit scoring criteria are not provided. Award decisions are expected to be made following the close of each application cycle, with funding supporting projects for a defined one year period. The recurring nature of the grant cycles indicates an ongoing commitment to community investment, allowing organizations multiple opportunities each year to seek support for their initiatives. For additional information or inquiries, applicants may contact the Gulf Coast Community Foundation directly via phone at 228 897 4841 or by email at info at mgccf.org. The foundation is located at the Knight Nonprofit Center in Gulfport, Mississippi. The recurring biannual structure of the grant cycles provides a predictable timeline for applicants, enabling organizations to plan and prepare submissions in alignment with the February and August deadlines each year.