Community Grant

NoCo Foundation's Community Grant is one of two annual grant opportunities offered through the Foundation's Community Funds. The Community Funds support organizations working to address pressing needs across Berthoud, Estes Valley, Fort Collins, and Loveland and are made possible by donors investing in the long-term strength of their communities. NoCo Foundation states that these competitive funds represent roughly 2 percent of its total grantmaking, with the majority of grants distributed through Donor Advised and Designated funds. Because Community Funds are limited, the Foundation directs them toward priority areas identified through regional data and community input. Funding priorities are based on the Northern Colorado Intersections Report, developed in partnership with Colorado State University, and informed by ongoing input from local community members. The Community Grant is a smaller, more accessible general operating grant designed to support organizations with more modest funding needs. It is particularly suited to organizations seeking a smaller grant amount or those earlier in their funding journey with the Community Fund process. Community Grant awards typically range from $2,500 to $5,000. Final award amounts and the number of awards vary each year and are confirmed in mid-July. All Community Fund grants provide general operating support. The supplied material does not state a total amount available through the Community Grant program, a fixed number of awards, a performance period, an indirect cost limitation, or a matching or cost-share requirement. Applicants must apply for only one Community Fund grant type per year, choosing either an Intersections Grant or a Community Grant, and may apply within only one community per year. Applicants must clearly demonstrate impact in the community where they are applying and align with the funding priorities established for that specific community. Applicants must also have no outstanding follow-up reports for previous NoCo Foundation grants. Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, fiscally sponsored organizations, and government or quasi-government entities. For 2026, an exception applies in Loveland: government and quasi-government organizations are not eligible to apply for grants within Loveland. Organizational size or budget does not independently disqualify an organization, although Community Grants are expressly intended for smaller-scale funding requests and there is no strict budget threshold. Organizations may receive NoCo Foundation funding in multiple years. The program does not fund individuals, lobbying or political campaigns, special events or fundraising events, religious proselytization, businesses or for-profit entities, or private foundations. The supplied information does not provide additional fiscal sponsorship conditions or specifically address other organizational classifications beyond those expressly identified. Unlike the Intersections Grant, the Community Grant uses a single-step application process. Applicants submit a full application and no Letter of Intent is required. For the 2026 cycle, the Community Grant application period opened July 28 and closed August 23. The supplied material does not identify individual application questions, required attachments, a named application portal, evaluation scoring criteria, or other submission components. Applicants should select the Community Grant when seeking a smaller grant amount or when earlier in their funding journey with the Community Fund process, while still demonstrating community impact and alignment with the priorities for the community in which they apply. Decisions for the 2026 Community Fund cycle are scheduled for late October. As of August 27, 2026, the August 23 Community Grant application deadline has passed. The source states that organizations may apply for Community Fund opportunities each year, establishing an annual recurring cycle. Using the known July 2026 Community Grant application opening as the annual-cycle anchor, the next anticipated cycle is July 2027, with an internal monitoring date of July 1, 2027. Exact 2027 application dates have not been announced in the supplied material. No individual grant contact, email address, telephone number, direct PDF guidelines URL, or previous grant recipient information is provided.

Demonstrate clear impact in the community where applying and alignment with that community's funding priorities. Apply for only one Community Fund grant type and within one community per year. Community Grants are best suited for organizations seeking a smaller grant amount or those earlier in their funding journey with the Community Fund process.