Douglas County Affiliate Grantmaking Program

The Douglas County Affiliate Grantmaking Program is offered by the Douglas County Community Foundation, which works to improve the quality of life for individuals in Douglas County through grantmaking and community leadership. The foundation is governed by a Board of Directors selected for their knowledge of the area, while grant decisions are made by the grant committee. As a community foundation, it conducts flexible community grantmaking intended to address important community needs as they arise. Funding is made possible through unrestricted and field-of-interest funds established by charitable donors as well as dollars raised by the Douglas County Community Foundation. The program supports organizations serving Douglas County. Applicants may request up to $2,000 during the fall grant cycle. The application identifies three broad fields of work for proposed programming: Arts, Culture, History and Community Beautification; Education and Youth Services; and Health, Human Services and the Environment. Applicants must explain the community need addressed by the request, who will be impacted, the goals of the project, and the geographic and financial scope of the overall program. If the request is one component of a larger program, the applicant must explain the component that the grant would support. Multi-county projects must specifically describe the portion that will serve Douglas County. The source does not establish a required matching or cost-sharing contribution. Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) organizations and other IRS-approved entities, specifically including government entities, school districts, and churches, that serve Douglas County. Organizations serving Douglas County are encouraged to apply. A restriction applies between the foundation's spring and fall grant rounds: an agency selected as a recipient in the Douglas County Community Foundation spring grant round is not eligible to receive funding in the fall grant cycle. The funder also states that its affiliates will not discriminate based on race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or veteran status. Grantees are subject to the same nondiscrimination requirements when using grant funds, including in employment practices and policies and procedures governing access to services. The application requests an Employee Identification Number, an organization purpose statement, information about recent program success, a project name, the requested amount, and selection of the proposed program field of work. Applicants must provide a request description addressing community need, people impacted, and project goals; describe the scope of the project; explain future funding plans; and describe how an award would be publicized. Financial information includes an annual agency budget or, if the agency does not maintain one, a document outlining anticipated budgetary goals for the coming year. Applicants must also complete a project budget showing expense descriptions, proposed amounts to be funded by the grant, and program costs outside the request. Additional budget clarification may be supplied, and applicants must identify current or anticipated other funding sources. The application system counts letters, numbers, spaces, and punctuation toward the stated character limits. Required documentation includes the annual agency budget or anticipated budgetary goals document and the agency's EIN confirmation letter. Applicants may provide optional additional information. Visual materials such as photographs, bid sheets, and diagrams may also be uploaded, and proposals strengthened by partnerships may include letters from partners confirming the relationship and the partners' roles. Additional relevant information must be combined into a single document, preferably a PDF. The application also permits applicants to invite collaborators with View, Edit, or Submit permissions. To complete the process, the applicant must click the submit button, after which a confirmation email is issued when the application has been successfully received. Applications for the fall cycle are due by 11:45 p.m. on September 30, 2026. No separate letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, or other pre-application gating requirement is identified in the supplied materials. The sources do not provide an award notification date or performance period. The materials refer to both spring and fall grant rounds, establishing a recurring grantmaking structure, although they do not provide the dates for the next round. Questions about the grant program may be directed to Diana Middleton at dmiddleton15@gmail.com. Questions about the application process or technical issues may be directed to Noel Davis at ndavis@cfozarks.org or 417-864-6199.

Focus the request on a demonstrated Douglas County community need, clearly identify who will be impacted and the project goals, and explain the specific Douglas County component when a project serves multiple counties. Clearly identify what portion of a larger program the requested grant would fund. Observe all character limits and upload requirements. Enter an integer in every box on the first line of the project budget, even when the applicable amount is zero, and click Submit to complete the application.