Endowment Challenge Grants

The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation offers the Endowment Challenge Grant to support nonprofit organizations in building endowments in Linn County, Iowa. The matching endowment fund is opened and held at the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation. The program is intended to help nonprofit organizations invest in their missions and long-term futures by developing endowment resources that can provide general operating support, stability during cyclical income variations, and income for areas of high importance to the organization. The Community Foundation also prioritizes grant funding for nonprofit organizations that are deeply engaged in or actively working to improve organizational equity and justice practices. Eligible applicants must hold current 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status and be at least seven years old based on the organization's IRS ruling year. In addition, an applicant must satisfy at least two of four specified Linn County criteria: the organization is based in Linn County; it serves Linn County residents; the awarded Endowment Challenge Grant will serve only Linn County residents; or the organization currently holds one or more nonprofit endowed funds at the Community Foundation that were opened and maintained a balance at or above the $10,000 fund minimum for at least one year before application. Organizations with a core religious mission and organizations failing to meet at least two of the specified criteria are ineligible. Previous Endowment Challenge Grant recipients may reapply when at least five years have elapsed since the preceding matching grant was fully paid and/or its grant award period ended, although first-time applicants are prioritized. The stated request amount is $25,000, and recipients have five years to meet the match. The Community Foundation caps its match per donor according to organizational operating budget. For organizations with operating budgets from $0 to $1 million, the maximum Community Foundation match per donor is $5,000 on a $15,000 donor gift. For organizations with budgets above $1 million through $2 million, the maximum match per donor is $2,500 on a $7,500 donor gift. For organizations with budgets above $2 million, the maximum match per donor is $1,000 on a $3,000 donor gift. There is no minimum contribution size, and every qualifying gift is fully matched up to the applicable maximum per donor. Contributions received before notification of the grant award are not eligible for Community Foundation matching funds. The application requires an updated Organization Profile containing information including the mission statement, charitable status, IRS ruling year, organizational history, key programs, target population, annual number served, employees or FTEs, volunteer support, fiscal year end date, current organizational budget, Board of Director names and professional roles, and board and staff racial and ethnic demographic information. Proposal questions address eligibility and prior Endowment Challenge history, proposal title and summary, leadership and financial management, equity practices, organizational value and community support, peer networks and learning resources, programmatic impact, recent accomplishments, long- and short-term organizational sustainability, leadership succession, and why the current timing is appropriate for an endowment challenge grant. The dollar amount requested in the application is fixed at $25,000. Required document uploads include a Statement of Revenues and Expenses showing actual and budgeted information, a recent Balance Sheet or Statement of Financial Position, and a planning and goals document summarizing the strategic plan or long- and short-term goals agreed upon by the Board of Directors. Uploads must be PDF or JPG files of 1 MB or less. Applicants may also include up to six pages of additional relevant attachments. Submission information requires the first and last name, job title, email address, and preferred phone number for the person who should be contacted regarding the specific application. Applicants are instructed to make any necessary changes to the Organization Profile before starting a new application because the profile is automatically attached to the application PDF after submission. Applications are evaluated on five areas worth up to five points each, for a maximum total score of 25 points. Reviewers consider organization leadership and financial management, organization equity practices, organization and community, organizational impact in the community, and the impact of requested funding. The scoring matrix ranges from 1 for an unacceptable response through 5 for a response that exceeds the criteria. Strong applications should demonstrate governance practices, an appropriate and balanced budget, current organizational demographics, equity commitments in operations and community service, community value and support, effective use of networks and resources, measurable impact, short- and long-term goals, and a clearly stated and appropriate anticipated funding impact. Staff and grant committee members review all application materials, and committee members also receive information about the applicant's Greater Good grant awards during the prior five years and a five-year financial summary from submitted IRS Form 990s. The Endowment Challenge Grant application deadline is Friday, September 11, 2026, at 4:30 p.m. CST. No separate letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, or other pre-application gating deadline is stated in the supplied materials, and no award notification date or recurring annual schedule is specified. Questions may be directed to Rochelle Naylor, Senior Program Officer, at rochelle.naylor@gcrcf.org or 319.774.2373. The source specifies a five-year period to meet the required match but does not provide a separate project performance period. Contributions received before notification of the grant award cannot receive matching funds.

Demonstrate strong governance and an appropriate balanced budget; provide current board and staff demographics; show how equity is embedded in internal operations and community service; demonstrate community value and community support; show effective use of networks and learning resources; document measurable impact and short- and long-term goals; clearly state the anticipated impact of funding; make responses comprehensive and clear enough to meet or exceed every scoring criterion; first-time Endowment Challenge applicants are prioritized over re-applications