Linn County Grants

The Linn County Grant is administered through the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation and supports programs and projects intended to enhance quality of life and community development outside the metropolitan area of Linn County, Iowa. For this program, the metropolitan area consists of Cedar Rapids, Marion, Hiawatha, Robins, and Fairfax. Priority is given to applications from non-metro communities in Linn County. Organizations based in the Cedar Rapids area may still apply when the proposed project benefits non-metro Linn County and the application identifies support and partners within the community being served. The Community Foundation also gives priority to programs that are well designed, responsive to community conditions, innovative, make effective use of community resources, and test or demonstrate solutions to community issues. Both program and capital requests are eligible. A program request is defined as operational, activity, or general programmatic support, while a capital request involves the building or physical improvement of something. The maximum amount that may be requested is $15,000, and the grant duration is 12 months. The guidelines do not state a minimum award, total program funding, number of awards, or a required matching contribution. Ineligible activities include fundraising events and activities, religious activities or efforts supporting an organization's core religious mission, scholarships for primary and secondary education or post-secondary degree programs, expenses occurring before or during the grant review process, travel outside the region, and re-granting funds to other nonprofits. Applicants needing clarification concerning religious activities are directed to the Program Officer. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status, governmental organizations, and non-501(c)(3) organizations that have completed arrangements to obtain a fiscal sponsor. All applicants must have updated their Organization Profile within the preceding 12 months, have an eligible current charitable or governmental status or qualifying fiscal sponsorship arrangement, propose a project serving non-metro Linn County, and certify that the request will not include religious activities or support the organization's core religious mission. Organizations using a fiscal sponsor must provide the sponsor's organization name, EIN and mission, explain why the sponsor was selected and how the relationship and project align with the sponsor's mission, and upload the fiscal sponsorship agreement in PDF format. The application requires applicants to review and update their Organization Profile before starting a new application because the profile is automatically attached to the application PDF after submission. The profile includes the organization's mission, charitable status and IRS ruling year, history, key programs, target population, annual individuals served, employees or FTEs, volunteer support, current fiscal-year budget and fiscal year end, board information, and board and staff demographic information. Proposal information includes a proposal title, two- to three-sentence proposal summary, request type, total project budget, committed funding, requested grant amount, leadership and financial-management narratives, community value, relevant operating-budget information, and descriptions of current and planned organizational equity practices. Program and capital applications then present request-specific narrative questions concerning implementation, timelines, participants or capital needs, community support, and related project considerations. Program applicants must provide a measurable primary objective and explain the evaluation method that will be used to determine how well the objective was achieved. Capital applicants address how space requirements developed, the need for the capital project, any larger project plan or sustainability considerations, and the selection of external services or equipment where applicable. All applicants address anticipated community impact and may provide additional request information. Required document uploads include a completed program or project budget using the Community Foundation template and current financial documentation, including a Statement of Revenues and Expenses and a Balance Sheet. Up to six pages of optional attachments may also be included. Submission information identifies the person the Foundation should contact regarding the application, including first and last name, email address, and preferred phone number, with job title also requested. Applications are evaluated on organization leadership and financial management, organization equity practices, capital project or program development and evaluation details, and community impact. Leadership and financial management and equity practices are each worth up to five points; project or program development and evaluation is worth up to ten points; and community impact is worth up to five points, for a maximum score of 25. Review considerations include governance and financial strength, effective use of community resources and networks, organizational commitment to equity, reasonable implementation timelines, participant reach or capital sustainability, mission or audience expansion, collaborative partnerships, appropriate objectives and evaluation methods for programs, thoughtful selection of external assistance for capital requests, local community value, filling a distinctive need, and alignment with organizational mission and goals. The scoring matrix ranges from an unacceptable response to a response that exceeds criteria through creative, innovative, or added-value elements. The application deadline is Friday, September 11, 2026, at 4:30 p.m. CST. No separate LOI, concept paper, pre-proposal, or other pre-application gating deadline is stated in the supplied guidelines. The source does not provide a specific application opening date, award notification date, or explicit statement that the opportunity recurs annually or on another fixed schedule. The grant duration is 12 months. Staff and grant committee members review application materials, and committee members also receive information concerning Community Foundation Greater Good funded awards to the applicant during the previous five years and a five-year financial summary based on submitted IRS Form 990s. Questions may be directed to Sanjana Raghavan, Program Officer, at sanjana.raghavan@gcrcf.org or 319.200.2279.

Demonstrate strong governance and financial readiness; provide current board and staff demographics and show how equity is reflected in internal operations and community service; clearly explain implementation with reasonable timelines; show how the effort deepens, broadens or expands the organization's mission, programs or audience; identify collaborative partnerships that leverage funding, expertise or programming; for program requests state a clear measurable objective and appropriate evaluation plan; for capital requests demonstrate thoughtful selection of external assistance or equipment and address expansion and sustainability; explain concrete local community value, how the project fills a distinctive place in the sector, and how it aligns with organizational mission and goals.