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Please click on one of the links below for more information.
General Grantmaking
Competitive Grant Cycle
Scholarships
General Grantmaking
Do you make grants to individuals?
The Community Foundation only makes grants to 501(c)(3) chartiable organizations, educational institutions, and governmental entities.
Can our organization apply to a Donor Advised Fund?
Grants from Donor Advised funds are made as a result of recommendations from the fund's Donor Advisors. While the Community Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals for such funds, we may highlight your organization's needs in the monthly e-newsletter we distribute to our donor advisors (see below).
Will you tell donors about the offerings and needs of our nonprofit organization?
Each month we send an e-newsletter to our fund advisors. The Community Foundation would be pleased to spotlight your Northern Colorado nonprofit agency in this communication piece. Simply complete our online request form.
Competitive Grant Cycle
How can our agency apply for funding?
To apply for a grant from the Community Foundation, an organization must be a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that directly serves residents of Larimer County. The Community Foundation's competitive grant program begins July 1 when we post the Letter of Inquiry application guidelines; the deadline for submission of Letters of Inquiry (LOIs) is typically the last week of July. Funding decisions are typically completed by late November. A nonprofit agency may submit one Letter of Inquiry for our annual competitive grant cycle. All LOIs must be submitted online using our online application tool (links are posted on July 1 of each year). Please do not mail, fax, or personally deliver any hard copies of your LOI or related materials. Please see the Apply for a Grant page for specific details and deadlines regarding this year's competitive grant cycle.
What is the average size of competitive grant awards in recent years?
The size of our competitive grant awards varies a great deal, depending on the size of the fund and the assessment of need. Please keep in mind that less than 5% of our annual grant and program distributions are made as a result of our annual competitive grant cycle. However, we would be pleased to spotlight your Northern Colorado nonprofit agency at any time throughotu the year through our monthly enewsletter. Simply complete our online request form.
Should we contact the Community Foundation to ensure that our Letter of Inquiry was received?
Once you submit your LOI using our online tool, an email message confirming receipt of your submission will be sent to the address you provided. The email is generated automatically so you should receive it soon after your submission. Please be sure to check your spam filter to ensure that the confirmation email was not quarantined.
Should we contact the Community Foundation to ask questions about the competitive grantmaking process?
Thanks in part to helpful feedback from nonprofit agencies, this website provides answers to the most frequently asked questions posed by grant seekers. We encourage you to carefully review the Apply for a Grant page and each of the questions on this page. In the event that you are not able to locate an answer to your question, please email your inquiry to applications@CommunityFoundationNC.org. Your email should clearly state your name, your phone number, your question, and the name of the organization you represent.
Scholarships
How do I apply for a scholarship?
Most of our scholarships are coordinated directly through local high schools. Graduating high school seniors should contact the scholarship coordinator at their school to determine eligibility for any of the Foundation's scholarship programs. A few of our scholarships are coordinated directly through Colorado State University, service organizations, churches, or community committees. Because the Community Foundation doesn’t directly collect or coordinate any applications, students currently enrolled in college should contact the CSU or Front Range Community College financial aid offices for more information on scholarship availability.
If I receive a scholarship, how and when does the money get sent to my school?
You will receive a form from the Community Foundation, which you must complete and return as soon as possible. Typically the forms are mailed to scholarship recipients by mid-June. If you return your form by mid-July, your scholarship will be mailed to your university by mid-August. Forms received after August 1 will be processed as quickly as possible, with the check typically sent to your university within two weeks of the date your form is received at the Community Foundation. Please be aware that it may take an educational institution 2-4 weeks to complete its scholarship processing procedure. You should make sure that your form is submitted to the Community Foundation office as promptly as possible to avoid delays in having the scholarship funds transferred to your student account.
May I contact the donors who provide the funds for my scholarship?
The Foundation encourages recipients to contact their scholarship donors to express their appreciation. However, some scholarships are set up as memorials, leaving only the Community Foundation to accept your gratitude.