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Guidelines & Deadlines

Note: If you’re looking for the COVID-19 Grantmaking Program, click here

Discretionary grants are available in the spring and fall of each year. The schedule is as follows:

Spring Cycle

February 1 – Letter of Intent becomes available.

March 31 – Letter of Intent is due.

May 1 – Application closes.

Fall Cycle

August 1 – Letter of Intent becomes available.

September 31 – Letter of Intent is due.

November 1 – Application closes.

 

Nonprofit organizations wishing to submit a grant application MUST:

  • Complete a Letter of Intent to apply for a grant
    (Click here to view new application process)
  • After the Letter of Intent is completed, Cathy will contact you to:
    • Determine your agency’s eligibility
    • Talk about your project
    • Schedule a site visit

Once the site visit has been completed, Cathy will confirm your agency’s eligibility and you will receive the next steps regarding the application process.

 


Guidelines for Grants

 

Download Grant Guidelines (PDF)

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley Provides grants in the following designated charitable categories:

  • Education
  • Social Services
  • Health Care
  • Arts and Humanities

Please refer to our annual reports for a listing of grants awarded during the past several years.

  • Grants are made to non-profit agencies located in the Community Foundation service area which includes the Greater Aurora Area, the TriCities, and Kendall County in the State of Illinois.  Consideration is also given to non-profit agencies outside of the service area that can show significant impact on residents within the service area. Churches, congregations, and other member organizations are generally not eligible to apply.
  • Grants shall be made for capital purposes only.
  • Applicants will need to submit evidence of 501(c)(3) and 170(b)(1)(A) tax status.  Please note that 170(b)(1)(A) status is often included on the 501(c)(3) document from the IRS. It is preferred that agencies are tax exempt with the State of Illinois.  All agencies must provide a certificate of tax exemption or a document from the State of Illinois indicating that their request for sales tax exemption was denied.
  • In light of the Community Foundation’s limited resources and in fairness to the many organizations seeking support, former grant recipients are asked to wait at least two full years from the date they received payment of a grant from the Community Foundation before applying for a new grant.
  • The Community Foundation rarely provides the entire support of a project.
  • Grants are not generally available to those agencies and institutions that are funded primarily through tax support.  Grade schools, middle schools, and high schools (both public and private) are not eligible to apply.
  • Community Foundation grants are intended to support charitable projects that utilize companies, firms or vendors whose principal offices are located within the Community Foundation service area.  Since funds that support the Community Foundation Grantmaking Program are received from local donors, every effort should be made to return these grant dollars to the local community.
  • Please note that the Community Foundation Board of Directors reserves the right to amend or to modify the scope of its Grantmaking Policies.
  • By accepting this grant, the grantee agrees that it provides an environment free of harassment or discrimination based on a person’s race, national origin, gender, age, marital status, religion, disability, sexual orientation, genetic conditions or predispositions, certain military and veteran status, or unlawful discrimination for all employees and those served.

I am incredibly grateful for the generosity of the Zari Foundation Scholarship and the Community Foundation in supporting my education. I am majoring in mechanical engineering with a concentration in aerospace engineering at the Rose-Hulman Institue of Technology. In my spare time, I volunteer on campus, in the community and I’m also the principal violist in the symphony orchestra. I hope to make an impact on the next chapter of space exploration by eventually working at a groundbreaking aerospace company such as SpaceX or NASA.

Taytum Newell

Albert M. Zari Scholarship Recipient

YEP has made me realize the importance of being involved in my community, and how to make a difference. There are a lot of problems in the world but if we can do everything that we can to help the world will become a better place. YEP has helped me realize this and encouraged me to help more people in the future.

Madi Porter

YEP Member

YEP was a great experience to have in high school. I became a more confident person, someone with a lot more perspective. Coming from a small school, YEP allowed me to branch out into my community, meet students from other schools, and learn about their backgrounds. I made some great friends and still keep in touch with them today.

Abby Vagnoni

YEP Alumni

Grant funds from the Community Foundation helped provide updated technology. These upgrades were transformative. By creating new time saving processes, it turned us into a more efficient organization.

Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry

Grantee

Education is important to us. We support causes that touch our lives and align with our values. We believe in paying it forward. We are here for a short time,, and it is the next generation that will take on what we leave behind.

Michelle Emanuel

Donor and Past Scholarship Recipient

Give your gift of time and see what it means to the people you impact. Helping others is what life is all about.

Neal Ormond

Donor & Fund Advisor

Being a part of the Community Foundation scholarship committee is the highlight of my year. For many, a scholarship from the CFFRV is the reason they are able to continue reaching for their dreams and changing the future of our world. I hope each recipients knows just how inspirational they are to those of us who are lucky enough to read their stories.

Jessica Breugelmans

Scholarship Committee Member and Board Member

Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

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