Grants

Grants

The Midlands Community Foundation Grant Program, in existence for more than 30 years, provides an opportunity for not-for-profit charitable organizations to secure financial assistance. The Foundation supports programs or projects which will enhance and improve the quality of life for the residents of Sarpy and Cass counties.

The Foundation has a strong commitment toward programs benefiting health, art, culture, community, education, economic development, and human services. Grants are awarded based upon the needs of our service area.

We encourage you to read the eligibility guidelines and application process before preparing an application for a grant.

For more information on Midlands Community Foundation’s Grants Program, contact us at 402-991-8027 or info@midlandscommunity.org, or download the Grant Information and Guidelines brochure.

Grant Eligibility

Organizations seeking Foundation funding must meet the following criteria:

  • The organizations must provide services in the Foundation’s geographic area, specifically Sarpy and Cass counties, to be considered for support.
  • The organization must qualify as a non-profit federally tax exempt organization under the regulations of the United States Internal Revenue Service.
  • As a general rule, the Foundation does not support grant requests for:
    • General operating expenses, debt reduction or general or administrative overhead expenses.
      Direct aid to individuals/families.
    • Projects of religion-based organizations (unless the project is secular and does not give priority or preferential treatment to the religious organization or its members).
    • Political organizations or projects.
    • Dinners, tickets, conferences.
    • Tax supported activities identified by the Foundation as being the responsibility of federal, state and local governments.
    • Organizations with an “active” grant may not apply. An “active” grant is a grant that has been awarded but not expended. This grant will not be considered “closed” until a final report has been received on the project or organization for which the grant was provided.

Supporting Documents

It is important that an organization requesting funds include the following:

  1. Federal tax exemption letter.
  2. Financial statements (audited) for the most recent fiscal year.
  3. Operating budget for the current year, including principal source(s) of income.
  4. Copy of organization’s by-laws.
  5. If applicable, school-based grant requests must submit a written confirmation letter that the proposed program has been reviewed and accepted by the selected school district(s).
Grant Application Process

Deadlines for application are: February 1 and August 1

  1. Complete an online Midlands Community Foundation Grant Application Form.
  2. A grant application form must be completed if the requested amount is greater than $1,000.
  3. All questions on the application form should be answered. Supporting documents are required.
  4. Applications must be submitted online by 5 p.m. on the deadline date (February 1 or August 1).
  5. Application review is approximately 60 days. Grants are awarded two times annually:
    1. April for February deadline
    2. October for August deadline
  6. The grant recipient will be:
    1. required to sign a grant agreement and provide a detailed report as to how the funds were expended.
    2. responsible for arranging appropriate publicity regarding the receipt of the grant.
  7. Misuse of funds will result in a recall of the grant and ineligibility for future grant support.
  8. An organization is limited to one grant application per grant period.