The Foundation accepts proposals, on a quarterly basis, for the following types of grants.

Program or Project Support--  A majority of the Foundation's grants support a specific program or project that consists of a connected set of activities (with a beginning and an end), explicit objectives, and a predetermined cost. Project grants are restricted grants and must be used for that project.  In general, project grants are given to support activities aligned with the Foundation's funding priorities and related to the mission of the organization receiving the money.  Following are the most common examples of project grants:

• Program Activity Grants-  These grants support specific programs implemented to achieve the grantee organization's mission.  These are the most common type of Foundation support and can be used to cover both personnel and other than personnel services for these activities.  Examples include:  a youth program (focused on violence prevention) seeking support for counselors; a community development corporation seeking support to build low-income housing; and/or a local food pantry seeking funds for supplies.

• Planning Grants-  If your organization is planning a major new program, you may need to spend a good deal of time and money just figuring out what it will look like.  Before you can even write a proposal to fund the new effort, you may want to research the needs of your constituents, consult with experts in the field, or conduct other planning activities.  A planning grant supports such initial project development work.

• Seed-money or Start-up Grants-  A start-up grant helps a new organization or program in its first few years.  The idea is to give the new effort a strong push forward, so it can devote its energy early on to setting up programs without worrying constantlyl about raising money.  Such grants are often for more than one year, and frequently decrease in amount each year.  The Foundation assumes that the new organization will begin to raise other funds to replace the decreasing start-up grant.

• Capacity Building Grants-  Unlike most project grants, a technical assistance (or capacity building) grant does not directly support the grantee's mission-related activities.  Instead, it supports the charity's management or administration- fundraising, marketing, financial management, facilities management, etc.  Such a grant migh help the organization implement a new management information system, conduct an evaluation/needs assessment, or develop a marketing plan.

General Operating Support--  These grants can be used to support the general (core) expenses of operating an organization, including staff and other expenses (like rent, utilities, etc.).  A general support grant means the Foundation supports your work because it advances the Foundation's mission.  General support requests may only be submitted by organizations located in Pottawattamie County.  All general support requests must:  1) describe how the funding support will build organizational capacity and/or contribute to the organization's sustainability; 2) describe how the organization's work advances the Foundation's mission and priorities; 3) identify the organization's current strategic goals.  Funds may not be used for paying debts or contributing to endowments.  Typically, general support grants will be limited to a total of six (6) consecutive years.