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Grant Criteria & Principles
How Does An Organization Apply For A Grant?
Interested parties are encouraged to contact the Foundation to discuss their organization projects or needs. Foundation staff members are available to provide further details on the grantmaking process and can provide information needed to submit a proposal.
Grant applications are accepted from organizations recognized as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code and that serve the greater Muskegon area.Applications are accepted at specific times each calendar year. Please contact Foundation staff for grant application dates. Applicants must discuss proposal ideas with Foundation staff and receive additional information before submitting a grant application. The grant process takes approximately 3 months from proposal submission to notification on the status of project funding.
Criteria for Grantmaking
Grant applications will be evaluated in part on the following organizational characteristics:
- Staff capacity/organizational capacity to complete project
- Sound fiscal policy and responsible financial management
- Board of Directors and staff composition that reflects the organization’s constituencies and ability to complete the proposed project
- Capacity to measure results and conduct program evaluation
- Evidence of collaboration and cooperation with other organizations where appropriate
- Understanding of and ability to describe the relationship between the proposed project and other services and service providers within the community
- A base of community and organizational financial and program support
Foundation staff and Grant Review Committee volunteers carefully review all applications. The Board of Trustees makes all final funding decisions.
The Community Foundation for Muskegon County accepts and administers gifts from many sources to help meet the needs of the community. Some Foundation grants are discretionary, while other grants are competitive with applications reviewed by independent grantmaking committees. Some grants are made from Funds designated by donors for specific organizations and institutions.
The Foundation serves two important constituencies: support for donors to optimize their charitable interests, and not-for-profit organizations to support a wide range of services that benefit the community.
Grant Making Principles
Core Grantmaking Principles of the Foundation include the following:- To encourage programs which are collaborative, comprehensive and have potential for sustainability.
- To encourage leveraging and matching grant opportunities from multiple funding sources.
- To provide start up or “seed” funding for innovative projects.
- To focus on the prevention of problems where possible rather than the cure.
The Community Foundation for Muskegon County generally makes one-time grant commitments. Longer term commitments may be considered for initiatives that show exceptional promise for community impact.
We encourage you to call and talk with a member of our Program Staff before you prepare and submit a proposal. All proposals are accepted via our online grant application process, Community Investment. For more information on Community Investment, click here.
To discuss your grant application interests, please contact either:
Gina Van Bruggen
Marcy Joy
