Et cetera : Benton County Community Foundation’s Grant Application Available

Grant applications can now be submitted to the Benton County Community Foundation's (BCCF) 2023 grant cycle with a deadline to submit applications by 5:00 p.m. on Oct. 15. Technical support will be available to applicants until 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 13. The online grant application can be found on the BCCF's website at www.bentonccf.org.

Grants are awarded to projects within the program areas of arts and culture, community betterment, education and youth development, environment and animal welfare, health and human service. Grant recipients will be announced in December.

Grants are available to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and government entities. Tax-exempt organizations classified as other than 501(c)(3) are also eligible, if and only if, the project is deemed charitable; please contact Dotti Thompson at 319-243-1358 or dthompson@cfneia.org to discuss the project's eligibility prior to submitting a proposal. Grants selections are made in an effort to create a better quality of life for people in Benton County. A local impact committee reviews the applications from charitable organizations serving their community.

The BCCF, an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa (CFNEIA), is also seeking new volunteers to serve on its impact committee beginning in January 2024. The impact committee position description and volunteer interest form can be found at www.cfneia.org/volunteer. Individuals may complete a volunteer self-interest form or may nominate someone else, such as a colleague, community leader or friend, to connect the Community Foundation with to explore their interest in serving as a volunteer. The deadline to submit a volunteer interest form for initial consideration is Oct. 15.

The impact committee seeks to understand the needs of Benton County to ensure alignment between those needs and Foundation grants. The primary function and responsibility of the committee is to invest in nonprofits through the discretionary grant process, which distributes over $100,000 annually. The committee will implement best practices in grantmaking, uphold trust-based practices and reflect CFNEIA's values in grant decision-making with the goal of maximizing the impact of those grants. The committee works closely with CFNEIA staff to collaboratively achieve shared goals.

Since 2005, the BCCF has awarded over $1.6 million in grants from all charitable giving funds of the Foundation.

Questions about volunteering may be directed to Shanda Hansen, director of affiliate impact at the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, at shansen@cfneia.org or 319-243-1357.

More information about the BCCF can be found at www.bentonccf.org.

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The Benton County Community Foundation is a local organization making grant investments to organizations that create a stronger and more vibrant quality of life in Benton County and helps people establish permanent endowment funds for the causes they care about in their community. The Benton County Community Foundation is an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, a nonprofit committed to creating long-term impact in 20 counties in northeast Iowa. For more information, contact 319-287-9106 or visit www.cfneia.org. CFNEIA is confirmed in compliance with national standards for U.S. community foundations.