Nonprofit Grant Guidelines

Guidelines for Grant Seekers

We enhance the health, hope, and happiness of residents in our community through building endowments, addressing community challenges and opportunities, and making grants to not-for-profit organizations. By supporting charitable organizations in a variety of areas, the foundation helps to build a stronger, healthier community.

All grant requests are carefully evaluated while considering the needs and opportunities in our area, as well as the available resources. Priority is given to those projects or programs that show potential for providing the maximum benefit to Lenawee community members.

The charitable funds that we manage are as varied as the donors. Almost all funds are restricted in some manner, and thus most are not available through the competitive process of submitting a request for funding. Some are restricted to specific organizations, and some are recommended by the donors. Other funds may specify a field of interest but leave the funding decisions to the Foundation’s Board of Directors. A limited amount of funds is unrestricted and may be utilized to support a broad range of not-for-profits benefiting the Lenawee County community. All grants are approved by the Board of Directors.

Service Area
Consideration is given to organizations, projects, or programs that provide direct benefit to residents of Lenawee County, Michigan.

Eligibility
Organizations must be not-for-profit and provide benefits in the areas of civic, cultural, health, education, or social services. Applicant organizations seeking or receiving board-designated grants exceeding $2,000 in any calendar year must submit an Intent to Apply and complete a precertification process thirty days before the due date of any grant for which the nonprofit would like to apply.

Deadlines/Notification Dates
Because of restrictions placed on many of the distributions from funds held by the Lenawee Community Foundation, specific types of grants are considered one time per year, as follows:

We are proud to announce that the Lenawee Community Foundation is now accepting applications for Knight Fund Grants.

The V.C. and Velma Knight Memorial Fund awards grants addressing basic needs, health, and human services in Lenawee County. Grant requests will be reviewed by Foundation staff and the Knight Fund Grants Committee prior to submission to the Board of Directors for approval. To honor the donors’ wishes and achieve the greatest good, highest consideration will be given to programs that:

This year grant applications will be submitted electronically. To apply please visit: https://goapply2.akoyago.com/lenaweecf. If you have any questions, contact Lenawee Community Foundation today! Grants are due by August 1.

We are honored to continue the work Mr. and Mrs. Knight along with their daughter started. Their legacy has created a lasting impact for every one of us.

Application Process
If you contact us before submitting a funding request, we will offer information about funding history, grant guidelines, and the application and review process. We will advise prospective applicants of the best match between the grant(s) available and the program for which they intend to request funding, as well as release the current grant application to the nonprofit, which must be utilized. Funding requests will be reviewed by our staff and the appropriate grant committee before submission to the Board. All grants will be approved by the Board of Directors.

Funding Strategies
To make the best use of available funding, the Lenawee Community Foundation will give the highest consideration to projects or programs that:

• Address high-priority, identified community needs.
• Have the potential to make sustainable, positive change in the quality of life in Lenawee County.
• Leverage resources through funding partnerships, matching grants, or sharing of other resources.
• Are creative and innovative.
• Can be sustained without continued funding from the Community Foundation.
• Improve the quality of charitable organizations using more efficient or effective operations.
• Encourage collaboration and cooperation among charities, and do not duplicate existing services.
• Encourage volunteerism and civic, or community involvement.

Requests That Are Generally Not Funded
While we remain flexible in addressing many areas of needs within Lenawee County, the following types of requests will generally not be considered for funding:

• Programs or services from outside Lenawee County that do not provide substantial benefits to Lenawee residents.
• Requests previously denied by the Lenawee Community Foundation.
• Grants to individuals except scholarships administered through educational institutions.
• Religious organizations except for those services provided on a secular basis, which are available to persons without regard to religious preference.
• Services that are generally considered to be governmental or school obligations.
• Efforts which will require a commitment for long-term financial support.

Applications
Accepted only from not-for-profit organizations. Organizations should submit the current application, including the cover page, narrative, budget, and required attachments.

Inquiries for funding should be delivered to our office or mailed to:
Lenawee Community Foundation
1440 W. Maumee St.
Adrian, MI 49221

Have Questions?

Contact us for additional information or help.