GRANT GUIDELINES

INTRODUCTION

Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation established the Fund for Columbia County in 1998 to help strengthen communities and improve the quality of life for everyone in Columbia County. The fund serves as a resource to help organizations create and implement programs that make life safer, healthier, and more equitable for all residents of the county.

GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY IMPACT

Through its Grants for Community Impact, the fund supports projects, services and organizations that that have a deep, lasting, and positive impact on the residents of Columbia County, with particular emphasis on low-income and/or underserved adults and children. 

Our primary focus areas are youth development, education, services for the elderly, health and social services, and programming that promotes civic and community engagement through arts, culture, and education.  If your project is outside these focus areas, or you are a first-time applicant, please consult with Leila Kaplan (lkaplan@berkshiretaconic.org) before submitting your application. 

GRANT CATEGORIES

Within our Community Impact grant cycle, we offer three distinct categories of grants. An organization may apply for one of these Community Impact grants per year.

Project Grants: The Fund for Columbia County invites applications for new or existing projects, programs or services that directly serve residents of Columbia County. 

Renewal Grants: Applicants whose follow-up reports are in good standing may apply to renew funding for Project Grants for up to 2 years after an initial application is awarded. Renewal is not guaranteed – applications will be reviewed competitively alongside Project and General Operating requests.

General Operating Grants:  Established nonprofits who have successfully completed a previous grant cycle with Berkshire Taconic are invited to apply for General Operating support. Recipients of General Operating support seeking renewed funding should submit a new application.

Organizations providing services in Red Rock should apply to the Quailwood Fund.

ELIGIBILITY

Proposals are considered from nonprofits, civic entities, schools, and community organizations serving the residents of Columbia County who meet the following criteria:

• For Project and Renewal Grants funding, organizations must either be a nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) status or in an established fiscal sponsorship arrangement with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. 
• For General Operating support, organizations must have 501(c)3 status for a minimum of 3 years and have received prior BTCF grant funding.

All applicants must complete follow-up reports for any prior funding before submitting a new application.

Funding will only support full-time residents of Columbia County. If your program serves a wider catchment area, please indicate what percentage of the program will serve Columbia County.

We welcome applications from a single organization or collaborative partnerships. We believe that organizations can achieve more working together than they can alone and that collaborations can save resources and make organizations more powerful in their collective focus. Collaborative applications should be submitted by a single lead organization and include letters of support from all collaborators.

Neither the Fund for Columbia County nor Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation supports organizations which in their constitution, by-laws or practice discriminate against a person or group on the basis of age, race, national origin, ethnicity, gender/gender identity, socioeconomic status, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation or religious belief.

AWARDS

Grants are for one year and generally range from $2,500 to $7,500. Requests for larger amounts will be considered for projects that show exceptional potential for impact. Projects should be executed within 12 months of receiving funding unless arrangements are made with the Foundation to extend the project period,

This program will not fund:

• Annual appeals, fundraising events, capital campaigns, or endowments
• Expenses that have already been incurred
• Bricks and mortar
• Private operating foundations
• For-profit organizations
• Religious organizations (Please note grants may be made to support non-religious, community focused programs provided through faith-based organizations).

We rarely fund one-time events or performances. Longer-term festivals or a performance series should demonstrate significant community engagement.

REPORTING

An assessment of the project’s outcomes will be required once the program or service is complete and before future applications are considered. The Fund for Columbia County strives to insure the most effective programs and services for the grants awarded.

DEADLINE

The application opens on Jan. 1. Applications are due Feb. 15.

REVIEW CRITERIA

Applications will be reviewed using the following criteria:

• Impact: What needs are being addressed? What is the potential impact of the project or service? Is it well conceived? Is it innovative?
• Equity:  Priority will be given to projects that serve underserved and marginalized communities, including populations that are BIPOC, low-income, geographically isolated, LGBTQIA+, living with disabilities, refugees, or immigrants and organizations with BIPOC leadership. 
• Feasibility: Does the applicant demonstrate the capacity to successfully execute the project? Does it involve leaders or organizations with relevant experience? Will there be appropriate staff or volunteers involved? Is it cost effective?

Applications will be reviewed fairly and competitively by the Fund for Columbia County advisory committee. Decisions will be made based on where grants can have the largest impact and leverage. The selected recommendations will be reviewed by Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation’s board of directors.