Does OCF award grants for operating support?
Yes, but not through our Community Grant program. More than two-thirds of OCF's grant distributions each year support the core operations and programs of nonprofits, but we have relatively little unrestricted funding available, so our Community Grant program focuses on helping community-based nonprofits to expand their programming or strengthen their operations via capacity-building efforts.
Our organization is in the process of applying for 501(c)(3) nonprofit status but we have not yet received it. Can we apply for a grant?
Yes, if your project is currently sponsored by a qualified 501(c)(3) organization. It should be an organization with a mission consistent with yours and the administrative capacity to accept the legal responsibility for the grant and administer it accordingly. A grant cannot simply be passed through the fiscal sponsor.
Can a state-supported educational institution or a government entity apply for a grant even though it is not a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization?
Yes, but it must provide a letter that indicates its tax status and its federal tax ID.
Will you review a draft of our proposal and give us suggestions for improvement?
No. Our staff is small and time is limited. Reviewing some proposal drafts and not others would create an uneven playing field. However, here is information on how to develop a strong grant proposal for our Community Grant program. These guidelines are true of many grant programs, both at OCF and other foundations.
How often can we apply for a grant?
Once per year for each grant program unless the program specifies otherwise.
Can we apply for more than one grant at a time?
You may apply to more than one grant program at a time (for instance, you may submit a Community Grant request at the same time that you submit a Douglas Community Fund request). However, you may not submit more than one Community Grant application at a time. What's more, the Community Grant program will not consider an application from a nonprofit that received a Community Grant in the previous grant cycle.
Does OCF support capital campaigns?
Through the Community Grant program, OCF awards grants for specific capital projects (construction, renovation, equipment, technology, etc.), but does not make general grants that constitute only a small percentage of large capital campaigns. Here is more information about what constitutes a competitive request to the Community Grant program for a capital project.
Does OCF support capacity-building projects to improve a nonprofit organization’s fundraising, marketing, board and staff training, etc.?
Yes. Here is more information about what makes for a competitive capacity-building request of the Community Grant program.
Our organization received an unsolicited grant from an OCF advised fund. Can we apply directly to that fund for another grant?
No. However, if you have received an advised fund grant with information about a fund contact, you may keep in touch with that contact person independently, sharing the results of your efforts. On rare occasions, an advised fund will create a grant program to which you can apply. When this occurs, the program will be listed on our Web site.
Our program is part of a much larger parent organization such as a university or county government. Should we send its full financial report/budget?
No. Information about the annual budget for your department is sufficient.
Our organization received a Community Grant last year. The project is still in need of support. Can we apply for another Community Grant for the same project?
Generally this is not advisable unless you were invited specifically to apply for another year of support. In addition, groups that have already received several grants in recent years may be less competitive than groups that have not received grants.
If a proposal for a Community Grant is declined, can we resubmit the same project later?
It is not advisable to submit the same project unless circumstances have changed that make a project more competitive, such as having additional funding partners, strengthened leadership, improved focus, etc. You should learn why the proposal was rejected before investing time in resubmitting.