Racial Justice Grant

The Racial Justice Grants 2025 initiative is funded and managed by the Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine, a philanthropic organization dedicated to fostering equity and inclusion in southeastern Iowa. This grant program supports the advancement of racial justice, equity, and inclusion specifically in Muscatine and Louisa Counties. The foundation seeks to empower charitable organizations that are actively engaged in reducing barriers to racial equity and promoting inclusive practices centered on the needs of the most marginalized populations in the region. A total of $50,000 in funding is available through this grant cycle. While there is no specified cap on individual grant requests, the average award size is approximately $10,000. Successful applicants are required to submit a final report within 10 months of receiving the grant. The foundation also provides an additional 10 percent to each grant award for operational expenses. Funding is allocated based on a scoring system until the full pool of grant money is distributed. Eligible applicants include qualified charitable organizations, schools, and governmental units that are either located in or significantly serve the Muscatine and Louisa County areas. Individuals and businesses are not permitted to apply directly. The grant program prioritizes applications from organizations led by people of color, those involved in strategic collaborations, and those that address multiple issues or serve multiple communities. The grant application is evaluated based on several criteria including alignment with the purpose of furthering racial justice, clarity in defining the demographic benefits, and alignment with three key priorities. Reviewers score each application on a scale that influences the percentage of funding awarded. A score of 95 percent or above results in full funding, while lower scores receive progressively reduced funding, and applications scoring below 60 percent are not funded. Applicants are evaluated on their organizational leadership and board diversity, strategic collaboration with other entities, and the extent to which their proposed work addresses interconnected issues or communities related to racial justice. The Community Foundation employs a structured scoring rubric that incorporates qualitative and quantitative assessments across each of these areas. Interested applicants are encouraged to reach out to Rebecca Harden-Jones, the Programs Manager, for questions or additional information. She can be contacted at programsmanager@givinggreater.org or via phone at 563-264-3863. The specific opening and closing dates for the application were not provided in the source document.