Future Fund Grants

The Community Foundation of Abilene, a public foundation dedicated to enhancing life in the Abilene, Texas area, administers the Future Fund grant program to support initiatives focused on children and youth. The Future Fund is driven by a membership base whose donations help sustain a dedicated endowment that provides annual grant funding to nonprofit organizations working to address youth needs within Abilene and Taylor County. Eligible applicants for the Future Fund grant must be 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations or qualifying public entities such as K–12 schools, government entities requesting funds for charitable purposes, or faith-based organizations conducting community-wide youth programs. All applicants must serve the youth population of Abilene and Taylor County. Organizations that have previously received a Future Fund grant must submit a completed evaluation report through the Foundation’s online system before reapplying. Funding requests are accepted for up to $2,500 per organization, with a focus on initiatives that present practical community solutions, demonstrate sustainability, foster collaboration among nonprofits, encourage volunteerism, and align with emerging or preventative needs affecting local youth. Although organizations may apply for funding in consecutive years, the Foundation advises against developing a dependency on this grant cycle. Multi-year requests are not supported. The Foundation employs an online grant management platform, Foundant GLM, for all submissions. Applicants must use this system to complete and submit application materials, including required uploads such as the organization’s operating budget and a board of directors list. First-time applicants must also include their IRS tax determination letter. Paper submissions are not accepted. The application window for Future Fund grants opens on September 15 and closes on November 1. The Foundation conducts application reviews through November, with award notifications issued around mid-December. Selected grantees may be contacted for additional information or asked to participate in a site visit or presentation during the review process. All grant recipients are required to complete an online evaluation via Foundant GLM to report on the impact of their funded activities. Failure to submit a required evaluation will disqualify the organization from applying for future grants. Additional application resources, including previews of application components and evaluation forms, are available on the Foundation’s website.

Do not submit paper applications; submit evaluation before reapplying; avoid dependency on funding.