Capital Region Community Foundation Impact Grants

The Capital Region Community Foundation's Impact Grants are designed to foster long-term organizational or programmatic growth, enhance outreach to underserved communities, and facilitate collaborative efforts among nonprofits for sustainable community change. The foundation's mission aligns with these grants by providing charitable funding to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and other eligible entities for projects predominantly benefiting residents of Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham Counties, Michigan. The grants prioritize initiatives that create significant, lasting change rather than supporting ongoing operational costs. Target beneficiaries for these grants are residents of Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham Counties, Michigan, particularly those in underserved populations. The primary impact goals include increasing the long-term effectiveness of organizations or programs and expanding access and impact to new, high-need populations. Additionally, the grants aim to enable two or more nonprofits to work together to address critical community issues, promoting transformative and sustainable change through collaborative solutions. The program prioritizes projects that significantly increase long-term impact, rather than funding routine expenses. For example, while food for a pantry would not be funded, equipment that enables the pantry to offer healthier options to clients, thereby impacting health, would be considered. Another focus is on significantly increasing an organization's ability to reach underserved populations, distinguishing this from merely serving more people. The grants support expanding successful programs to new, high-need populations. A key strategic priority is fostering collaboration, welcoming applications where multiple organizations partner to implement solutions for critical community issues. Expected outcomes include enhanced organizational capacity, improved reach to marginalized communities, and successful implementation of collaborative, community-driven solutions. Measurable results would likely stem from the specific impacts of these projects, such as the adoption of healthier options in food pantries due to new equipment, the expansion of programs to previously underserved demographics, or the successful execution of joint initiatives by multiple nonprofits leading to tangible community improvements. The foundation's theory of change appears to be that by strategically investing in projects with long-term, impactful, and collaborative approaches, they can drive significant and sustainable positive change within the Capital Region.