Fulton County Community Foundation Community Support Grants

The Fulton County Community Foundation offers grant opportunities to support a wide range of community-focused projects and programs within Fulton County, Indiana. The foundation operates under the Northern Indiana Community Foundation and encourages potential applicants to initiate contact with the foundation staff before applying. Prospective applicants are advised to discuss their project ideas by contacting Hannah Bahney, Program Officer, via phone at 574.835.4879 or by email at hannah@nicf.org. The primary purpose of the foundation’s grant program is to enhance the quality of life in Fulton County through targeted financial support across several key areas of community need. The foundation's objectives include addressing unmet needs within the community, fostering innovative solutions, and encouraging collaborative efforts. Its grantmaking is designed to stimulate additional funding sources, promote operational efficiency within charitable organizations, and support projects that can achieve self-sustainability after initial funding. Priority is given to one-time projects or needs. The funding scope of the Fulton County Community Foundation covers a diverse range of sectors. Grants are available for initiatives related to education, health, human services, arts and culture, environmental preservation, community development, recreation, and youth development. The available grant type for programs and projects in Fulton County is the NICF Community Support Grant. This grant is suitable for projects requiring funding ranging from several hundred to several thousand dollars. The foundation aims to distribute grants across multiple organizations to maximize community impact. Importantly, there is no set application deadline for these grants, allowing for flexibility in submission timing. Eligibility for these grants is geographically limited to Fulton County and its communities. The foundation prioritizes activities that reach broad segments of the community, especially those currently underserved, and favors applications requesting seed funding for innovative opportunities. Projects that stimulate additional funding, promote inter-organizational cooperation, and help organizations enhance their effectiveness and self-sustainability are particularly valued. However, the foundation places lower priority on projects where it is the sole funder and does not support ongoing operating budgets or funding for public schools. Certain types of requests are explicitly excluded from consideration. The foundation will not fund projects solely furthering religious objectives, political activities or lobbying, national organizations unless the funds are used exclusively to benefit Fulton County residents, grants that would directly benefit the donor or their family, or contributions to endowments except in cases involving Sustainability Awards. Applicants seeking guidance on other grant funds managed by the foundation are encouraged to contact the foundation staff. There is no formal application deadline, as applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Interested parties should start by contacting the foundation to discuss their project, after which they may proceed with the application process through the designated application page. The foundation does not publicly specify the detailed questions or requirements of the application form. All applicants are encouraged to communicate with the foundation to ensure their projects align with the foundation’s funding priorities and guidelines.

Applicants are encouraged to first contact foundation staff to discuss their project and confirm alignment with funding priorities.