The unique role of a community foundation is to conduct a flexible community grantmaking program which addresses the most important needs of the community at any one time. The flexibility this requires is made possible by charitable donors who established unrestricted or field-of-interest funds and place the decision-making in the hands of the community leaders serving on the Board of Directors as well as dollars raised by the TRLCF.
The TRLCF has a primary interest in supporting institutions and projects that provide vital community services. The TRLCF will consider applications for operating expenses if the applicant can demonstrate how the grant will help stabilize the organization and will implement plans to achieve sustainable funding on a continuing basis. The TRLCF also has strong interests in projects that provide innovative solutions for existing and emerging community needs as well as projects which encourage collaboration between local organizations. While these are areas of strong interest to the TRLCF, requests need not be limited to these interests.