Established in October 2004, The Keokuk Area Community Foundation and North Lee Community Foundation receives and invests charitable gifts from donors, individuals, families, businesses, nonprofit organizations and corporations to establish permanent endowments.
We have distributed more than $6,000,000.00 in Grants in the last 7 years.
Our Endowments
An endowment fund, quite simply, is money invested to earn revenue to fund some type of charitable activity.
Income from our Endowments is used to fund grants. Serving Lee County, Hancock County and Clark County.
OrganizationEligibility
We consider grant projects from: 501 (c)(3) organizations from Lee County, Clark County and Hancock County. Government entities for public and charitable purposes
Schools Religious organizations as defined in 170(b)(1)(A) of IRS Code
We do not accept applications from organizations that submit requests for charitable purposes under the umbrella of a 501(c) (3) organization who has agreed to be the Fiscal Sponsor.
GeneralGuidelines
These general guidelines apply to every grant cycle:
One grant per organization per grant cycle
No grants for programs, projects, or purchases that were completed prior to grant funds being awarded. Grants are for one year. Every organization that recieves a grant must submit a grant report. Each of our grant opportunities may have additional guidelines.
Whattypeofprojectsdoweaccept?
New projects and programs from new organizations and former grant recipients.
Projects that will enable non-profit and charitable agencies to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and move toward self-sufficiency.
Projects that address and help resolve important existing or emerging community issues.
Projects that facilitate cooperation and collaboration among organizations and communities in our area.
Capital expenditures, such as construction, remodeling additions to existing buildings, and equipment purchases.
Projects for which other grants have been approved but require matching funds for completion.
InterestAreas
Grant Projects must fall within the following interest areas:
Arts & Culture
Community Betterment
Education
Health
Human Services
Capital and Program Projects
Program: Funding for a specific activity or program that the charitable organization wants to achieve.
Capital: Infrastructure repairs, and new equipment etc…
Grantproposalsnotfunded
Endowment or scholarship funds.
No grants for programs, projects, or purchases that were completed prior to grant funds being awarded.
Annual fund drives or annual giving campaigns-to reduce or erase a budget deficit or any form of a debt reduction campaign.
Capital Campaign Projects are acceptable.
Grants for political campaigns or organizations that directly or indirectly participate in a State, Local or National campaigns for any political party or cause.
Requests for specific sectarian religious purposes (however, requests from religious organizations will be considered for general community and humanitarian programs).
Capital Projects are usually granted to religious organizations.
HellmanLeeCountyIMPACTGrant
Eligibility: Lee County 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organizations only.
Municipalities, churches, and schools with charitable intent will be considered for grants.
The Lee County 501 (c)(3) organization must have a Lee County Iowa address.
Amounts Awarded: Grants awarded up to $100,000. Organizations can apply for grants ranging from $25,000 to $100,000.
HellmanLeeCountyIMPACTGrant
The goal of the Hellman Lee County Impact Grant is to make an immediate Impact for Lee County. The project must occur in Lee County.
Capital Projects: Grant awards would assist organizations with the upkeep and/or repair of buildings and facilities, the purchase of new equipment and/or upgrades, the replacement of existing equipment, and the purchase of new equipment and technology.
Program Projects: Grant awards may be used to establish new programs or initiatives and/or to support the growth and expansion of existing programs and activities.
Administrative Support: An IMPACT grant could be awarded to hire new professional staff to convert an existing part-time staff member to a full-time position (for a specified period).
GrantWritingTip1:ReadtheGuidelines
Application Review
Applications reviewed by the volunteer grant committee compossed of board members.
Each grant cycle has a different grant committee.
Grant committee members sign a conflict of interest.
Final approval by The Keokuk Area Community Foundation, North Lee Community Foundation and Lee County Charitable Fund Board of Directors.
Recurring grants for the same program are accepted.
No grants for programs, projects, or purchases that were completed prior to grant funds being awarded.
Grants are for a period of one year.
Current IRS Determination Letter.
GrantWritingTip1:ReadtheGuidelines
REVIEW the entire Grant Guidelines before you begin.
Be clear & concise. SPECIFIC projects are more likely to be funded.
Include letters of support.
WHAT IS YOUR ORGANIZATION’S PROJECT? Most important.
Have the Community Foundation review your application before you submit. CALL US, DON’T EMAIL FOR REVIEW.
Many grant proposals include flowery, emotional language in their needs section. To demonstrate the gap their nonprofit aims to bridge, many grant proposal writers make the mistake of writing emotive sections without including statistics. This is a significant problem because emotional stories and flowery language are difficult to evaluate. They’re ambiguous. It’s easier to score when statistics and sources are included that support the need.
Example: Suppose you are writing a grant proposal for a food delivery program for senior citizens. In this case, you should include data on the senior citizens’ income and the cost of living. These statistics can be scored more easily than a hypothetical story about how senior citizens have difficulty affording food. You can share stories and testimonials, but it is essential to also include some real numbers (and real stories) and include citations.
GrantWritingTip3:TheBudget
Write the Budget FIRST!
The budget is usually the last thing requested in a grant application, and people like to work linearly, but the budget guides your application. Many grant professionals fear the budget—they may feel more confident in their writing abilities than in figuring out numbers. However, once you become more comfortable with grants, you will notice the budget is an integral part of the storytelling!
The budget helps you asses the need for your program and draft goals and objectives. Once you have those completed, determine how much funding you need to achieve your objectives.
GrantWritingTip4:CreateATeam
Behind every successful grant professional is a grant proposal writing team!
Executive Director: They need to approve your objective and budget before you write the grant proposal. We have seen too many grant professionals get an idea and write an entire grant that is later overthrown by the executive director (and often at the last minute). After all, they must approve any program they’ll ultimately have to oversee. Plus, having buy-in from the executive director will help ensure the other people on the grant team will give you their items on time.
Accountant/Bookkeeper: Yes, you need the numbers folks on your team too. They have information on human resources, pay increases, item prices, and so much more. For example, if you need to hire a project director for the grant, they will know the pay rate, benefits, and so much more.
Grant Coordinator: It helps to have someone else who can reach out to partners for letters of support, research background data, and keep track of items.
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If someone else from your organization has created an account for this site but you have not created your own account yet, reach out to the site's administrator. They can create an account for you that will be connected to your organization in the site.
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Click Preview for any grant opportunity on the page if you would like to view the first form without starting a grant request.
Click Apply for a grant opportunity when you are ready to start a request.
You will arrive at the first form which is the grant application. If there is a deadline to submit the form, it is listed at the top of this page.
You will receive a confirmation message when your form is successfully submitted. Click Continue.
Manage Your Applications / Dashboard
There are three columns on your Dashboard.
Action Needed - Contains your draft requests and any approved requests that still need action.
No Action - Contains requests that do not need further action from the applicant as administrators process the request.
Historical - Contains any of your other requests that are no longer active.
