The Grand Island Community Foundation’s grant proposal deadline is Tuesday November 1, at 4 p.m.

Grants range from $50 to $5,000 depending on the project and availability of funds. Last year the Foundation granted over $3,000,000 to charitable organizations in Central Nebraska. To apply please visit the grants tab. 

The Grand Island Community Foundation (GICF) grant program is designed to help address unmet charitable needs and unique program opportunities for essential and emerging issues in the Hall County area. The foundation provides grants to the community through named funds and designated grant-making funds, established to support community organizations and projects. Grant-making funds have been established to support arts and culture, basic needs, children and youth, community enrichment, health, and education in the Hall County area.

Additionally, the Community Foundation has a grantmaking fund designated specifically for the Cairo Area. The Harold R. Dunlap Fund was established in 1997 and is supporting charitable organizations and projects in and around Cairo. To apply for the Dunlap Fund, please fill out a grant application which can be found under the grants tab.

“Our grant cycles are funded by several local funds which allow the Grand Island Community Foundation to continue to do influential work in our community,” said Melissa DeLaet, Grand Island Community Foundation CEO. GICF holds 159 named funds that award grants and scholarships and allow donors to advise the foundation on charitable causes that interest them. Donor-advised funds have been a philanthropic option for nearly a century and have long been a staple of community foundations. Donor-advised funds are designed for donors who want to be actively involved in philanthropy and prefer the flexibility to respond to the needs in the community as they arise.

Over the years GICF’s grants have went to help a variety of causes and impacted many lives. One of the projects supported during the last grant cycle went to help with the construction of a tornado storm shelter for 150 children at the Hall County Head Start Facility. The new shelter will give parents confidence that their children have a safe place to go in case of a weather emergency. Another project that was supported was GROWing in Grand Island. This project went to provide low income entrepreneurs and business owners’ opportunities to expand, provide Grow Nebraska scholarships, improve retail facilities in the Conestoga Mall, and improve the State Fair commercial building.

“We are proud to partner not only with our local non-profits but with the donors who build Grand Island,” said Melissa DeLaet. If you have a project that needs funding please visit www.gicf.org and click on the grants tab.