Nonprofits invited to learn how to win grants
A Community Foundation for Greater Rome workshop will share what they are looking for when they award funding.
The Community Foundation for Greater Rome will hold a grant-writing workshop on Aug. 15 to help prepare local 501(c)3 organizations to submit applications for CFFGR grants that are due Sept. 1.
“Through the generosity of donors, the Community Impact Fund allows the foundation to make grants to the most pressing and relevant needs in Rome and Floyd County,” said Joel Snider, chairman of the board of directors, in a press release.
CFFGR Executive Director Ashley Ellington said it’s not clear how many grants will be awarded this fall. “We’re asking for proposals between now and the first of September,” Ellington said. Last year the foundation made a $50,000 grant to Restoration Rome for their work to make physical improvements to the old Southeast Elementary School which now serves as the base of operations for the organization which is leading the fight to improve the plight of the many children from Floyd County who are in foster care.
Ellington said a volunteer citizen task force will review and vet the applications and will make their recommendations to the CFFGR Board of Directors for final selection.
“I think grants could potentially range from $5,000 up to $50,000,” Ellington said. “The point of the seminar is to try to enhance the understanding among nonprofits about what we are looking to fund.”
She said the seminar will help nonprofits grasp what it is that is attractive to the CFFGR and other foundations as well. “Foundations, generally speaking, tend to fund similar style projects and they want to know that a nonprofit is sustainable. Not many applications are going to be attractive if they are just for pure operating costs,” Ellington said. “What’s really attractive are when nonprofits are able to collaborate together as well. How well are they cooperating with other agencies around town to try to address a specific problem?”
Ellington said funds will be awarded in late November.
The grant workshop will be held at the Rome Floyd Chamber at 5 p.m. on Aug. 15. For more information or to RSVP for the seminar, contact Ashley Ellington at 706-728-3453 or aellington@cffgr.org.