NOTE: Contact your local office to discuss your specific project. Applications for this program are accepted year round.

What does this program do?

This program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings.

What is an eligible area?

Rural areas including cities, villages, townships and towns including Federally Recognized Tribal Lands with no more than 20,000 residents according to the latest U.S. Census Data are eligible for this program.

How may funds be used?

Funds can be used to purchase, construct, and / or improve essential community facilities, purchase equipment and pay related project expenses.

Examples of essential community facilities include:

• Health care facilities such as hospitals, medical clinics, dental clinics, nursing homes or assisted living facilities.
• Public facilities such as town halls, courthouses, airport hangars or street improvements.
• Community support services such as child care centers, community centers, fairgrounds or transitional housing.
• Public safety services such as fire departments, police stations, prisons, police vehicles, fire trucks, public works vehicles or equipment.
• Educational services such as museums, libraries or private schools.
• Utility services such as telemedicine or distance learning equipment.
• Local food systems such as community gardens, food pantries, community kitchens, food banks, food hubs or greenhouses.

Grant Approval

Applicant must be eligible for grant assistance, which is provided on a graduated scale with smaller communities with the lowest median household income being eligible for projects with a higher proportion of grant funds. Grant assistance is limited to the following percentages of eligible project costs:

Maximum of 75 percent when the proposed project is:

• Located in a rural community having a population of 5,000 or fewer; and
• The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 60 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.

Maximum of 55 percent when the proposed project is:

• Located in a rural community having a population of 12,000 or fewer; and
• The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 70 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.

Maximum of 35 percent when the proposed project is:

• Located in a rural community having a population of 20,000 or fewer; and
• The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 80 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income.

Maximum of 15 percent when the proposed project is:

• Located in a rural community having a population of 20,000 or fewer; and
• The median household income of the proposed service area is below the higher of the poverty line or 90 percent of the State nonmetropolitan median household income. The proposed project must meet both percentage criteria. Grants are further limited.

Making community possible

At U.S. Bank, we are dedicated to supporting our communities through responsive and humbled actions focused on addressing racial and economic inequities and creating lasting change in our communities. Through our Community Possible Grant Program, we are partnering with organizations that focus on economic and workforce advancement, safe and affordable housing and communities connected through arts and culture.

The U.S. Bank Foundation is committed to making Community Possible through Work, Home and Play. We advance this work through collaborative grant making to bring equitable and lasting change through our focus on sustainable, high-impact funding with 501c3 nonprofit partners.

Home

Children and families are better positioned to thrive and succeed in a home that is safe and permanent. Access to sustainable low-income housing is increasingly challenging for low- to moderate-income families. In response, our giving supports efforts that connect individuals and families with sustainable housing opportunities.

Access to safe, affordable energy-efficient housing

We provide financial support to assist people in developing stability in their lives through access to safe, sustainable and accessible homes. Examples of grant support include:

• Organizations that preserve, rehabilitate, renovate or construct affordable housing developments for low- and moderate-income families, individuals, seniors, veterans, and special-needs populations
• Organizations that provide transitional housing as a direct stepping stone to permanent housing
• Organizations that focus on veterans housing and homeownership
• Construction of green homes for low- and moderate-income communities
• Clean energy retrofit programs for low- and moderate-income housing developments
• Organizations that provide access to renewable energy
• Improving waste management systems to include recycling and composting programs

Homeownership education

Owning and maintaining a home requires significant financial knowledge, tools and resources. We support programs that assist low- and moderate-income homebuyers and existing homeowners. Examples of grant support include:

• Homebuyer education
• Pre- and post-purchase counseling and coaching
• Homeownership-retention programs designed to provide foreclosure counseling

Work

We know that a strong small business environment and an educated workforce ensure the prosperity of our communities and reduce the expanding wealth gap for communities of color. We provide grant support to programs and organizations that help small businesses thrive, allow people to succeed in the workforce, provide pathways to higher education and gain greater financial literacy.

Investing in the workforce

We fund organizations that provide training for small business development, as well as programs that support individuals across all skill and experience levels, to ensure they have the capability to gain employment that supports individuals and their families. Examples of grant support include:

• Small business technical assistance programs
• Job skills, career readiness training programs with comprehensive placement services for low- and moderate-income individuals entering or reentering the labor force

Providing pathways for educational success

• To address the growing requirements for post-secondary education in securing competitive jobs in the workplace, we support:
• Organizations and programs that help low- and moderate-income and at-risk middle and high school students prepare for post-secondary education at a community college, university, trade or technical school and career readiness
• Programs and initiatives at post-secondary institutions that support access to career and educational opportunities for low- and moderate-income and diverse students

Teaching financial well-being for work and life

Financial well-being is not only critical for financial stability, it’s crucial in helping individuals be successful in the workplace. Examples of grant support include programs that positively impact:

• K-12 and college student financial literacy
• Adult and workforce financial literacy
• Senior financial fraud prevention
• Military service member and veteran financial literacy

Supporting the green economy through workforce development

The green economy is fast becoming an area of opportunity for workforce development programs. Funding support includes:

• Reskilling or retraining for jobs in renewable or clean energy
• Building and maintaining infrastructure to support renewable energy, including EV charging stations and bike/transportation programs

Play

Play brings joy, and it’s just as necessary for adults as it is for kids. But in low-income areas there are often limited spaces for play and fewer people attending arts and cultural events. That’s why we invest in community programming that supports ways for children and adults to play and create.

Access to artistic and cultural programming and arts education

Our investments ensure economic vitality and accessibility to the arts in local communities, as well as support for arts education. Examples of grant support include:

• Programs that provide access to cultural activities, visual and performing arts, zoos and aquariums and botanic gardens for individuals and families living in underserved communities
• Funding for local arts organizations that enhance the economic vitality of the community
• Programs that provide funding for arts-focused nonprofit organizations that bring visual and performing arts programming to low- and moderate-income K-12 schools and youth centers

Supporting learning through play

Many young people across the country do not have the resources or access to enjoy the benefits of active play. Supporting active play-based programs and projects for K-12 students located in or serving low- and moderate-income communities fosters innovation, creativity, and collaboration and impacts the overall vitality of the communities we serve. Funding support includes:

• Support for organizations that build or expand access to active play spaces and places that help K-12 students learn through play and improves the health, safety and unification of neighborhoods in low- and moderate-income communities
• Programs that focus on using active play to help young people develop cognitive, social and emotional learning skills to become vibrant and productive citizens in low- and moderate-income communities

Outdoor places to play

Environmental stewardship enhances and improves the livability of our communities. Supporting efforts to preserve, protect and enhance outdoor spaces is now part of our Play pillar of giving. Funding support includes:

• Cleanup efforts in community spaces, including (but not limited to) beaches, rivers, and streams
• Protecting green spaces within the community, including planting trees, mangroves and seagrass
• Programs that support community, native and/or pollinator gardens, including community composting

NOTE: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and grants are awarded to appropriate projects as long as funds are available. Applications should be submitted at least one month prior to the proposed trip.

INPS Grants 

INPS supports well-conceived grant projects that are in line with our mission:

• To promote the appreciation, preservation, scientific study, and use of plants native to Indiana.
• To teach people about their beauty, diversity, and importance to our environment.

Letha’s Youth Outdoors Fund

Letha’s Fund supports trips for school and youth groups to experience nature in an educational context. Preferred groups are those with the least access to expe­riences in the natural environment.

Since its inception in 2008, Letha’s Fund has enabled more than 15,000 youth to visit environmental education centers, nature preserves, and parks under the guidance of trained specialists and enthusiastic volunteers. We have awarded funding to not just school groups, but also non-profit groups, including a group in Gary that took inner city children to visit the Indiana Dunes for the first time. 

The Fund has also supported projects such as a Girl Scout troop’s garlic mustard eradica­tion project, the development of native plantings at schools, the planting and support of a butterfly garden for kindergarteners at a community center, and an experience in the woods for handicapped youth.

With drastically reduced funding for schools over the years, Letha’s Fund now focuses on funding field trips to increase the number of youth served.

Letha’s Fund Application Guidelines

Proposed field trips should be designed to give youth a meaningful outdoor experience. Programs that incorporate the importance of native plants and their habitats and/or the impacts of invasive plants will be given higher priority.

Teachers/leaders may select natural sites such as nature preserves and environmental education centers suitable to their location and situation. To minimize transportation costs, applicants are encouraged to select nearby sites.

Field trip activities should be led by environmental educators/naturalists or similarly qualified leaders.

Grants cover the costs of transportation, naturalist fees, and related supplies. Letha’s Fund will reimburse transportation arranged through school transportation systems or local transit. In the interest of stretching donated dollars, we request that driver/bus charges be based on direct costs (driver hourly pay, bus mileage). 

Approved expenses are reimbursed upon receipt of invoices after the trip has occurred. Awards range from $50 to $700, based on need and available funds.  

Women's Giving Circle Grant Program

The WGCJC makes grants annually to organizations that have the greatest potential to help the women and children of Jefferson County, Indiana. The Grants Sub-Circle reviews applications and provides grant recommendations to the general membership, which then votes on the recommendations at the annual meeting/dinner in the Spring. Grants are focused on the following four fields of interest, with the specific purpose of benefitting women and/or children:

Education

Educational attainment is closely correlated to one’s economic success and well-being. Examples of initiatives might include:

• programs that prepare children to enter school ready to learn or programs delivering quality after-school/summer academic or enrichment experiences;
• literacy programs for children or parents;
• efforts to ensure students’ graduation from high school;
• efforts to address life skills and/or job skills for adult women

Economic Empowerment

Many factors influence women’s abilities to achieve financial independence. Among them are workforce participation, earnings, and education attainment. Examples of possible initiatives include:

•  programs for women business owners to ensure the growth and success of their firms;
• efforts that encourage women and/or youth to pursue non-traditional career opportunities;
• programs enhancing women and/or children’s personal financial management, budgeting, saving, and investing

Physical and Mental Health

The majority of factors that contribute to the health and well-being of women and children are lifestyle related, but problems may be exacerbated by inadequate access to quality, affordable healthcare services. Examples of possible initiatives might include:

• programs improving access to prenatal care and risk reduction for pregnant women/girls;
• programs providing physical and mental health information to women and children;
• nutrition and health education programs to address issues such as obesity and/or eating disorders;
• programs addressing issues that lead to substance abuse among women and children

Violence and Crime Prevention

Women and children experience many forms of violence. In addition to the immediate results of victimization, there are often longer-term impacts. Victimization often plays a role in delinquent and criminal behavior. Examples of possible initiatives might include:

• programs promoting healthy child/parent interaction in order to prevent child abuse and neglect;
• programs addressing issues that lead to spousal and child abuse;
• programs for women and children who have been victims of violence and crime;
• gender-specific intervention services to address the increasing number of females incarcerated in the criminal justice system

What does this program do?

This program is designed to provide technical assistance and training for small rural businesses. Small means that the business has fewer than 50 new workers and less than $1 million in gross revenue.

What is an eligible area?

Rural Business Development Grant money must be used for projects that benefit rural areas or towns outside the urbanized periphery of any city with a population of 50,000 or more. Check eligible areas.

What kind of funding is available?

There is no maximum grant amount; however, smaller requests are given higher priority. There is no cost sharing requirement. Opportunity grants are limited to up to 10 percent of the total Rural Business Development Grant annual funding.

How may funds be used?

Enterprise grants must be used on projects to benefit small and emerging businesses in rural areas as specified in the grant application. Uses may include: 

• Training and technical assistance, such as project planning, business counseling and training, market research, feasibility studies, professional or/technical reports or producer service improvements.
• Acquisition or development of land, easements, or rights of way; construction, conversion, renovation of buildings; plants, machinery, equipment, access for streets and roads; parking areas and utilities.
• Pollution control and abatement.
• The capitalization of revolving loan funds, including funds that will make loans for start-ups and working capital.
• Distance adult learning for job training and advancement.
• Rural transportation improvement.
• Community economic development.
• Technology-based economic development.
• Feasibility studies and business plans.
• Leadership and entrepreneur training.
• Rural business incubators.
• Long-term business strategic planning.

Opportunity grants can be used for:

• Community economic development.
• Technology-based economic development.
• Feasibility studies and business plans.
• Leadership and entrepreneur training.
• Rural business incubators.
• Long-term business strategic planning.

The Elevation Grant Program - Addressing The Root Causes Of Violent Crime. Empowering Communities.

The Elevation Grant Program (previously known as the Violent Crime Prevention Grant Program) is a partnership between The City of Indianapolis and The Indianapolis Foundation. The program will invest $45 million in neighborhoods over the next three years (2022, 2023, and 2024) to address the root causes of violent crime in Indianapolis through a comprehensive approach, including neighborhood empowerment and community building.

With supporting funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the grant program will distribute five times more money to community organizations than last year. The Elevation Grant Program will feature multiple grant rounds. The desired outcomes are the following: addressing the numerous root causes of violent crime, increasing resident-led solutions (community building), discovering new innovative efforts, investing in infrastructure development for grassroots organizations, and ensuring that qualitative metrics (hope, abundance, peace, resilience, and safe) are expressed and elevated.

The grant program plans to focus part of its investment pipeline on grassroots organizations, prioritizing those led by residents of the communities they serve. The program defines a grassroots organization as a resident-led organization/entity operating under community values, shared power and decision making, and supported by an organizational budget of up to $250,000.

Crime Prevention is Defined As:

any effort that seeks to reduce initial or chronic interaction with criminal and/or juvenile legal systems and increase the safety of Indianapolis residents and their neighborhoods by reducing risk factors (factors that increase the likelihood of engaging with the juvenile or criminal legal system) or increasing protective factors (factors that decrease the impact of risk factors).

Violent Crime Is Defined As:

any crime carried out in a violent manner, including but not limited to violent acts carried out with a gun.

Priorities for Round Three

The grant program will give priority (through an equity framework) to organizations that clearly demonstrate immediate intentionality around violence reduction and support programs using evidence-based violence reduction programming or promising strategies that, in addition, elevate the assets, aspirations, hope, and improve the safety of neighborhoods impacted by violence:

• Are place-based efforts designed to promote neighborhood safety and reduce or prevent crime in a specific geographical area as defined by a neighborhood and/or community.
• Led by engaged and mobilized residents and community leaders.
• Focus their efforts on providing supportive services (such as employment, education, mentoring, recreation, mental health supports, and family support services) to youth and young adults who face unique challenges and may have a higher likelihood of community disengagement without the proper intervention strategies.
• Partner with public agencies in collaboration (The Office of Public Health & Safety, the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, law enforcement, courts, probation, and parole) to help prevent crime in our community.

The Donald C. and Laura M. Harrison Family Foundation

The Foundation was established in 2006 by Donald and Laura Harrison and their children in Cincinnati, Ohio. Laura Harrison was an active community volunteer involved in a broad group of activities. Dr. Harrison is a cardiologist, administrator, and business entrepreneur.

They have creatively funded programs and facilities at their respective colleges and have participated in supporting a number of local charitable organizations with educational missions for the underprivileged.

Mission & Purpose of the Harrison Foundation

The Foundation seeks to improve opportunities and outcomes primarily for underprivileged students by funding educational scholarships, programs and research with a particular emphasis on seeding and supporting new programs.

The Foundation's primary initiative is to help launch innovative educational programs for primary, secondary and adult education. The Foundation also emphasizes funding programs for underprivileged children, youth, adults and families. The ultimate goal is to empower citizens affected by the grant to shape their own future in the community.

Background

The Carl Marshall and Mildred Almen Reeves Foundation was formed in 1997 by Mrs. Mildred Reeves in honor of her late husband, Carl Reeves. Mrs. Reeves' life explains the Foundation's purpose. Mrs. Reeves was a very generous woman who enthusiastically supported local community organizations. Mrs. Reeves was particularly interested in education, history, and the arts. Both Mrs. Reeves and her brother had macular degeneration of the eye. In her later years, Mrs. Reeves' lifestyle was dramatically affected by her condition; she passed away in 1999 at the age of 96.Purpose of the Foundation

• 50% of grants to be used for local organized charities in the Columbus, Indiana area

Funding Policy

• The policy of the Foundation is to fund the project itself and/or any capital expenditures.
• The Foundation’s purpose is to provide grants for research for macula degeneration of the eye and support other local, community charities in the Columbus, IN area (whether medical, educational, or other charitable purposes) chosen by the board and/or founder.
• A proven need needs to be demonstrated. We look at the quality of your request.

Funding

Grants may range from $2500 to $125,000. The average is around $25,000. Macular degeneration research grants are usually higher than local community organizations requests. 

Responding to the Needs of Jefferson County

There are two sides to philanthropy: generous donors who care about their communities and the organizations and people they are trying to help.

The Community Foundation’s Board of Directors and Grants Committee oversee all grant-making activity to ensure the funds entrusted to us are fulfilling the donor’s wishes and being used for the betterment of the community.

Funding the Future

Since 1991, the Community Foundation has been able to make a significant impact on programs and projects in Jefferson County, Indiana. Thanks to the generosity of donors, grants of all sizes have benefitted a variety of causes including animal welfare, health & safety, education, youth development, veterans services, basic living needs, historic preservation, and senior citizen welfare, just to name a few.

Competitive Cycle

These grants utilize the Foundation’s Flexible Community Funds and Field of Interest Funds.