The following information pertains to the 2025 Community Grant Application
Please read all the information before accessing the grant portal (link is found below)

Grant applications from $500 up to $25,000 will be considered.  Any request for more than maximum amount will be disqualified. Award amounts are at the discretion of the committee, and you are not guaranteed an award amount equal to your requested amount.

Qualified applicants will be able to apply for an operational or programmatic grant (see descriptions below). You are only eligible to apply for one type of grant. Each organization can only submit one grant application.

The 2025 Community Grant Cycle has closed. Applications were open July 15th – August 17th at 5:00 p.m. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Eligibility requirements:

• Eligible organizations must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit or a church or government agency program in good standing located in North Georgia.
• Organizations are also required to be registered with the State of Georgia and provide a current Charitable Solicitation Organization Permit, unless your organization is exempt under C.G.A. § 43-17-9
• Community Grant recipients are still eligible for other NGCF Grants programs in the same year, i.e. Opportunity Grant or separate Fundholder grant cycles hosted by NGCF.
• Community Grant recipients from 2024 CAN APPLY for a 2025 Community Grant

Types of Community Grants:

Program Grants

Program Grants are defined as grants funding a specific project or program within an organization. To be considered, applicants will be required to successfully complete the application, including submitting a detailed program budget. If awarded, they will be required to provide NGCF with a final report on the use of the funds.

Operational Grants

Operational Grants are defined as unrestricted grant funding available to the organization to use as needed. In order to be considered, applicants will be required to successfully complete the application, including submitting an operating budget. If awarded, they will be required to provide NGCF with a final report on the use of the funds.

While Operational Grants are defined as unrestricted, we see them as an opportunity to fill in the gap between revenue and expenses. Therefore, operational grant funding may not be used in any of the following ways:

Eligibility requirements:

• Funding may not be used to support political campaigns or lobbying activities
• While funding may be used to pay reasonable salary expenses, funding may not be used for the individual benefit of an employee (i.e. paying bonuses, supporting pay increases, etc.)
• Grants to capital campaigns are not permitted.

An Opportunity Grant provides a nonprofit organization with funding for a new or expanding program that addresses specific key issues in North Georgia and promotes lasting change. This funding enables organizations to create meaningful impact through initiatives they may not have been able to pursue otherwise.

Potential Opportunity Grant recipients are recommended by a group of community leaders from across North Georgia who identify local needs that nonprofits could address, if they had the resources to do so.