Grants FAQ

You can apply for one of our grants by simply visiting our online grants portal. This includes the 3 general grants cycle, the Impact Grants cycle, the women’s fund, the community funds, and all other application-based grantmaking opportunities administered through SCCF.

Each year, when investment earning becomes available, a donor may recommend grants from the available earnings. Donors must sign this form to signify where their earning will be used, and this must be approved by the Steuben County Community Foundation board. Click here to access the Donor Advised Grant Recommendation Form.

Whether you have specific questions or are looking for general recommendations about grants, we encourage you to reach out to a staff member prior to submitting your grant request. If you are a first-time applicant, we can help clarify the process and guide you in the right direction. Contact Lisa Biers with any questions at lbiers@steubenfoundation.org.

Motivated and worthy projects will always be considered for funding. You may submit a grant request for funding from different cycles at SCCF if they are relevant to your project’s goals. However, nonprofits are not able to receive funding in more than one Spirit of Community grant cycle, which includes the following:

1. Health and Human Services
2. Impact Grants
3. Education
4. Arts & Culture, Environment, Recreation, Other

Grantees should complete their final grant reports through the online grants portal where they initially applied. For grantees who applied before July 2019, you can download the final grant report form here: Final Grant Report Form

In 1999, the Steuben County Community Foundation extended a challenge to the communities of Steuben County to form “community funds” to help deal with issues and concerns that were distinct to their own community and to provide grantmaking. Since that time, ten communities (Angola, Clear Lake, Fremont, Hamilton, Helmer, Metz, Orland, Pleasant Lake, and Salem Center) have established “Community Funds” at SCCF. Each community fund has a set of local volunteers to review grant requests and make funding recommendations. SCCF is continuously working with the ten local advisory committees to increase and strengthen their funds and grantmaking capabilities. Nonprofits may apply for a grant from a community fund through SCCF’s online grants portal.

The average grant size varies widely based on the grantmaking fund. However, for the Education Cycle, Arts & Culture, etc. Cycle, and the Health & Human Services Cycle, the average grant size is $3,000-$5,000.

Typically, the grants committee meets in the month after each grant cycle ends. Their recommendations are sent to the SCCF Board of Directors for final approval. Recipients must sign a grant agreement, and checks will be mailed afterward. This process takes 60-75 days from the end of the grant cycle.