Q: Who is eligible to apply?
A: Any tax-exempt, charitable organization whose proposed project will directly benefit La Crosse County is eligible to apply. Fiscal sponsors* are eligible to apply. Applicants must also meet all of the following requirements:
- Organization has a non-discrimination policy
- Organization maintains a full executive committee of the board
- Organization has no paid staff serving as voting members of the board and no paid board members
- Organization is not registered as a hate group on the Southern Poverty Law’s list of hate groups
*A fiscal sponsor is another qualified entity that has entered into a relationship with a non-qualified entity to assist with a charitable project. When a fiscal sponsor is utilized, the Foundation recognizes the fiscal sponsor as our grantee, which means it is that organization’s ultimate responsibility to adhere to set grant guidelines and conditions and make sure grants funds are only utilized for the charitable purposes as awarded.
Q: How often can qualified nonprofits apply?
A: Qualified organizations may apply quarterly; however,
Standard Grants ($7500 or more) – may be awarded once per twelve month period
Unrestricted Grants (no funding limitations) – may be awarded once per twelve month period
Mini Grants (less than $7500) – may be awarded quarterly
*If a nonprofit is serving as fiscal sponsor for another group, both are eligible to apply for different projects in the same funding cycle. Only one grant may be awarded per quarter, regardless of the grant type.
Q: Can a denied request be resubmitted?
A: Only if our board of directors invited a revised version of the proposal to be resubmitted.
Q: How do I access the application?
A: Application codes and portal access are provided to qualifying organizations after they’ve contacted the Grants & Scholarships Manager to provide the following information:
- What is the estimated total funding request?
- What is the purpose of your request?
- What is the projected timeline of your project? (i.e. 1/1/23 – 12/31/23, beginning August 1, 2023, etc.)
- Who is the impacted audience? What is the service area? (i.e. young adults experiencing substance use disorder in Onalaska and Holmen, children below age 5 in La Crosse County, etc.)
