Empowerment Fund Grant Schedule

Now until July 18th at Noon – Grants Applications are open on the CFCG Grant Portal
August 28th – Time and Location TBA — Grant Finalist Event & Recipient Presentations

Eligibility and Funding Priority – Who can apply and for what?

501(c)(3) nonprofits organizations, schools, government entities, higher education institutions, or religious organizations may apply for non-sectarian community projects in the Central Georgia region. Applicants who wish to apply must have a final report on file with the Community Foundation for all previously awarded grants, if applicable.

Application Criteria

• Organization identifies as Black-led and Black-serving*
  • *The Executive Director is African American and at least 30% of the governing board is African American; and 50% of the project or organizational service must benefit members or support issues that directly impact the African American Community
• Organization’s annual operating budget is less than $500,000.00.
• Organizations seeking grant funding projects should be undertaking impactful work in the African American community, and encourage coordination, cooperation, and collaboration with other groups.

*Organizations that seek grant funding should be undertaking impactful work in the African-American community. Definition of black-led and black serving is below: 

Please note:

• Applications must be completed online in the Community Foundation web portal.
• The Empowerment Fund will consider applications from faith-based organizations only for non-sectarian, community outreach programs.
• If your organization’s application is selected as a finalist, a representative of the organization will be required to give a 2-minute presentation of the proposed project at the Empowerment Fund grant finalist event in August. The two-minute time limit is strictly enforced.
• If your organization is awarded a grant, the Empowerment Fund membership may conduct an informal follow-up during the grant period. At the completion of the project, you will be required to submit a final report.

Geographic Restrictions

Grants will be made only to organizations for projects serving the Central Georgia region, specifically from Bibb, Houston, and Jones.

Grant Amount

The maximum grant amount per organization is $5,000.

Frequency an Organization can Apply

There are no restrictions on how often an organization can apply to the Empowerment Fund.

Grant Award Schedule

The application deadline is noon on July 18th at noon. Grant Finalist Event & Recipient Presentations event on August 28th. All grant funds must be expended by July 1st of the following year in which the grant is awarded.

How to apply

Applications are available on the CFCG Grant Portal. You will be required to upload the following documents as PDF files. You may click on the links below to see a sample.

• Current IRS Determination Letter – should indicate 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. If no designation, a statement detailing the status of an application with the Federal Government or future application plans may be submitted, along with a statement of charitable purpose.
• Most Recent Financial Audit Report or Most Recent IRS Form 990 – If your organization has both, please submit the Financial Audit Report.
• Organization’s Current Annual Operating Budget – should be a report of the organization’s planned budget indicating projected revenue and expenses for the current fiscal year.
• Project Budget Summary – should include all revenue sources (requested, pending, and received) and expenses for the specific project.
• Board of Directors/Trustees List – should include directors’/trustees’ individual terms of office and their individual percentage of participation in the organization’s Board meetings.
• A photo of your project or organization (JPEG or PDF only)

Application Video Submission

In addition to the documents listed above, organizations must submit a video that’s at least 120 seconds (2 minutes) in duration, but not longer than 180 seconds (3 minutes), that covers all of the below topics:

• Describe the mission of your organization.
• Explain at least 1 of the accomplishments your organization has achieved through your community work.
• What new or existing project will these grant funds be used for?
• How would a grant from the Central Georgia Empowerment Fund help your organization impact the African American community in today’s social climate

Video Requirements

• MP4 or MOV format (only)
• The maximum file size for videos is 35 MB
• Closed captioning is recommended as an optional component of the video to assist reviewers evaluating the submission
• Video files exceeding the time or size limits will not be accepted

Reporting Requirements

If funded, your organization must submit an online final report along with detailed expenditures made with the grant funds within 60 days after depletion of the grant funds, prior to submitting a new grant application, or no later than one year from the deadline date of the cycle in which you applied for your grant, whichever is earliest.

Deadline for Grants Awarded: June 1st from the year your grant was awarded.

Beginning January 1, 2024, all CFCG Competitive Grant Program reports must be submitted in the online grants portal. No reports will be accepted by mail or in paper form. When a report is ready to be completed, you will receive an automatic email from the portal with details on how to complete the report.

How to talk about your grant

In all materials, describe your funding as a grant from the Central Georgia Empowerment Fund of the Community Foundation of Central Georgia.

News Releases:  Promote your project with a news release to the local media. If you’re inviting the media out to cover your project or event, please invite us too by sending the information to grants@cfcga.org. We would also like to share your news releases with our contacts, please include grants@cfcga.org as a release contact.

Social Media:  Spread the word about your project through social media channels such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. You can find the Central Georgia Empowerment Fund on Facebook, and we encourage you to tag us in your posts.

Logo:  You are welcome and encouraged to use the Central Georgia Empowerment Fund logo on any collateral materials about your project, including websites, email blasts, brochures, and posters. You can download our logo by clicking here. A copy of any materials created should be submitted with your final report.

How these grants are made possible

These grants are made possible by contributions of the Central Georgia Empowerment Fund members. These contributions are split each year so that half is spent on grants in the year of the gift and the other half is put into an endowment for the future.