G1K

These grant guidelines and policies apply to the Foundation’s G1K Program:

• No grants will be made to support political parties or political campaigns
• No grants will be made to individuals
• No grants will be made specifically for sectarian religious purposes but can be made to religious organizations for general community programs
• No grants will be made exclusively for endowment creation of the recipient organization
• Grantees agree to forward to the Community Foundation program and financial reporting for the project. The timeliness and quality of the reports will be factors in evaluation of the grantee for future funding. All requirements for past grants must be current in order to be eligible for another.
• Grantees have up to 3 years to spend/complete the grant project
• If a grant applicant receives a G1K program grant, a 5-year wait period will begin at the date of the award. (Example: Awarded grant in 2026 – can apply again in 2032)

These guidelines and policies do not apply to funds for which donors have directed that grants be used for a specific charitable purpose. Those funds are administered separately.

All communications from grant seekers are to be directed to Finance & Program Officer Kelly Miller. To reduce miscommunication and to uphold the ethical standards of the foundation’s grant-making program, no representative, either staff or volunteer, from a grant-seeking organization is to contact members of the foundation’s grants committee or board of directors regarding grant-related information. Volunteers and staff report all deviations from this policy at the grant review meeting.

Eligibility:

• Competitive grants will be made only to organizations whose programs benefit the residents of Jefferson County, Indiana
• Grants from the Community Foundation of Madison & Jefferson County (CFMJC) must meet legal and tax requirements as to purpose and be made to non-profit organizations and government agencies, specifically 501(c)3 charities and 509(a) agencies
• Grant recipients must show that their financial affairs are being properly administered and may be required to submit audited balance sheets and operating statements

Please contact Kelly Miller at 812-265-3327 or [email protected] with any questions about this grant cycle.

The inaugural grant cycle of the G1K program will open for online applications on April 1, 2026.

The deadline to submit online applications is Thursday, April 30, 2026 at 5pm EDT.

The recipient organization will be notified of the award in the first week of June, with a check presentation scheduled for June 9, 2026. Public announcement of the award will be made on June 12, 2026.

GRANT CYCLE APPLICATIONS

1. Click the “Apply” link provided on this page to be taken to our online grant application system.
2. You have the option to preview the application to determine if your organization is eligible. To start an application, click the “Log On / Creat an Account to Apply” button in the top right corner of the page.
3. Follow the instructions on the log-on page.
4. Once you have your account created and your login credentials established, you will be taken to your applicant dashboard.
5. Click the “Apply” icon located in the top menu of the dashboard to see available applications.
6. Click the dark blue “Apply” button on the grant opportunity description card to begin your application.
7. Please read all directions and complete all sections. Give yourself plenty of time to complete the application process. Save your work often. You can save your work and login and logout of the application as often as you’d like.
8. Applications must be submitted by 5pm EDT of the displayed deadline date to be considered. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted. The online system will not accept any changes to your application after the 5pm deadline time, even if you are still logged into the system at that time.
9. If you have questions regarding the online application, please contact Kelly Miller at [email protected] or 812-265-3327.
10. Be sure to add “[email protected]” to your email client’s Safe Sender List as this is the email that we will use to communicate with you about your online application. This is an automated email generated from our system, so please do not email this address directly.

GRANT CYCLE WORKSHOPS
The Community Foundation will host free Grant Workshops in March. The 2026 workshop dates have already passed. You may download a PDF of our presentation from the resource list below.

G1K Program Grant Cycle Grant Information & Eligibility Document – download a PDF of information related to this grant cycle

2026 Grant Workshop Presentation Slides