Allegany Community Out Reach (ACOR) Grants

Allegany Community Out Reach (ACOR) Grants is sponsored by Allegany Franciscan Ministries. ACOR Grants provide short-term support to community-based organizations and projects that extend the mission and vision of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany. Grants focus on improving health, wellness, and quality of life in marginalized communities.

Requests can be for general operating or project support. Priority is given to organizations that promote self-sufficiency, address root causes, incorporate the viewpoint of individuals served, are smaller nonprofits (budgets under $1M), and focus on women.

ACOR | Trinity Health System ACOR Overview in Portuguese Allegany Community Out Reach (ACOR) Grants provide short-term support to community-based organizations and projects that extend the mission and vision of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany . Grants focus on improving health, wellness and quality of life in marginalized communities. Requests up to $10,000 will be considered.

Priority will be given to organizations and projects that meet most or all of the following criteria: Promote self-sufficiency or bring about systemic change by engaging with organizations to address root causes; Strive to incorporate the viewpoint of individuals who are served; Nonprofits that did not recently receive an ACOR Grant; Smaller nonprofits (budgets under $1M); Has a plan for fully funding the project; To be considered for funding, the organization must meet the following basic requirements: Organizations must have an active and direct affiliation with the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany or Allegany Franciscan Associates (i.e. where the FSA members/associates are present as sponsor, trustee, staff, or volunteer), or your organization must be a member of Trinity Health.

Have received a ruling from the Internal Revenue Services confirming exemption from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The organization serves historically marginalized groups including BIPOC, LGBTQ+, Individuals with disabilities, Low-Income populations, and/or Immigrants. Be willing and able to comply with all requirements of the Allegany Franciscan Ministries’ grant agreement*.

The project or organization acts in alignment with Catholic Social Teaching . No organization may receive more than one ACOR Grant per year. Only one application may be submitted for an organization per cycle.

Organizations with an active (current) ACOR Grant may not apply until the active grant is completed with a final report. ACOR Grants are not available for individuals, public agencies, fundraising events, or endowments. There are two steps to the ACOR application.

First, a brief LOI (letter of intent) application must be completed. Second, if LOI is approved, you will be invited to complete a full application. Access ACOR grant applications through the Access Grant Portal link at the bottom of this page.

If this is your first time applying, review the Grant Portal Instructions & FAQs also located at the bottom of this page. If your previous application was declined, we recommend you speak with us before submitting another request (see contact information below). We offer two ACOR grant cycles per fiscal year (July 2026 – June 2027) with the following deadlines.

Full application deadline We anticipate making up to 35 grants with individual grants up to $10,000 for one-year term. FY26 ACOR Grants Fall Cycle FY26 ACOR Grants Spring Cycle ACOR LOI Application Questions* (English) ACOR LOI Application Questions* (Portuguese) ACOR Full Application Questions* (English) ACOR Full Application Questions* (Portuguese) *LOI and Full Application grant questions are provided in advance for reference only.

Applications must be submitted online using the Access Grant Portal button located at the bottom of this page. Frequently Asked Questions How can my organization obtain the required affiliation needed to apply for an ACOR Grant?

In order to be eligible for an ACOR Grant, your organization MUST already be actively and directly affiliated with the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, Allegany Franciscan Associates, or be a member of Trinity Health before applying. Examples of affiliation include: having a Franciscan Sister of Allegany or Associate serving as a board or staff member, or volunteering with your organization.

Unfortunately, there’s no affiliation or connection to obtain, it’s more about whether your organization or project already has an affiliation (or involvement) with a Franciscan Sister of Allegany, a Franciscan Sister of Allegany Associate, or your organization is a member of Trinity Health. The ACOR funds are intended specifically for those.

If you don’t already have the affiliation needed, we ask that you don’t submit an ACOR Letter of Intent (LOI) which is the first step in the ACOR application process. The eligibility guidelines for ACOR grants state that “public agencies” are not eligible for funding. What does this mean?

For Allegany Franciscan Ministries, “public agencies” refers to state, county, and local governmental agencies; these entities are not eligible for an ACOR Grant from us. Public universities and colleges may not apply directly for funding. However, if a state university or college has set up a separate foundation, the foundation may apply for funds.

The foundation must meet all our eligibility criteria, including 501(c)(3) designation. In addition, a public agency may be a partner in an initiative with another organization that serves as the lead agency; this project would be eligible. Beyond these two specific grant programs, we are open to partnerships with public agencies.

Can my organization apply for another grant when we have an active grant? Organizations cannot apply for an ACOR grant if they have an active grant of the same type. However, grant partners with one type of active grant (e.g., Tau Grant) can apply for a different type of grant (e.g., ACOR Grant) in the same year.

This guiding principle is Allegany Franciscan Ministries’ intentional effort to create equitable opportunity and access to our funding for many diverse and exceptional organizations and programs. In addition, ACOR Grants are not intended to provide ongoing funding, thus we do not renew grants annually. If my grant request was declined, how soon may I apply again?

If your organization completes a full application for an ACOR grant and is not funded, a new request can be submitted during the next available grant cycle. What is the reporting frequency and structure for ACOR Grants? A report is required at the end of the grant period.

Reports will either be a verbal report to be completed with the Allegany staff person overseeing the grant or a written report submitted through Allegany’s online grant portal. Reporting will include organizational updates, challenges encountered/lessons learned, and an accounting of grant funds. Reporting schedule information for your organization’s awarded grant can be found in Allegany’s online grant portal in your grant agreement.

Dawn Geisert, Pat Tyre, OSF, Rusty Spoor and Cindy Matthews, OSF Not in Photo: Maria Pereira dos Santos, OSF, De'Eric Williams Contact Erin Baird for ACOR Grant program questions. Contact Carla Batts for grant portal questions. Grants Administration & Quality Manager New & Improved Apply Page and Applicant Dashboard starting July 1, 2025!

Reference resources to help navigate: Information Webinar Recording & Slide Deck and Written Tutorials on Apply Page & Applicant Dashboard . Applications must be accessed and completed through our online grant portal. Returning and new applicants and active grant partners can access the grant portal here.

Contact Carla Batts at cbatts@afmfl. org for questions about Grant Portal. View Portal Instructions & FAQs