Community Innovation Grants Program

Community Innovation Grants Program is sponsored by Bush Foundation. The Community Innovation Grants Program awards funding to nonprofits working to create sustainable changes in communities. Projects should develop, test, and spread innovative ideas and/or inspire, equip, and connect leaders.

Priority is given to proposals from rural communities.

In this section, you will find information about the eligibility, criteria and application questions. Questions? Get in touch through the contact hub.

Community Innovation grants support: * Organizations that are based in or support efforts in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota or the 23 Native nations that share the same geography.

* 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations or government entities, including schools; OR coalitions or collaboratives (only one organization may receive the grant); OR organizations working with a fiscal sponsor that has 501(c)(3) status; OR in very rare exceptions, other types of organizations. Please contact us to discuss your situation if there is some reason that you do not meet the above eligibility requirements.

If you become a finalist in the grant selection process, we will learn more about your fiscal sponsor and ask for a fiscal sponsorship agreement. ### **Selection criteria** **Could the proposal have transformative impact? ** We are looking for proposals with the greatest potential to make the region better for everyone.

This could mean concepts that are big in scale or ideas that start small with the potential to grow and spread. We will favor ideas that will change systems to make the region more equitable in opportunities and outcomes, especially for Black people, Indigenous people, people of color and people from rural communities. We will consider whether the plan is doable and whether it uses resources in a way that is likely to lead to success.

We are looking for thoughtful consideration of how change can happen. Who is affected? Who has power?

How will key stakeholders be engaged along the way? We will favor proposals that are truly inclusive and collaborative. **Are the people leading the effort positioned to be successful?

** We will consider whether the people leading the effort have the support, relationships, experience and capacity to be successful. We want to support people who are learning and growing in their ability to advance equity, in particular racial equity, and work effectively across differences. We also consider whether they are committed to learning, improving and sharing what they learn with others.

**How does it fit with our other investments? ** We aim to have a diverse group of investments over time, across a variety of issues, communities and organizations. At times, we invest in things that will complement or amplify grants we’ve already made.

We are particularly interested in funding community-led organizations, especially those led by and for Black people, Indigenous people, people of color and/or people from rural communities. ### **Application questions** These are the same questions that appear in the online application. We include some prompts to help you think about how best to answer each question, as well as suggestions for the length of your responses.

Contact us if you’re unsure of how to answer a question or have difficulty using the online form. We can work with you if the online form doesn’t meet your needs. When using the online application, we recommend Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge or Firefox as your web browser.

**1. Introduce your organization. ** Briefly tell us about your organization and what you do.

Feel free to copy and paste from your website or other materials. **2. Tell us about your idea and what issue it addresses.

** * What problem are you trying to solve? * What are the contributing factors causing this problem, and what are the barriers to solving it? * What’s your big-picture idea for solving the problem, and how does your idea address the key factors?

**3. Tell us how your idea can make a big, lasting impact. ** We’re looking for solutions that address underlying issues, not just symptoms.

It’s about creating change in the long run. Tell us: * If your idea works, what would be different? * What results do you hope to achieve?

Tell us what changes you’d like to see, from the community level to the specific system(s) you aim to influence. * What communities would be impacted by your work? **4.

Walk us through your project plan. ** We are looking for plans that are well thought-out, make good use of resources, and show an understanding of how change can happen in your field. We want to know: * What steps will you take to implement your idea, and why?

We know that plans shift and change — and that’s ok! Just explain your current thinking. * Why do you think your plan can work?

Help us understand your strategy. * How are the people most affected by the problem included in your plan? **5.

Tell us about the people powering the work. ** For change to happen, the people leading the work need to be set up for success, and they need great collaborators. Tell us: * Who’s leading the work?

Explain who they are, their roles, how they’ll work together, and why they are the right people to move the idea forward. * What external partners will you need to make your plan work? If they aren’t on board yet, how will you engage them?

* What other capacity will you need? For example, will you hire additional people or offer training for your team? **Optional: What else would you like us to know?

** If there’s anything else you’d like to share, add it here. If not, just leave this space blank—it won’t impact how we review your application.