Community Progress Fund

Community Progress Fund is sponsored by Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. The Community Progress Fund provides short-term grants to local organizations in North Carolina's 78 rural counties to advance ideas, issues, or projects that improve their communities.

Community Progress Fund - Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation Across NC, local organizations are doing extraordinary work to strengthen their communities. ZSR supports that work with flexible, short-term funding to help organizations meet immediate needs, test new ideas, or expand promising efforts.

We are not currently accepting applications for this program. Aurora Swain (right), co-founder of Families First of Cabarrus County, plays with students at Cabarrus Bilingual Preschool. We fund home-grown solutions, led by community members.

Community Progress Fund grants help organizations move an idea or project forward, with the goal of improving their community. Criteria are broad because communities across North Carolina have different strengths, challenges, and opportunities. We support a range of organizations, from food banks to family shelters, daycares to theaters, and beyond.

We have funded leadership transitions, pilot programs, community visioning projects, and even building repairs for trusted local organizations. Organizations from all 100 counties are eligible to apply, and the program places special emphasis on organizations based in one of NC’s 78 rural counties .

Play video: Community Progress Fund: Small Boost for Big Impact in NC Video: Leaders from Black Light Project, Communities in Schools of Robeson County, Prospera NC and WeBuild Concord describe how their organizations used Community Progress Fund grants. We fund community-led organizations that are moving ideas, issues, projects or organizations forward in order to strengthen their communities.

View Our Current Grant Partners To apply, organizations must: Have 501(c)3 status or be government or religious entities operating in NC Use the grant for work that serves the people of their community Not have received a Community Progress Fund grant within the previous two years Organizations statewide are eligible to apply. The program places special emphasis on organizations whose primary office is in one of NC’s 78 rural counties .

Criteria and Funding Priorities To be considered for funding, in addition to meeting eligibility requirements, grant applicants must: Demonstrate that the proposal is community-driven, community-led and community-centered Explain how the grant will help advance an idea, project, organization or issue that benefits the community Demonstrate existing community support and momentum behind the effort and explain how the grant will help build on that momentum Be able to begin implementation of a proposal immediately upon award of the grant Have a proposal that aligns with ZSR’s core values ZSR place special emphasis on organizations whose primary office is in one of North Carolina’s 78 rural counties .

ZSR strongly encourages applications from organizations that are led by and primarily serve people of color. Grant Amounts and Duration Grants range from $20,000-$40,000 per year and may be awarded for one or two years. Community Progress Fund grants are made once per year, typically in the spring.

Applying involves submitting an application and, for selected applicants, having a site visit with ZSR staff. So you can prepare, we’ve provided a sample application below: Download Sample Application Once a year, we open Community Progress Fund applications to any eligible nonprofit.

Here is the typical timeline: December: Application opens January/February: Application closes February/March: Applicants are notified if receiving a site visit or if no longer under consideration for funding February – April: ZSR visits select applicants May: ZSR trustees determine grants; applicants notified July: Grant funds distributed Application Process and Materials When applications are open, here’s how to apply: Click “Apply for Funding” to access the application.

Complete your application and submit through the portal. In addition to the application, we ask for: To help you prepare, here’s a sample application . Community Progress Fund FAQs All Grants + Programs FAQs What do you mean by “progress”?

We define “progress” as moving an idea, issue, organization or project forward to improve a community. This definition is intentionally broad because local context varies across NC, and local organizations know their communities best.

Through the Community Progress Fund, we want to learn how different communities experience change, opportunity and challenges in unique ways; how applicants define “progress” specifically in their communities; and what local organizations are doing to make an impact in places across NC. What do you mean by “community-driven, community-led and community-centered”?

These terms mean the work is shaped and led by people who live in the community served and are directly connected to it. Community Progress Fund grants are intended to support organizations that are based in and accountable to the communities they serve, rather than organizations coming from outside the community to lead the work. Why does ZSR place special emphasis on NC's rural counties, and which counties are considered rural?

Through our various grantmaking strategies, ZSR aims to serve the entire state of North Carolina. At the same time, we know that some parts of North Carolina have more access to resources than others, and these disparities are especially prevalent between urban and rural communities.

To ensure ZSR’s resources get to NC’s rural communities and aren’t concentrated in a handful of places, we give special emphasis to organizations whose primary office is in one of NC’s 78 rural counties , as defined by the NC Rural Center. The full list is below. Are there projects that ZSR does not fund?

ZSR is legally prohibited from funding: Work that supports or opposes political candidates or influences election outcomes Consistent with our core values, we also do not support activities that promote or endorse violence.

With rare exceptions, ZSR does not fund the following with Community Progress Fund: Stand-alone, one-time or annual conferences, seminars, or symposiums Emergency medical service organizations Equipment or furniture purchases Initiatives promoting religious education or doctrine Operating expenses for schools Private business ventures Private or charter K-12 schools Volunteer fire departments How likely is my application to get funded?

Because the Community Progress Fund criteria are intentionally broad, we typically get hundreds more applications than we can fund. We expect the overall success rate will be about 12%. For finalists who receive a site visit, we expect the success rate will be about 70%.

The application is relatively short and simple. You can review the sample application here . What happens if my proposal is more than $40,000, or what if I need less than $20,000?

Community Progress Fund grants range between $20,000 and $40,000 per year, for one- or two-year terms. Organizations should not apply for funds outside of this grant range amount. Should I apply for one- or two-year funding?

Can I apply for different amounts in year one and year two? You should apply for the duration and amount of funding you deem necessary for your project, as long as it falls within the $20,000-$40,000 range per year. In other words, you can apply for a maximum total of up to $80,000 ($40,000 per year for two years).

ZSR considers one- and two-year applications equally; you are not more likely to be awarded funding if you apply just for one year, or less likely to be awarded funding if you apply for two years. If I request two years of support, and a grant is awarded, is it likely I will receive two years of funding?

If an applicant requests two years of support, and a grant is ultimately awarded, ZSR may award one OR two years of support, depending on the number of applicants and funds available in a given year. Generally, about half of the Community Progress Fund grants will be awarded for a two-year duration, and half for a one-year duration. What should I do if I have questions about my proposal or idea?

First, carefully review this page, including the list of rarely funded activities above. If you still have questions, please email [email protected] . Because the criteria for the Community Progress Fund are broad, ZSR receives a significant number of applications and may not be able to respond to every question an applicant has.

Can I apply for a Community Progress Fund grant while ZSR is considering other proposals I have submitted or that I intend to submit? While there is not a limit on the number of applications an organization may submit within or across our grant programs, it is rare for an organization to receive more than one grant in a given year.

If my organization was awarded a Community Progress Fund grant in the past, can I apply for another Community Progress Fund grant? Community Progress Fund grants are intended to be one-time investments. Previous Community Progress Fund grant recipients, whether awarded one- or two-year grants, must take a two-year hiatus from the time the grant ends before they are eligible to be awarded another Community Progress Fund grant.

What should I do if I need help submitting my application online? If you’re experiencing technical difficulties with your online application, contact one of our Grants Administrators: During our May board meeting, the ZSR Board of Trustees awarded 35 grants totaling $1. 7 million to organizations working for local progress in rural communities across North Carolina.

During our May board meeting, the ZSR Board of Trustees awarded 35 grants totaling $1. 4 million to organizations working for local progress in rural communities across North Carolina. During our May board meeting, the Z.

Smith Reynolds Foundation (ZSR) Board of Trustees awarded 33 grants totaling $1. 4 million to organizations working for local progress in communities across North Carolina. The new grants are part of ZSR’s Community Progress Fund strategy.

The funded projects span the state, from Macon County in the far west… View featured grant page for: Inclusive Public Art Initiative Inclusive Public Art Initiative Investing in public art projects that share under-told stories of North Carolinians View featured grant page for: Sabbatical Program Supporting nonprofit leaders with paid time off to rest and recharge View featured grant page for: Statel-Level Systemic Change Statel-Level Systemic Change Funding nonprofits working to create systems that benefit all North Carolinians We've detected you might be speaking a different language.

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