Grants
Application & INFORMATION
Our Grant Process: What you need to know
Grant Application
The Portage Foundation provides funding to non-profit organizations of all sizes, including projects stemming from fundamental grassroots efforts. There are two (2) grant cycles each year. Grant submission deadlines for the Spring cycle and the Fall cycle will be posted on the Foundation’s website or by contacting the Foundation. The Portage Foundation has also established a Rapid Response Fund and will accept grant applications in response to emergent needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Note: Rapid Response Fund grants will support area nonprofit organizations that are addressing the basic needs of individuals directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding is intended as a one-time investment in nonprofits to provide food, clothing, shelter, and other necessities for everyday survival. Grant applications for Rapid Response Funds will be accepted continuously (provided funding remains available) and will be reviewed promptly.
Completing the Application
Complete the online application as completely as possible providing all of the required fields (as indicated by *). Please make certain to include your contact information, federal tax ID number, mission, and project description. If funding is awarded, a final report detailing how the grant was used and results from the funding is required.
Our Guiding Principles
The Portage Foundation is the only community foundation in Portage County. We embrace the unique responsibility of a community foundation – to provide funding assistance for programs throughout our geographic area that have an impact on improving lives and strengthening our community. We are proud to serve the needs of the region. Portage Foundation grants are as diverse as Portage County. Our grant process is designed to focus on the following guiding principles:
Organization Strength
We support efficient and effective nonprofit organizations with the capacity to significantly improve the community. We value organizations that demonstrate sustainability, honesty and transparency, and those that remain true to their mission.
Community Impact for the Region
We support collaborative efforts that help individuals, families and neighborhoods thrive by addressing immediate needs while also creating widespread improvement within Portage County. We prefer to fund organizations that address the underlying root-cause of a problem to make a lasting improvement.
Accountability
We honor the charitable intentions of our donors to help them understand the current and future needs of our community. We serve as stewards of our donors’ community investments. We hold ourselves and our grantees to the highest standards of ethics, integrity, service, and fiduciary responsibility.
Capacity Building in the Nonprofit Arena
We support efforts that build governance, management, financial and organizational capacities of nonprofit agencies and the nonprofit sector. We strive to create partnerships that promote collaboration and coordination of services, and work toward effective and efficient use of funds.
Inclusiveness in the Region
We honor the diverse strengths within our community and support organizations whose missions promote inclusiveness. Our work also serves the region that includes Atwater, Aurora, Brimfield, Garrettsville, Hiram, Kent, Mantua, Ravenna, Rootstown, Streetsboro, Windham, and other neighboring communities. Our grants have impact in Portage County, communities that border our county, and in other regions.
What we Do fund:
The Foundation’s grant-making areas are aligned in the following categories: arts and culture, animal welfare, children (supporting children’s needs), economic development, education, elderly (supporting the elderly), environment, health, human services, and veterans.
Funding requests that align with the goals of our fund holders include (but are not limited to): program and program support, one-time grants for special projects, seed money for start-up initiatives, community projects that are collaborative and sustainable.
What we Do Not fund:
The Foundation does not fund direct financial support to individuals, political or religious causes, newly established nonprofit organizations that duplicate existing services unless need is proven, and curriculum for schools.
