EPCF taking grant applications till Dec. 23

The application period for 2021 direct grants from the Eden Prairie Community Foundation ends on Dec. 23. Awards will be presented next spring.

Application materials can be found online at www.epcommunityfoundation.org. To see if your organization qualifies, take the Eligibility Quiz at https://bit.ly/2QMh37F.

The Foundation has awarded more than $2 million in direct grants since its formation, with 550 grants going to about 100 different nonprofits and agencies serving Eden Prairie. Every corner of Eden Prairie has been touched in some ways, as the Foundation funds grants in a wide range of areas: arts and culture; education; recreation and environment; and social services. This is in addition to the Foundation’s emphasis on helping young people, which it tackles through its Youth Initiative, and helping ensure the delivery of basic social services through the COVID-19 Response Fund.

Direct grants are typically $500 to $5,000 in size and often fund a specific project. Their primary purpose is to encourage the development and implementation of nonprofit or tax-exempt programs (including city and school district programs) that make Eden Prairie a better place to live and work. In other words, Foundation grants are used to fill unmet community needs, which are able to identified because of the Foundation’s knowledgeable and experienced board, staff, and committees.

Eligible organizations interested in applying are asked to submit a letter of inquiry to Executive Director Mark Weber at mweber@epcommunityfoundation.org. Letters of inquiry should include basic information, including a description of the project, the granting priority area being targeted, and how the grant would fill an unmet need in Eden Prairie.

For more information about Foundation grants and the grant application and review process, call Grant Committee Chair Katie Castro at (763) 245-2420 or Mark Weber at (952) 949-8499.