Opportunity Grants

The Opportunity Grant program is a competitive grant cycle that CLCF launched in April 2018.  The Opportunity Grants Program provides small grants to eligible organizations throughout the communities served by the Central Louisiana Community Foundation.  Grants through this program range from $250 to $2,000. Applications will be accepted four times a year during the following periods:
1) April 1 through April 30 (Literacy),
2) July 1 through July 31 (Arts & Culture),
3) October 1 through October 31 (Historic or Environmental Preservation), and
4) January 1 through January 31 (Community Development)
 
Each quarter the opportunity grant program will focus on a broad philanthropic area of interest, with an overall goal of addressing community needs. 

ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES:

  •  501 (C) 3 organizations, including churches, hospitals, qualified medical research organizations affiliated with hospitals, schools, colleges, and universities.
  • 501 (C) 19 organizations
  • Government entities.
  • Louisiana not-for-profits that have been pre-approved as furthering the mission of the CLCF. Please contact us to obtain approval in advance.
  • Organizations must be domiciled in the 12 parish region that the CLCF serves.
  • The grant timeline must be 12 months or less.
  • The program must take place in CLCF's service area.
  • Organizations may receive a Community Impact grant and an Opportunity grant in the same calendar year, as long as the grants are not for the same purpose.


EXCLUSIONS:

  • Annual fundraising campaigns or events
  • Creation of, or addition to, endowment funds
  • Payment of debt or legal settlements
  • Political or partisan purposes
  • Expenses incurred prior to the grant award date
  • Capital Expenses
  • Personnel Expenses


PROCESS:

The grant seeker must meet the published deadline for submitting the application. Applications are reviewed by Foundation personnel for completeness and compliance with guidelines, but no recommendations are made by staff. Completed applications are given to the Gifts and Grants Committee. The selected recipient will receive funding before the end of the quarter in which the application was submitted. To apply, please use the application portal linked below. For help with the application process, please use the applicant tutorial linked below.