Community Grantmaking Application Process

• Applicant must live in Rensselaer County, New York

• Project must take place in a community located within Rensselaer County, New York.

• Applicant/group must be an individual or a grassroots organization.

You may only reapply if you have a new idea and attend the Community Information Meeting. You cannot reapply for funding for the same project or program idea.

It is important to attend a Community Information Meeting (this is an orientation meeting that gives you information about the grant application process) before applying for a “What If…” Mini Grant. At those meetings, you will receive a special access code. When you log into our grants portal you will see a place to enter the access code that will then take you to the application.

If you have any questions or encounter difficulty accessing the system, please user our Contact Form or call our office at (518) 720-0004.

A 501(c)(3) status is a federal tax status that nonprofit or charitable organizations can apply for. This special tax status changes how the government recognizes the organization and gives them special treatment related to paying taxes. Here is a great resource if you’d like to learn more:

https://www.501c3.org/what-is-a-501c3/

No. If your group does not have a 501(c)(3) status, you can absolutely still apply for funding. You will need to find a fiscal sponsor who agrees to receive the funding on your behalf. Foundation staff can help guide you through this process.

A fiscal sponsor is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit that is willing to accept money from the Foundation on your behalf and provide oversight of the grant money's use. Our grants must be paid to a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (this includes most churches and other faith institutions). If you need a referral to a possible fiscal sponsor or have further questions regarding fiscal sponsors please use our Contact Form or call our office at 518-720-0004.

Community Grantmaking requests and "What If . . .?" Mini Grants are different grant programs with two different audiences. Because of this difference, organizations may not apply for both.

• The Foundation’s Community Grantmaking program is meant for more established organizations in our two-county service area (Albany and Rensselaer counties) and has a direct focus on supporting requests that address the Foundation’s funding priority areas.

• "What If?" Mini Grants are open to grassroots groups or individuals within Rensselaer County.

No worries! Please use our Contact Form or call our office at (518) 720-0004.

No worries! Please use our Contact Form or call our office at (518) 720-0004 for help with this.

Absolutely! Yes, please call our office at (518) 720-0004 and we will work with you to help provide access to an application.

Yes, but only after you can meet the following requirements:

• Have you turned in all reports that were assigned to you? Is the project done and are all funds spent?

• Is it a new calendar year since you last got a grant? For example, if you got a grant in 2024 you would not be able to reapply until 2025.

Yes, absolutely! We always strive to give feedback and reasons why a grant is denied. Oftentimes you will be asked to reapply after you address whatever concerns the review team may have had.

Please contact the Executive Director at (518) 720-0006 if you need to talk about a new timeline, new budget, an extension on your reporting deadline, etc.