Traditional Grant Process

FOUNDATION REVAMPS GRANTMAKING FOR GREATER COMMUNITY IMPACT

The Nevada Community Foundation has always endeavored to serve as a faithful community steward.  Along the way, we have benefited from the candid feedback of our good friends in the nonprofit community.  Increasingly, that feedback reflects a frustration-undoubtedly exacerbated by the difficult economic climate- with the relatively few dollars available for discretionary grantmaking and a perception that the same nonprofit organizations benefit every year.  We are happy to report that, after considerable soul-searching, we are impementing some changes. 

In an effort to leverage our limited discretionary dollars for greater community impact, the Nevada Community Foundation’s (NCF's) Board of Directors recently approved a new approach to the Foundation’s grant making. Instead of employing a competitive, responsive grantmaking process as it has in years past, the Foundation will commit its discretionary dollars to multi-year funding of programs that are aligned with Ready for Life®, a statewide collaborative movement to ensure that all Nevada youth are “ready for life” and supported by a community ethic that values education, links youth to workforce opportunities, and creates a safe learning environment for students. 

This strategic shift in our grantmaking approach will allow NCF to leverage our investment by supporting a larger community vision for southern Nevada while simultaneously strengthening each of our designated fields of interest in support of this shared vision. Changes to our discretionary grant making will take effect in 2010 and for the next several years.  It is important to note that while the Foundation undergoes this change in our annual grantmaking process, the majority of the Foundation’s grantmaking, which is driven by our generous donors, remains unchanged.  Equally, we are more committed than ever to connecting donors with community organizations for funding opportunities towards a better southern Nevada.

As the Foundation works with key partners involved in Ready for Life®, we will keep you abreast of developments. In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us.  If you would like to meet with our President, Gian Brosco, please contact Jane Ramos at 892-2326 to schedule a personal meeting.