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Grant Policies

Within the areas of interest described in our Grant Principles, the Whatcom Community Foundation has identified the following grant policies.

The Foundation will:

• Make grants to qualified, tax-exempt nonprofit organizations for work done in Whatcom County, Washington.
• Place the highest priority on those applications that build community capacity and allow opportunities to partner with other community organizations.
• Place a priority on those applications that show the greatest promise of leveraging additional support from the community.
• Support programs and projects.
• Make grants in the general range of $1,000 to $10,000.

The Foundation is less likely to:

• Make grants for organizational or operating support.
• Make grants for more than one year.
• Support one-time events.
• Make grants that provide direct service without building community.
• Make grants over $10,000.
• Make grants directly or indirectly to governmental organizations.
• Make grants for capital equipment over $500.

The Foundation will not:

• Review incomplete grant applications or those out of the requested format.
• Make grants when the activities are not clearly described.
• Make grants when the outcomes are not specific or realistic.
  Make grants when the income and expense statements are incomplete or unclear.
• Make grants for capital requests (bricks and mortar), endowment funds, debt retirement, political campaigns, religious activities, memberships in civic organizations or trade associations, courtesy advertising, tickets for benefits, and fundraising events.
• Make grants to individuals or for-profit organizations.
• Make grants to organizations that discriminate on the basis of gender, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin or physical ability.