The Clayton County Foundation for the Future, an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, is seeking applications for its 2026 Grant Program.
Donor Name: Clayton County Community Foundation
State: Iowa
County: Clayton County (IA)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/20/2026
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
Starting in 2026, the CCFF Board has taken a particular interest in prioritizing projects and programs that address human services and social determinants of health. Social determinants of health are the non-medical conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes. The Foundation also welcomes proposals for projects that benefit a broad spectrum of the community or a chronically underserved segment of the population and fit within any of the six categories. They look for projects which:
- Build capacity, enabling nonprofit organizations to strengthen their boards and governance, enhance internal management, and strategically plan for the future, all while focusing on fulfilling their mission
- Enhance community impact and increase organization effectiveness and efficiency through strategic collaboration, including strategic innovations that encourage cooperation, create efficiencies and reduce duplication of services
- Address significant community issues
- Present innovative, creative, and practical proposals which build on community strengths
- Present clear work plans which show the ability to achieve the project’s goal, and provide a plan for sustainability beyond the funding period
- Develop the leadership potential of the community
- Involve the people served in the planning and implementation of the program
- Demonstrate quality, vision, effectiveness, collaboration and good management
Categories
- Health & Human Services – Encompasses social service projects that benefit the underserved segments of community. For example, issues of homelessness, health care, brain health, hunger, poverty, and the elderly.
- Empower the underserved to seek solutions
- Promote self-sufficiency
- Programs that focus on long-term approaches to issues
- Provide independence to the elderly and/or to persons with disabilities
- Improve access to health care
- Strengthen the capacity of human service organizations to serve their constituencies
- Education – Encompass community education projects that serve all age groups and segments of population.
- Increase literacy and basic skills development
- Develop efforts that address the needs of students who are most at-risk for dropping out of school or not enrolled
- Promote inclusiveness and diversity
- Provide creative approaches to improvement of educational system.
- Neighborhoods and Community Development – Programs that address community and neighborhood development, both social and economic.
- Encourage community responsibility for solving community problems
- Develop leadership opportunities for youth, minorities and the economically disadvantaged
- Benefit the community’s low-and moderate-income population
- Ensure equal-opportunity in housing, services, and economic opportunity
- Build capacity for non-profits and neighborhood organizations
- Environment– Programs that address natural resources and environment.
- Enhance awareness of regional environmental issues
- Encourage responsible stewardship and conservation of natural resources
- Children, Youth & Families- Programs that enhance the quality of life for children and youth through opportunities to enhance their intellectual, emotional, physical, and social development.
- Support models that encourage an alliance of shared responsibility and coordination of resources among schools, parents and community-based organizations
- Enhance life options of youth through such means as improved basic skills and development of work, life management, and leadership development skills; and reduction of risk-taking behaviors.
- Support efforts to enhance parental understanding of strategies they can use to improve the educational attainment of their children.
- Arts and Culture– Programs that increase access to and awareness of arts and culture.
Funding Information
Maximum grant request amount for this grant cycle is $2,000.00.
Eligibility Criteria
- Nonprofit 501(c)3 tax-exempt, not-for-profit agency or affiliated with a public agency/unit of government (County, City, School) operating and providing services within Clayton County
- Organizations who do not have 501(c)(3) status are encouraged to find a qualifying agency to sponsor them. A Fiscal Sponsorship Agreement must be attached to the application.
- Example of organizations and sponsors:
- Park and Rec Board sponsored by City Council
- Example of organizations and sponsors:
- Applicants must demonstrate a 50% cash match of the requested amount.
- Award amounts are at the discretion of the CCFF Board and subject to available funding dollars.
For more information, visit Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque.
