Grant Opportunities on Bainbridge Island

Bainbridge Community Foundation

Bainbridge Community Foundation (BCF) builds permanent funds by accepting a variety of assets from donors and managing their value with solid investment practices. Our giving strategy focuses on long-term impact, permanence, and sustainability. Our mission is to meet community needs today while preparing for tomorrow. We partner with Tiedemann Advisors to maintain well-diversified donor portfolios with moderate growth strategies.

We put money into the community where it makes a difference. We provide financial support to local organizations during our annual grant cycle and through grants made year-round from other funds. All are critical to the community and make every difference to local nonprofits.

BCF Annual Community Grants

This competitive grant program invites applications from nonprofits in all sectors. Through hundreds of hours of time by BCF staff and more than 40 well-trained community volunteers, applications are reviewed, site visits are conducted, and priorities are set. BCF discretionary funds provide the initial funding for proposals, and later BCF Fund Advisors and the community at large are invited to partner with BCF to support these important programs. This community-based approach to grantmaking ensures not only that needs are being met in the community, but it creates informed and engaged community members educated about and ready to address community needs

Applications to the 2020 Community Grant Cycle will be accepted between February 25 and March 24, 2020 (Deadline 5PM PST). As a community foundation, we are generalists and help sustain all sectors of the nonprofit community.

Applications will be accepted from organizations meeting the following requirements:

• A current 501(c) (3) nonprofit status from the Internal Revenue Service,
• Serve Bainbridge Island and be located in Washington State,
• Grant period is July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021, and
• Requests $1,000 to $10,000 will be considered.
• Capacity Building Grant

We use Common Grant Application commongrantapplication.com to manage our grantmaking process.

BCF Capacity Building Grants

Bainbridge Community Foundation’s Capacity Building Grants program supports organizations that are actively striving to improve the efficiency and efficacy of their work by investing in core operations. These grants focus on supporting an organization’s internal capacity, funding short-term projects that must be completed within six months.

The Foundation will accept Capacity Building Grant Requests between October 16, 2020- and 9:00 PM November 13, 2020.

Applications for the 2020 Capacity Building Grants Program will be accepted between October 16, 2020 and 9:00 PM November 13, 2020. Applicants will be informed in mid-December of funding decisions. To learn more or apply, download our PDF overview. If you have any questions, please contact Debbie Kuffel, Program & Finance Officer, at 206-842-0433 or debbie@bainbridgecf.org.

Cultural Funds - City of Bainbridge Island

On an annual basis, the City of Bainbridge Island provides significant financial support to local nonprofit organizations to support cultural programs in the community.The City uses a two-year funding cycle to solicit proposals from local non-profits seeking City funding for cultural activities that serve the residents of Bainbridge Island.

Seventeen (17) cultural organizations were granted awards for the 2019-2020 grant cycle. The City’s biennial budget provides $300,000 in funding to support cultural activities in the community.The City Council created a new process to determine how these funds should be awarded, and has initiated a two-year cycle for considering funding proposals for 2019-2020 activities. The Cultural Funding Advisory Committee(CFAC) was formed to provide a mechanism for direct input from community members on how the City funding should be deployed. Through their work on the new committee, CFAC members will allow the City to benefit from the community’s own extensive knowledge about our cultural sector, and to tap the enthusiasm and experience of local leaders.

For more information on the deadlines see the COBI website at http://wa-bainbridgeisland2.civicplus.com/948/City-Funded-Cultural-Activities.

Rotary Community Grant

The Rotary Club of Bainbridge Island has a long and proud history of providing grants to support diverse community projects, dating back to the Club’s founding in 1947. Members of the Rotary Club of Bainbridge Island are stewards of funds we raise at our yearly Rotary Auction & Rummage Sale. Each year grant funding is made possible from the preceding year’s Rotary Auction & Rummage Sale proceeds.

Any qualified nonprofit organization that serves the Bainbridge Island community is eligible to apply for a community grant from the Rotary Club of Bainbridge Island. To review past Community Grant recipients and descriptions of their funded projects.

Applications are accepted from October 1 through November 15. Because Rotary is an all-volunteer organization and several levels of review are required, please be prepared for the process to take up to four months. If your needs are immediate, we may not be the best funding source for you. To download the application, visit this web site:

https://www.bainbridgeislandrotary.org/page/community-grants

Lodging & Tax Advisory Committee Grant (LTAC)

The Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) is established through Chapter 67.28 of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) and is charged with reviewing and making recommendations to the City Council about the allocation of the Civic Improvement Fund (CIF). This special fund exists pursuant to City Code 3.65.040 through the collection of a tax on overnight lodging on the island.

The State’s requirements restrict the use of the fund to projects in the following categories:

• tourism marketing projects
• marketing and operations of special events or festivals
• the operation of tourism related facilities, or
• capital expenses for a tourism related facility.

The funding parameters for 2019 allow applicants to apply for grants between $2,000 minimum and $130,000 maximum.

LTAC committee members meet during the Fall to review project proposals and develop a funding recommendation. The award process typically involves member participation in 1-2 orientation meetings in September, and then 2-3 meetings to receive and review proposals in October and November. The LTAC develops a funding recommendation that is submitted to the City Council for consideration and approval. For more information visit:

http://www.ci.bainbridge-isl.wa.us/236/Lodging-Tax-Advisory-Committee