3 Rivers Community Foundation Opens Applications for Annual Grants

3 Rivers Community Foundation (3RCF) focuses its effort each year on an annual grant cycle, offering a funding opportunity to 501c3 nonprofit organizations across Benton and Franklin Counties. The application is now available at www.3rcf.org under “Nonprofits.” For the 2021 cycle, 3RCF estimates at least $160,000 in funding will be available. The application deadline is Friday, September 17th at 5pm.

“In addition to typical funding needs, our nonprofit community is still feeling the impacts of the pandemic, in many different ways,” says Abbey Cameron, Executive Director of 3RCF. “Some organizations are still seeing a spike in demand for their services or are having to adapt their programs to COVID restrictions, all of which comes with increased cost. Still others have been hindered by having to cancel or restructure their fundraising efforts. 3RCF purposefully offers a broad call for applications to try to put dollars where they are needed.”

The funding for this grant program comes from a percentage of 3RCF’s $7M endowment in addition to direct donations. Donors may direct their dollars to be unrestricted which means they will go to the areas of greatest need, or to specific causes they are passionate about, such as food scarcity or housing. The 3RCF board reviews, evaluates, and interviews applicants to makes sure dollars will be effectively used to support our community. In 2020, just over $142,000 was distributed, in addition to 3RCF’s substantial COVID response efforts.

Donations to the 3RCF Annual Grant Fund received by the end of September will be included in this grant cycle. To support this fund, visit www.3rcf.org and click “Make a Donation.”