Grants

Grant Criteria

Purposes:

The Orange County Commissioners Supporting Organization is interested in funding
projects that will improve the quality of life of citizens of Orange County.  Projects will
generally fall within these categories:

Arts and Cultural Activities
Civic and Historical Affairs
Education
Recreation
Health and Human Services
Community Development
Youth

Eligibility:

Orange County organizations and agencies that are tax-exempt according to Section 501 (c)
(3) of the Internal Revenue Code are eligible to apply. However, for-profit entities interested in
funding charitable nonprofit programs may be eligible to apply; the OCCF Grants Committee
will determine the eligibility status. Population served by the program must be only within
Orange County.

Types of Funds:

Funding sources for OCCF grants are obtained from the interest drawn on its invested
endowments; the principal is never spent.  Sources can come from unrestricted funds or
from sources designated by the donor.  In addition, the Foundation may reserve some
portion of revenue in its unrestricted funds for innovative projects which are developed in
response to unforeseen needs, even if they do not fall within the annual priorities and
granting cycles.  The OCCF Board of Directors may also select a broad-based program area
that may initiate “Requests for Proposals.”

Policies and Restrictions:

Priorities

The Foundation gives higher priority to programs which:

  • reach as many people as possible
  • service Orange County as a whole
  • are preventative rather than remedial
  • increase individual access to community resources
  • promote independence
  • examine and address the underlying causes of local problems
  • attract volunteer resources and support
  • strengthen the private, non-profit sector
  • encourage collaboration with other organizations
  • build the capacity of the applying organizations
  • offer services not already provided in the community

Lower Priority Funding

In order to maximize the use of the funds, Orange County Commissioners Supporting
Organization gives a lower priority to the following:

  • new or routine maintenance construction projects (except renovations of existing
    facility that enable the organization to provide a better quality of service to the citizens
    of Orange County)
  • annual giving or capital campaigns
  • normal operating expenses (except start-up)
  • computer hardware equipment
  • multi-year funding to organizations that have received an OCCF grant in the last year.
    However, the grants committee reserves the right to fund the program multiple times
    in a year if, upon evaluation, committee members feel strongly about the value of the
    program in assisting the population of Orange County
  • organizations with an existing tax-base of support

Not Funded
These are absolutely not funded:

  • Advocacy or political purposes
  • Programs promoting the teachings of a particular church, denomination, or religion.
  • Loans
  • General group or individual travel expenses
  • Individuals, except in the conformance with the purposes of the Foundation as set
    forth in the Articles of Incorporation
  • Re-granting  (funds earmarked to grant to another organization)
Click here for information
on current grant cycles
The Orange County Community Foundation administers several grant cycles from our
own fund semi-annually.

Grant cycles currently in process include the
ORLEANS COMMUNITY GRANT INITIATIVE
SOL STRAUSS SUPPORTING ORGANIZATION
ORANGE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS SUPPORTING ORGANIZATION.

For more details on these grant opportunities, click here.
For more details, call us at 812-723-4150 or contact us