Community Foundation 2012 Competitive Grants Cycle Now Open

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	Contact: Paula Hickman
January 2, 2012	(Phone) 318-221-0582 (Email) hickman@nlacf.org

Community Foundation 2012 Competitive Grants Cycle Opens January 2

Foundation Grants Millions to Local Nonprofits Annually

Shreveport, LA (January 2, 2012) – The Community Foundation of North Louisiana will begin accepting applications for its 2012 competitive grants cycle on Monday, January 2, 2012. Annually, The Community Foundation, a nonprofit, grant-making organization, awards funds to vital nonprofits in North Louisiana. In 2011, The Foundation awarded $1.3 million to local nonprofits as part of its annual grants cycle.

Starting January 2, local nonprofit organizations interested in applying for funds from The Community Foundation may visit The Foundation’s website at www.nlacf.org/?CompetitiveGrants to begin the application process. Thanks to the generosity of donors, The Foundation is able to provide grants to the full range of nonprofits, from arts and cultural organizations to those that provide health and social services to education-focused organizations.

The Foundation considers requests for funding based on the following criteria:

1. Grants are made by the Foundation to improve the quality of life in Caddo and Bossier parishes.

2. Grants are made only to nonprofit organizations exempt from federal taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

3. Grants are awarded only for clearly defined programs or projects covering specific periods of time.

4. Grants are ordinarily made for one year only. Multi-year grants are discouraged.

5. The Foundation will rarely be the sole funder of a program or project and encourages organizations to develop diversified funding streams.

6. The Foundation operates without discrimination as to age, race, religion, sex or national origin in the consideration of grant requests, and will award grants only to agencies and organizations which do not discriminate as to age, race, religion, sex or national origin.

Interested organizations must fill out The Foundation’s online letter of intent by February 12, 2012 by 4:00pm in order to be considered in the 2012 process. Selected organizations will be invited to submit a full grant application via The Foundation's online grant application system. These organizations will receive an email link to the online grant application form on March 22, 2012. Completed applications are due April 19, 2012. All applicants will be informed of The Foundation’s funding decisions by July 6, 2012.

About the Community Foundation of North Louisiana

Established in 1961, the Community Foundation of North Louisiana’s mission is to strengthen communities through philanthropy. By bringing together fund donors, their financial advisors and nonprofit agencies, the Foundation is a powerful catalyst for building charitable giving and effecting positive change in our area. Through the generosity and vision of our family of donors, both past and present, the Foundation has granted nearly $40,000,000 to vital nonprofit organizations since our inception. In our shared endeavor to build a more robust, vibrant community, we fund a variety of critical initiatives, including education, health, arts and culture, and poverty alleviation. Through integrity and sound financial practices, the Foundation has successfully stewarded the philanthropic interests of past donors and is poised to lead the next generation of givers to address the challenges facing our region.

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