Gilchrist’s 2024 Grant Season is Just Around the Corner
Every year the Gilchrist Foundation awards grants to deserving charities whose missions align with that of the Foundation. In 2023, the Foundation awarded more than $1.9 million to nonprofit organizations for projects ranging from music arts and the theater, wildlife and conservation and disaster relief. The deadline for applications for the 2024 grants is approaching fast: 2024 Grant Applications are Due by June 28, 2024.
How the Grant Process Works
The Gilchrist Foundation awards four types of grants: Project, Capital Campaign, Endowment and Micro-Grants. Each grant fulfills a different purpose for an organization, and each has its own application form.
Step 1: Apply for Invite. The Gilchrist Foundation only awards grants to charities and organizations that have been invited to apply. That means organizations must complete the Grant Request-Pre-qualifier which asks qualifying questions about your funding request. If your answers align with the interests of the Foundation, then you will be directed to fill out a Request for Invitation or you can download a PDF and mail it to:
Security National Bank
601 Pierce St
Sioux City, IA 51101
All Request for Invitations must be submitted by April 1, 2024.
Step 2: Apply for Funding. Upon approval of your request for invitation to apply for funding, you will be sent a URL link where you can download, complete and submit your choice of a grant application for Capital Campaign, Project Grant or Endowment.
Capital Campaign: The goal of the Gilchrist Foundation’s Capital Campaign awards is to make a significant contribution to worthy renovation or expansion projects that will enhance the mission of the recipient charity. Some preference is given to the use of foundation funds to stimulate matching funds. In 2023, the Foundation awarded Boys and Girls Home of Sioux City, Iowa a $50,000 Capital Campaign grant for improvements to the Ginny Peterson Behavioral Center.
Project Grant: The goal of the Gilchrist Foundation’s Project Grant is to either enhance an existing program or help offer a new one. Keep in mind, the expectation is that the Foundation’s support for a program is temporary and the program itself will become self-sustaining. It’s not the intention of the Foundation to become a permanent budget line item for the program. In 2023, the Foundation awarded the Crittenton Center a $75,000 Project Grant to help fund its Artistic Healing Hubs project.
Endowment: The goal of the Gilchrist Foundation’s Endowment awards is to promote viable endowments, with healthy board participation. The Gilchrist Foundation strives to be a significant contributor to the endowment, without becoming the main support of the endowment. Challenges which offer Foundation funds as matches to other funds receive preference. In 2023, the Foundation awarded the Rosecrance Foundation a $50,000 1:1 Challenge Match to use towards its Building a Brighter Future Campaign.
All grant applications must be submitted by June 28, 2024.
How Micro-Grants are Different
The Gilchrist Foundation’s Micro-Grants, created in 2014, provide a one-time grant for up to $5,000 to qualifying tax-exempt organizations that promote the arts, wildlife or conservation. This grant allows non-profit groups to receive funding for smaller projects on a one-time basis. Criteria for the award includes the opportunity to bring theater, music, art, green spaces, parks, wildlife and conservation efforts into the lives of Siouxland residents. In 2023, the Foundation awarded more than 25 Micro-Grants to organizations including:
$5,000 to Voices United Inc. for Voices Unite 2024.
$5,000 to Vangarde Arts for the Alley Arts Festival.
$3,800 to St. Augustine Indian Mission for the purchase of a digital piano.
$5,000 to Plymouth County Historical Museum for its Native American Room mural.
$3,750 to Loess Hills Preservation Society to install a Motus wildlife tracking receiving station at Willow Lake.
About the Gilchrist Foundation
The Gilchrist Foundation was established by Jocelyn Gilchrist of Sioux City to honor her family and their philanthropic interests. Jocelyn supported the arts, wildlife and conservation, public broadcasting and disaster relief throughout her lifetime both personally and through the Foundation. After her death in 2008, the Gilchrist Foundation continued to support these philanthropic interests.
Today, the mission of the Gilchrist Foundation is to further the philanthropy of its founder and her family with an emphasis on fostering the long-term viability of the charity and enabling special projects rather than supplying current operating funds.
To learn more about the Gilchrist Foundation, contact us today.