Grant Opportunities
Through its discretionary funds, the Spur Community Foundation grants annually to dozens of organizations that serve Blaine County.
Nonprofits eligible for grants from the Spur Community Foundation:
Are determined to be tax-exempt by the IRS
Actively and broadly serve the Blaine County/Wood River Valley community
Address a local community need or opportunity
Successful grant applications typically have the following attributes:
Objectives that are tracked and evaluated
Address important community needs effectively
An existing relationship or point of contact between the applicant and Spur
Include partnerships and collaboration with other organizations, if applicable
Photo courtesy of Carol Waller
Currently, we offer three types of support:
Programs & Projects
Supports the implementation, continuation, or expansion of programs that align with the organization's mission and objectives.
Capacity Building
Supports organizations in strengthening their internal capabilities, systems, and infrastructure.
General Operating
Provides organizations unrestricted support to cover core operational expenses and the flexibility to allocate funds where they are most needed.
Grants opportunities & deadlines
Spur reviews and approves applications a minimum of twice per year.
Application deadlines for 2024 are as follows
Impact
Grants
March 15, 2024 deadline for April committee meeting
Support for projects that have the potential to drive substantial, positive change within an organization or address an important community need. Maximum request considered is $50,000.
Community
Grants
October 15, 2024 deadline for November committee meeting
Support for projects that improve quality of life in the Wood River Valley. Maximum request considered is $10,000.
Completed applications submitted by the deadline will be considered at that next meeting.
Exceptions to be considered between meetings may be requested by contacting Spur staff.
FAQs for grant seekers
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Yes, if you have a compelling reason. We understand unexpected needs and opportunities may arise and we try to be flexible. However, with limited funds to award if you have an active grant or received an award in the last grant cycle, Spur would need to have reason to view your proposal as a priority over other requests.
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Possibly. If you have an urgent request, please reach out to a Spur staff member to discuss options.
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Spur does not fund:
Individuals
Event or sports team sponsorships
Religious organizations for religious purposes
Political organizations or political campaigns
Graduate and post-graduate research
Organizations that discriminate based on race, color, creed, age, sex, sexual orientation or national origin.
Spur rarely funds:
Organizations that are not required to file a 990 or 990EZ.
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If you have a capital campaign request in mind, we ask that you reach out to a staff member before applying. Spur generally prefers that organizations approach us once the campaign is well underway and significant commitments have been secured.
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There is a wide range in the dollar amounts awarded, and you should determine the amount you request based on the need and other funding sources available. If we are not that familiar with your organization or your organization has never received a grant from Spur, we recommend applying for a Community Grant before applying for an Impact Grant. The best way to build a relationship with Spur is to complete an assessment and stay in touch with Spur staff.
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Yes. We encourage you to reach out to Spur staff to discuss your proposal before applying. Please email npservices@spurfoundation.org.
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You do not need to complete an assessment to apply for a grant. However, the relationships we build with an organization’s leadership and the knowledge we gain about an organization through the assessment process, help us better determine if the request is aligned with the organization's priorities and capacity. We highly recommend completing an assessment before applying for an Impact Grant.
More than 50% of nonprofits in the Wood River Valley have participated to date and found the experience enlightening and valuable to their strategic development. What we learn not only informs our grantmaking but enables us to properly introduce your work to potential donors, identify opportunities for collaboration, and gain a landscape perspective of issues facing the nonprofit sector that may need special support.
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No. Grants from donor-advised funds are made to nonprofit organizations based on the donor’s wishes and areas of interest. However, if Spur staff are aware of a need or project that aligns with a donor’s interest, we may share funding opportunities with Donor Advised Fund holders. As circumstances warrant, Spur will pass along ideas even if Spur has not awarded a grant to your organization. The best way to inform Spur staff of your needs is to complete an assessment, apply for grants, and stay in touch.
To apply, please click HERE.
FAQs for grantees
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Please acknowledge the Spur Community Foundation’s grant with our name and logo where appropriate including: websites, signage, social media, press releases, and publications. Click here to read our recognition guidelines and download our logo.
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Reports due dates will be listed on your grant award letter. Please make note of the due dates in your calendar or database. The primary contact for the grant will also receive a reminder notification from Spur’s grant management platform, GLM, approximately two weeks prior to the due date. (If your primary contact has changed, please let us know.) You may also find report dates by logging into your GLM account and clicking on the Active Requests tab. Log into your GLM account HERE
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Please reach out to a Spur staff member to discuss the challenge and any resulting changes to your project as soon as possible.
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Please reach out to Spur so we can set up a new user to link to the grant and deactivate the previous one.
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We welcome your feedback as we continually strive to make the online grant application and reporting process as efficient as possible. To share comments, please email npservices@spurfoundation.org.