Lee County Charitable Fund Grants

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

In 2025, the Lee County Charitable Fund is offering two grant opportunities with different amounts: The IMPACT Grant (up to $25,000) and the Lee County Charitable Fund Grant (up to $7,500). The nonprofit organization applicant MAY APPLY FOR BOTH GRANTS BUT WILL ONLY BE AWARDED ONE GRANT OPPORTUNITY. Funding for both grant opportunities is at the discretion of the Lee County Charitable Fund Board. Applying for either grant opportunity does not guarantee full funding. 

IMPACT GRANT GUIDELINES

The Lee County Charitable Fund Board could distribute up to $25,000.00 in a Lee County IMPACT Grant to a Lee County NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT IS FOCUSED ON PROVIDING AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT IN LEE COUNTY. Lee County nonprofit organizations can apply on an annual basis, but if an organization receives an IMPACT Grant, that organization will not be able to apply for an IMPACT Grant the following year, but CAN apply for a grant of up to $7,500.00 the following year. 

IMPACT GRANT PRESENTATION

All Lee County Charitable Fund Grant Applications and accompanying materials are due on or before May 26, 2025. The Lee County Charitable Fund will review all IMPACT Grant Applications and contact the applicant (s) for a presentation to be made to the Lee County Charitable Fund Board. The presentation must be no more than 10 minutes long. The presentation can be a video or an in-person presentation through conference call. Lee County Charitable Fund Program Officer Philip Ricketts will contact you regarding the date and time of the presentation. All 2025 Lee County IMPACT Grant Recipient (s) will initially be notified by June 2025.

LEE COUNTY CHARITABLE FUND GRANT (UP TO $7,500) GUIDELINES

The Lee County Charitable Fund Grant invests in projects that primarily facilitate cooperation, collaboration, creativity, and community organization in Lee County. This grant is designed to fund smaller projects. The Lee County Charitable Fund gives special emphasis to creative grant proposals that serve a broad sector of the community, are innovative, new and offer the greatest opportunities for positive and significant change in the communities of Lee County Iowa. All projects should serve the charitable fields of arts and culture, community betterment, education, health care and human services. 

GRANT DEADLINES

Both the 2025 Lee County Charitable Fund Grant and the IMPACT Grant open on March 6, 2025. Both grant applications and accompanying materials are due on or before May 26, 2025. 

NEW ONLINE GRANT PORTAL

The Lee County Charitable Fund, Keokuk Area Community Foundation, North Lee Community Foundation and Community Foundation of Des Moines County are excited to announce the new online portal to apply for grants, called Grant Lifestyle Manager (GLM). 

Benefits of GLM for the applicant:

· Allow applicants to leverage auto-save functionality, preview follow-up forms, and copy and paste responses with rich text formatting to save time. 

· Give multiple users access to grant applications before submission.

· A centralized cloud management system that keeps foundation staff, grantees, applicants, board members, and evaluators all on the same page.

· Grant reviewers who securely read and score applications online, cutting down on the need for long, in-person meetings.

If your organization is interested in applying for a grant, we recommend watching the Applicant Experience Video before starting the GLM Grant Portal.  You can also download an instructional guide to the GLM Grant Portal here.

If you need assistance with a Lee County Charitable Fund, Keokuk Area Community Foundation, North Lee Community Foundation, or Lee County Charitable Fund Grant, please contact Philip Ricketts at info@keokukfoundation.org, to receive your username or get help.