Statewide Greatest Needs Grant Program Eligibility & Basic Requirements

Eligible Applicants

  • 501(c)(3) organizations* or
  • Government agencies or
  • Tribal government agencies, and
  • Located in and providing programs and services in North Dakota and contiguous areas.

*Churches and religious organizations are eligible to apply, but only for programs or projects that are non-sectarian and non-proselytizing, and that serve a broad segment of the community without regard to religious affiliation (example: food pantry or homeless shelter).

Please review the NDCF grant eligibility policy before submitting your application, especially if you are applying as a government agency or using a fiscal sponsor.

Ineligible Applicants or Requests

  • Organizations and projects that exist to influence legislation, carry on propaganda, participate in political campaigns, or which threaten to cause significant controversy or divisiveness
  • Sectarian projects
  • Individuals

General Guidelines

  • Only one application per organization is accepted each year.
  • Grants generally do not exceed $5,000.
  • Requests must be submitted June 1 to July 31.
  • A final grant report must be submitted for any grant received in the previous year before a new application will be considered.
  • NDCF does not make multi-year grant commitments. You may submit a new request each year if additional funding is needed.

Funding Philosophy & Prioritization

The Board places emphasis on helping applicants that have limited access to other sources of funding and attempts to be as equitable as practical to the various geographic regions of the state.

Priorities
NDCF does not have a narrow area of focus. The Board looks at each project on its merits and prioritizes requests according to the following:

Low Priority

  • Projects already substantially supported by government, or which in the opinion of the NDCF Board, can and should be provided for by taxes.
  • Grants to national organizations.
  • Organizations which field substantial fund-raising each year with paid and volunteer staff.

Review Criteria

In considering a grant request, Board Members will consider the following:

  • The possibility of a grant leveraging additional support.
  • The level of local involvement and support.
  • The number of people to be served and the impact of the program on the community.
  • The degree to which the program duplicates or complements the work of other community organizations.
  • Whether the amount requested from the North Dakota Community Foundation is large enough, relative to the total project cost, to meaningfully affect the project’s success.
     

Applications Accepted June 1 through July 31

Step 1 - Review

Review the grant guidelines below to make sure your organization qualifies. If you aren’t sure, or if you have questions, please call NDCF at 701-222-8349 or email Info@ndcf.net. 

Step 2 - Register

Log in to our Grants Portal or create a new account if you are a new applicant. You will need your organization’s name, EIN, and executive officer's name. Be sure to write down your user name (email address) and password. 

Step 3 – Complete Your Application

After registering or logging in, follow the Apply tab at the top of the page. Click Apply next to Statewide Greatest Needs. You will be able to save your application and return later to complete it. The deadline for submitting an application is July 31. Any applications still in draft mode after July 31 will be deleted. 

Our Board of Directors will review all applications in September, and you will be notified whether your request was approved or denied. Grant checks are delivered in early October.

Please read all guidelines before submitting an application.