Applying for a grant

Together we can transform our communities.

Innovia Foundation works closely with nonprofit organizations and others throughout the region to identify and respond to a wide range of community issues and opportunities. This might be as complex as collaborating with community leaders on a long-range plan for neighborhood preservation, or as basic as funding a program to provide shoes for children from low-income families. In all cases, Innovia Foundation looks to fund solutions that will create measurable, positive change in our region.  Awards from Innovia Foundation’s competitive grant programs are determined in partnership with local volunteers from throughout the foundation’s service area. This locally based advisory process ensures that grant opportunities address the changing needs of our communities. 

Eligibility Requirements

  • In order to be eligible, applicants must be a public charity with tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; a federally recognized tribe; or a public entity such as a school district, municipality, or unincorporated group or association. In certain cases, grants can be awarded to non-501(c)(3) organizations for charitable purposes.
  • In all cases, the applicant organization/program must have a clear charitable purpose. 
  • Applicants cannot have any delinquent reports for previous grants awarded through all Innovia Foundation’s grant programs.
  • Some grant programs have specific restrictions. Be sure to read grant guidelines carefully to see if any restrictions apply.
  • Innovia Foundation competitive grants are awarded to organizations providing services within the 20-county region served by the Foundation. (Eastern Washington Counties: Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Lincoln, Spokane, Adams, Whitman, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin. North Idaho Counties: Boundary, Bonner, Kootenai, Benewah, Latah, Nez Perce, Lewis, Clearwater, Shoshone and Idaho.)
  • Please note that Innovia Foundation has multiple grant programs. Applying to/receiving grant funding from one Innovia Foundation grant program does not preclude your organization from to applying to any other Innovia Foundation grant program.

If you have any questions about any of Innovia Foundation’s grant programs or eligibility, please contact the Core Team at core-team@innovia.org. 

Apply

Programs

Partners from philanthropy, government and business have come together to create  COVID-19 Response and Recovery Funds to award grants to grassroots and community-based organizations in Eastern Washington and North Idaho. The funds are designed to complement the work of public health officials, medical providers, businesses and governments to address the outbreak as effectively as possible.

To date, the COVID-19 Response and Recovery funds have distributed more than $1.5 million to support our region’s most vulnerable populations and help local businesses weather the economic fallout from the pandemic.

As our communities continue to experience the impacts of COVID-19, we are launching a new grant round for Eastern Washington. The goal for this round is to provide financial support to communities made more vulnerable and most impacted by COVID-19, especially:

  • Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)
  • People experiencing homelessness
  • Low-income
  • Refugees, immigrants, undocumented persons
  • Survivors of domestic violence and/or child abuse
  • Rural residents
  • People living with disabilities
  • People who identify as LGBTQ
  • Seniors
  • Formerly incarcerated
  • Children/Youth (0 – 18)

Applicants must be providing or proposing programs that address one or more of the following focus areas:

  • Access to basic needs (which can include food, safe shelter, diapers, transportation, financial assistance, etc.)
  • Access to healthcare (including mental health supports, vaccine education and delivery, personal protective equipment (PPE) and treatment)
  • Access to education, child care and out-of-school programming
  • Stimulating economic vitality and workforce development
Direct Response Grants and Solutions Accelerator Grants
As people throughout our region continue to struggle with the economic, social and health impacts caused by COVID-19,  we recognize that meeting immediate needs continues to be of critical importance. Direct Response Grants will be awarded to assist organizations in providing immediate direct services to help people mitigate the impacts of COVID-19. These grants will range from $2,500 – $15,000.
Beyond meeting immediate needs, we see organizations eager to be innovative and collaborative to accelerate recovery and build resilience. Solutions Accelerator Grants range from $10,000 – $40,000 and will support collaborative efforts between two or more entities (nonprofit, business, academic, public agencies, etc.) to accomplish one or more of the following:
  • Develop innovative solutions that mitigate or reduce the health, economic and social impacts of COVID-19
  • Fill a response that cannot realistically be met in a timely manner by the public or private sector
  • Show promise of broad community impact

In most cases, organizations can only apply in only one of the two categories. Exceptions can be made on a case by case basis. Please contact Molly Sanchez, msanchez@innovia.org for more information.

Applications are due at 11:59 p.m. (PST) on Monday, March 8, 2021.

Click here to see a Sample Application

Eligibility
Grants are open to:

  • 501 (c)3 nonprofits
  • Economic development organizations, such as Chambers of Commerce (for specific economic development programs)
  • Grassroots organizations
  • Public entities, such as public schools, libraries, municipalities
  • Federally recognized tribes

Application Timeline

  • Grant applications will be accepted from February 10 to March 8, 2021.
  • Final funding decisions will be announced by April 23.
  • Grant awards are for a one-year period from April 23, 2021 to April 23, 2022

Exclusions
Please note this program does not make grants directly to individuals or for small business recovery.

Still have questions?
Please contact core-team@innovia.org.

The Equinox Foundation is partnering with Innovia Foundation to provide a grant program for the benefit of the communities in Bonner and Boundary counties of North Idaho. This family foundation was founded on the values of wisdom, integrity and environmental stewardship. This program will consider applications from nonprofit organizations addressing a variety of program areas, including: 

  • Education and youth development  
  • Arts and culture 
  • Economic opportunity 
  • Health and wellbeing 
  • Quality of life 

Grant amounts are typically between $2,000 and $30,000 and are provided for a one-year period.

Application Dates: February 15, 2021 – April 23, 2021. Awards will be announced in early July, 2021. Grant awards are for a one-year period from August 1, 2021 to July 31, 2022.

The Columbia County Children’s Fund provides support to organizations within Columbia County. Applications must address one of the following program areas:   Educational enrichment and special needs programs, with preference given to elementary school-aged children.  Guidance, counseling and therapy to children and their families.  Medical and dental services and/or supplies (glasses, hearing aids, braces) for disadvantaged children.  Grants awards are typically less than $4,000.

Application Dates:

Applications will be accepted from April 26, 2021 to July 15, 2021.

This Book public action campaign creates community-wide awareness and ownership for childhood reading success. Childhood reading success is not just a parent issue, it’s not just a student issue, and it’s not just a school issue… it is a community-wide issue. The campaign calls on everyone in the community, other than parents and students, to:

  • Read to a Child
  • Donate a Book
  • Help Build a Stronger Community

Using familiar adults in the community, the campaign messaging emphasizes that a book, “This Book”, can have significant benefit for a community. “This Book”:

  • Opens Doors – kids who master reading by 3rd grade are five times more likely to be college or career ready
  • Removes Barriers – reading to a child is more important to their language and reading development than their family’s income or social class
  • Grows Our Economy – every dollar spent on a donated book generates $64 in benefits for the whole community
  • Fights Crime – as the average educational level in a community increases, the crime rate in that same community decreases by 13 – 27 percent

This Book Grants Program provides small grants to rural libraries, municipalities, or non-profit organizations throughout the 20 counties served by Innovia Foundation. Grants through this program may range from $250 to $2,500. Proposals should include intent to use funding for photography, graphic design and printing of community-personalized media assets. Funding may also be utilized for the purchase of items to establish reading spaces for youth in local businesses, such as books, bookcases, rugs, pillows, etc.

An existing toolkit will be made available for community-personalization which includes posters, one-sheets, rack cards, bookmarks, stickers, book lists, reading milestone reference sheets by grade level, and shareable social media posts.

 For additional questions, please contact Amy Voeller at avoeller@innovia.org or (208) 771-0174.

Application Dates: Not currently accepting applications. We anticipate reopening this program in Spring 2021.

The Community Grant Program is comprised of more than 90 funds established by donors who have given Innovia Foundation the flexibility to make funding decisions that accommodate changing needs and capitalize on timely and compelling opportunities in our 20-county region. This program has one cycle per year and organizations are eligible to submit one application per cycle. The maximum award amount is $20,000. To learn more about this program and review grant guidelines click here.

As the COVID-19 pandemic impacts our region, Innovia Foundation continues to make intentional changes to our traditional grant practices. Changes include increasing giving to COVID relief, reducing reporting requirements and other restrictions on existing grants, awarding general operating grants and actively engaging with communities hardest hit by COVID-19.

Knowing that funding requests will far exceed the funding available, we have temporarily revised our Community Grant program for 2021 with a focus on addressing the impacts of COVID-19 and other local crises including summer wildfires. These changes include:

  • Prioritized funding to mitigate impacts of COVID-19 and area wildfires, especially for organizations addressing disproportionately impacted communities
  • Allowing requests for general operating support
  • Offering a separate pool of funding to support the unique COVID-19 impacts facing Arts and Culture organizations

Following this grant round, we will re-assess these guidelines and timeline for future grant cycles in order to be as responsive as possible to rapidly changing needs.

Please review the following 2021 Community Grant Guidelines carefully as the types of funding available, funding priorities and other details for 2021 differ from previous years.

Community Grant Program Timeline

  • Application Opens: Closed
  • Early Bird Deadline: Closed
  • Application Closes: 2021 applications are closed
  • Grant Decisions: Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Program Goal

From rural community theaters to large symphonies, Innovia Foundation partners with nonprofit organizations that support the arts as economic drivers, educational assets, civic catalysts and bridges between cultures.

The Arts and Culture Grant Program 2021 will provide flexible funding to support arts and culture organizations adversely impacted by the outbreak of COVID-19, with priority given to organizations that have history of fueling local economy.

Grants can be used for general operating support to meet immediate needs (such as rent, utilities, payroll and benefits) or to implement innovative solutions to adapt to COVID-19 challenges (such as strategies to share programming on digital platforms; adaptations to social distancing). To learn more about this program and review grant guidelines click here.

Timeline

  • Application Opens: Closed
  • Early Bird Deadline: Closed
  • Application Closes: 2021 applications are closed
  • Grant Decisions: Wednesday, March 17

Frequently asked questions

There are currently two grant programs open:

  • Arts and Culture Recovery Grant Program
  • Community Grant Program

Organizations may only apply to one of these grant programs. If your organization operates with a mission that incorporates arts and culture as a primary purpose, you should apply to the Arts and Culture Recovery Grant Program.

If you have additional questions, please contact core-team@innovia.org.

Activities Typically Not Eligible for Innovia Foundation Grant Funding:

  • Academic or scientific research
  • Debt retirement, operating deficits or after-the-fact support
  • Direct or grassroots lobbying
  • Annual fund appeals and contributions to endowments
  • Re-granting programs
  • Litigious activities
  • In considering applications for funding from faith-based organizations we will apply the following criteria:
    1. The program or service to be funded must be open to all members of the community (not just members of the faith community applying for funding)
    2. In the course of providing programs or services, faith-based organizations cannot require clients to participate in or adopt any specific religious practice or belief

Organizations cannot apply for grants from Innovia Foundation’s donor-advised funds.  

Requests from locally based organizations are given preference over organizations whose center of operations and/or governance is located outside of our 20-county region. Should you choose to submit an application, you must specifically address how the requested funding will benefit Innovia Foundation service areas and how you will ensure that Innovia Foundation funds will not be used outside our service area.