The mission of the Marion County Community Foundation is to serve as a resource for creating a bridge from today to an enhanced quality of life tomorrow for both current and future residents of Marion County. This includes supporting charitable purposes that enhance the quality of life in areas such as health, education, culture, religion, recreation, or the enhancement and preservation of the county’s heritage.
The grant program aims to support creative and innovative programs, current or emerging charitable opportunities, services not presently offered, and capital projects that enhance the quality of life in Marion County. The Foundation prioritizes projects proposed by coalitions of service providers, those likely to gain support from matching funds, and those with a design that can be replicated. Projects should not significantly duplicate efforts undertaken by other nonprofits and should not request funding for crisis intervention, current budget support, deficit reduction, debt reduction, or completed projects. Special attention is given to projects serving broad segments of the population, and while low priority is given to narrowly sectarian church programs, those with an ecumenical base or designed to serve those in need of essential services without regard to religious affiliation are considered. Proposals are evaluated based on merit, need priority, staff experience, goal clarity, post-grant funding plans, and project feasibility within the proposed timeline.