The Rapides Foundation > Grants > Funding Opportunities

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	Funding Opportunities All of our work at The Rapides Foundation revolves around our overall Mission of improving the health status of Central Louisiana. Our three priority areas, and objectives in each area, are as follows: Healthy People To promote healthy behaviors and improve access to healthcare. Education To increase the level of educational attainment and achievement as the primary path to improved economic, social and health status. Healthy Communities To improve economic opportunity and family income; and enhance civic and community opportunities for more effective leaders and organizations. Information about these priority areas follows below. Or for more information, view the document Program and Funding Interests. Deadlines and Award Amounts Letters of Intent are due May 15. Our October 15 cycle has been temporarily suspended. Applications are accepted for programs up to $1,000,000 for a maximum of three years although few grants are awarded at the maximum levels. Requests for projects of $10,000 or less are accepted at any time as part of our Mini Opportunity Grant Program. Selected Review Considerations: Successful applicants will look to maximize use of existing local, state and federal funds and services in an effort to develop and sustain more effective systems. Successful applicants will demonstrate a high level of knowledge of the issues. They will also be able to demonstrate that they can be expected to manage a program with a good chance of being effective and creating positive change in community health and well-being. Successful applicants will propose to develop or provide services to a sufficient number of community residents to make an impact. On the other hand, proposals calling for large grants to serve thousands of individuals across multiple parishes are rarely funded at that scale. Successful applicants will, at a minimum, recognize the importance of evaluation in developing and supporting services that go beyond goodwill or charity. Applicants with weak or non-functioning Boards of Directors are generally not successful. Application materials, eligibility criteria and related selection criteria are contained in the booklet titled Applying for Funds from The Rapides Foundation. Any group or organization interested in applying for funds is encouraged to call the Program Assistant at 318-767-3013. She will direct your call to the appropriate Program staff person. Calls and e-mails are strongly encouraged prior to any formal written submissions.


	Grants Available The Foundation has two types of grants available: Mini Opportunity Grants Mini Opportunity Grants are intended to support projects of one year or less. The projects must be in areas that fall under our Program Opportunity Grant guidelines (please refer to The Rapides Foundation Program & Funding Interests publication for more information). Most Mini Opportunity Grants are for pilot programs or for technical assistance designed to test out an idea or specific time-limited projects that advance an organization's programs in some definable manner. Applications are accepted at anytime and are generally considered at the next scheduled Budget and Grants Committee meeting. There is a $10,000 maximum for Mini Opportunity Grant awards. Program Opportunity Grants Program Opportunity Grants are intended to support projects or programs. These grants address specific issues of interest to the Foundation. There are two cycles each year with initial Letters of Intent accepted for May 15 and October 15 deadlines.


	Information & Resources Community Development Works is a program of The Rapides Foundation designed to support Central Louisiana citizens and nonprofits in their efforts to build better communities. CDW’s Web site gives access to a wealth of primary and secondary data that helps in the attainment of grant funding. CDW’s Learning Lab on the first floor of The Rapides Foundation building provides community access to publications and databases to help you pursue your work more efficiently.