FAQs

Gulf Coast Community Foundation provides several types of grant support, including:

Community Grants

• Program support to advance mission-aligned initiatives.
• Event sponsorship for community-based or mission-driven events.
• Grant Request Amount: A combined request of all program and event support for the year up to $25,000.

Catalytic Grants These types of grants are by invitation only

• Grants that help organizations pilot new ideas, scale promising approaches, or leverage additional funding and partnerships.
• Grant Request Amount: Over $25,000

No. Gulf Coast awards grants only to eligible nonprofit organizations and, in limited cases, public entities. We do not make grants directly to individuals. 

Grant cycle timelines vary by funding opportunity and program area. Current grant cycle information, including application deadlines and decision timelines, is posted on our Apply Now page. 

Organizations may apply for one Community Grant (up to $25,000) per fiscal year, July 1 - June 30. Receiving a grant does not guarantee future funding.

We encourage new applicants to connect with Gulf Coast staff prior to submitting a proposal to discuss alignment, eligibility, and timing. Please email communityleadership@gulfcoastcf.org.

Organizations will create a login when submitting their first application through our online grants portal. If you experience issues accessing your account, please email communityleadership@gulfcoastcf.org.

The applicant should be a staff member authorized to submit grant requests on behalf of the organization and serve as the primary contact during the application and grant period (executive director, development director, or program lead).

After submission, applications undergo a review process that includes staff due diligence, possible follow-up questions, and committee review process. Applicants will be notified of funding decisions according to the timeline outlined for each grant cycle.

Funding decisions are based on several factors, including: 

• Alignment with Gulf Coast’s mission, strategies, and priorities
• Demonstrated community need and potential impact
• Organizational capacity and financial and governance health
• Equity, collaboration, and sustainability considerations
• Availability of funds 

Grant recipients are expected to acknowledge Gulf Coast Community Foundation in appropriate communications related to the funded work, such as event materials, publications, websites, or social media. Specific acknowledgment guidelines will be provided with the grant award. Check out our Brand Toolkit for more information on grant acknowledgment.