Common Good Funds Eligibility

Eligible Organizations

Nonprofit organizations that meet the following requirements are eligible to apply for a grant from the Common Good Funds: 

• Must be located and providing services within the Foundation’s 23-county service area; all funds from Common Good Funds grants must be spent within the 23-county service area; 
• Must be classified by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service under Section 501(c)(3) of the I.R.S. code as a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization, donations to which are deductible as charitable contributions under Section 170 (c)(2) and the I.R.S. determination must be current; 
• Must be registered with the Georgia Secretary of State as a nonprofit (click here to verify); 
• Must have a minimum two-year operating history after the date of receipt of its 501(c)(3) classification; 
• Must have an annual operating budget more than $100,000 as reflected in the most recently filed I.R.S. Form 990; 
• Must have at least one full-time paid employee (paid minimum wage or more, working 2,080 hours or more) for at least 12 months prior to submitting a Letter of Intent (please note that contractors or consultants do not count toward this requirement); 
• Must have a current written strategic or business plan for the whole organization that covers at least 24 months which includes the organization’s entire current fiscal year and includes the following:
  o   Mission statement
  o   Evidence of an environmental scan
  o   Stakeholder participation (staff, board, etc.)
  o   Strategic goals and measureable objectives
  o   Implementation plan with assigned staff and/or board responsibilities
  o   On-going evaluation to keep plan current
  o   Addresses multiple years with regular updates 
• Must have audited financial statements for the past two completed fiscal years for organizations with annual budgets over $250,000; must have financial statements reviewed by an independent, certified public accountant for the past two completed fiscal years for organizations with annual budgets between $100,000 and $249,999; 
• Must have filed the end of grant report for any previous Common Good Funds grant; 
• Must have a Board of Directors where 100% of members made personal cash donations or made financially measureable in-kind contributions during the last completed fiscal year (please note there is no required cash donation amount); 
• Must have a Board of Directors with representation from the community served and committee structure that ensures the necessary mix of skills to succeed. 

Not Eligible for Funding 

• Private and publicly funded schools (K-12) and institutions of higher learning. This does not include nonprofit charter schools; 
• Grants to individuals; 
• Fundraising and marketing events; 
• Organizations that provide religious services and education; 
• Endowment funds; 
• Organizations that raise funds for publicly funded schools (K-12) and institutions of higher learning; 
• Capital campaign contributions (for building construction or renovation) or use of funds to cover capital campaign feasibility studies or campaign implementation expenses. This does not include regular maintenance and capital improvements.