Kari McCann Boutell, President
Iowa Council of Foundations
In September, counties participating in the County Endowment Fund Program will receive the annual distribution. 25% will be invested into County Endowment Funds and the remaining 75% will be directed to grantmaking by local affiliate advisory boards. The grantmaking allocation has the potential each year to do so much good in counties across Iowa. As you prepare to allocate those dollars, we wanted to share some resources and tips we have compiled over the years for you to consider.
Guide to Effective Grantmaking: Last year we released this publication which is a compilation of best practices collected from national research, regional community foundation partners and Iowa community foundation leaders. The guide details the Why, What, Who, When and How of grantmaking – specifically designed for County Endowment Fund Program participants. We hope you will take time to review this guide as you refresh the following documents for your grantmaking programs this year:
- Grant Guidelines
- Grant Applications
- Site Visit Protocols
- Scoring Rubrics and Grant Review Process Documents
- Report Forms and Evaluation Processes
Templates and Samples: A reminder that our office has several templates and sample documents that we have collected from other community foundations. Please send us a note if you would like to see samples of how other community foundations are doing their work. There is no sense in reinventing the wheel when there is so much knowledge within our network. If you ask for something that we don’t have, we can send a colleague inquiry to all Iowa community foundations and collect responses on your behalf.
10 Ways to Strategically Invest Your County Endowment Fund Dollars: This webinar recording offers 10 ideas for ways to utilize your CEFP grantmaking dollars for good in your communities. This might be a helpful resource as you prepare to revise your grant guidelines and priorities for the year. Consider how you can use dollars in proactive and responsive ways to support your county’s needs. You might consider using the webinar as a training tool with your committee in advance of your annual grantmaking process.
As we prepare for the 15th year of the County Endowment Fund Program, we invite you to pause and reflect on the strengths of your local work and acknowledge areas for improvement as we move into this next chapter of the CEFP program!
