Annual Responsive Grants

Eligibility Criteria

• Organizations must be a nonprofit 501(c)(3), registered religious institution or public entity (i.e., governmental agency, public school, educational institution, city council, public library, municipal office, etc.), or a project with a current eligible fiscal sponsor.
• Organizations must connect to at least one of KZCF’s WHEN priorities.
• The organization or its programming must be located in Kalamazoo County.

What KZCF Grants Do NOT Fund

• Projects that intervene in any election or support or oppose political candidates for voter registration or lobbying purposes as outlined by the applicable IRS code
• Annual appeals or event sponsorships (See KZCF sponsorship opportunities.)
• Episodic and/or one-time programs and events (See KZCF sponsorship opportunities.)
• Direct funding for individuals

Additional restrictions for this grant type include:

• Organizations can apply once per year for this type of grant.
• Organizations receiving multiyear grants will generally not be prioritized for this type of grant.

Funding Opportunity & Amounts

In 2025, an estimated $1 million is available to fund approximately 50 requests under this type of grant. Half of the funds will be available in March (Round 1) and half in September (Round 2).

Annual responsive grant awards range from $5,000 to $50,000.

• An estimated $5 million is available to fund approximately 60 to 80 organizations.
• Ten percent of the funds available are earmarked for organizations that build capacity for the nonprofit sector or that serve as backbone institutions for collective impact or sector coordination efforts.
• If funded, the grant term will be from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2028.
• Awards will be renewed annually after the annual reporting is completed and the new grant agreement is signed. (all of this is text from multiyear and not relevant). Can we replace with the text from the grant guide for annual responsive.