September 5, 2019
Cameron Foundation updates grant guidelines, hosts information workshops
The Cameron Foundation, a major funder for nonprofit organizations serving the Tri-Cities area, has published updates to its responsive grant guidelines. The changes take effect January 1, 2020, in advance of the Foundation’s next funding cycle.
“Cameron’s staff and Board periodically review the guidelines and make adjustments to keep step with the needs of our community,” explained The Cameron Foundation’s president, J. Todd Graham. Among the revisions this time, the Foundation has added a requirement that nonprofits applying for funding have local representation on their boards or advisory councils. The updates also include a guide for incremental step-down funding in cases where the Foundation has supported the same purpose or project for multiple years. Language was modified in other areas of the document to add clarification to the Foundation’s funding priorities and eligibility criteria. The guidelines can be found on the Foundation’s website at https://camfound.org/fund/grant-guidelines and also are available for download on that web page.
Past grantees have been notified of the new guidelines to give them the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the changes in advance of their next proposal submission to The Cameron Foundation. Additionally, the Foundation is hosting information sessions on Tuesday, September 24, and Thursday, October 3, to discuss the revisions with prospective applicants.
Space is still available during the 2:00-3:00 p.m. meeting on September 24 as well as 2:00-3:00 p.m. on October 3. All sessions will be held at The Cameron Foundation’s headquarters at 228 S. Sycamore Street in Petersburg. Representatives of nonprofit organizations, government entities, and faith organizations who are interested in attending one of these workshops are asked to email reservations@camfound.org or to call 804-732-8900 to sign up. Please provide the following information when making the reservation: organization, your name and position in the organization, phone number, and email (if available). More meetings will be scheduled as needed, so those interested should contact the Foundation to receive notification of new dates as they are added.
The Cameron Foundation administers two responsive grant cycles per year which result in awards in June and October. The Foundation also is engaged in a number of proactive efforts as a supplemental grantmaking strategy to improve its impact through increased collaboration with community partners. In these cases, priority is given to visible, high impact projects that transform the community and that address the social determinants of health. Additionally, the Foundation continues to support the organizational development needs of area-serving nonprofits through a number of capacity-building programs.