Wiregrass Foundation (WF) makes grants to nonprofit community organizations that positively impact the health, education, and quality of life of the Dothan area. WF carefully considers its mission when investing in community programs and is committed to achieving measurable results within its zones and interests. In addition to its regular grant cycles per year, WF also administers a
Micro-Grant program for grant requests of $5,000 or less.
To view the full Standard Cycle grant guidelines please download the
Grant Application Guidelines (.pdf). Please be patient with us as we revise our current guidelines. The correct address to file the grant application is 1532 Whatley Drive, Dothan, AL 36303. If you are interested in applying for the Micro-Grant, download the
Micro-Grant Application and Guidelines.
Who May Apply?
How to Apply?
When To Apply?
How Applications Are Reviewed?
Who May Apply?
Grants are made to eligible organizations who serve the population residing within a 50 mile radius of Dothan. Preference is given to grants that serve residents in one or more of the four counties of Houston, Henry, Dale and Geneva. The following types of organizations are eligible to apply for a WF grant:
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• A tax-exempt organization described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (which includes religious, charitable, educational, scientific and certain other organizations) that is not a private foundation; or |
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• A private operating foundation described in Section 4940(d) of the Internal Revenue Code; or |
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• An organization described in Section 170(c)(1) (governmental entities) or Section 511(a)(2)(B) (state colleges and universities) of the Internal Revenue Code. |
Grants are not made to private foundations, supporting organizations described in Section 509(a)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, private or publicly held corporations, limited liability companies, or partnerships. It is the responsibility of the applicant organization to ensure that the size of a grant from WF relative to its other sources of gifts and income will not cause the organization to automatically convert to private foundation tax status under certain Internal Revenue Service regulations.
Funding Exclusions
It is not our policy to fund:
- Churches
- Political organizations or causes
- Grants outside of the Dothan area
- Individuals or fraternal bodies
- Ongoing general operating expenses
- Projects of a national or statewide scope
- Projects of more than 5 years
How to Apply
Two complete copies of the application and required materials as described in the Grant Application Guidelines must be hand delivered to the foundation office on or before the deadline date. These deadlines are strictly adhered to and no exceptions are made for late submissions. Ex-parte contact or “lobbying” of WF directors during application review may inadvertently create a conflict of interest for the Director and may result in an abstention from voting on the application under review.
When to Apply:
Wiregrass Foundation considers grant applications four times per year at its April, June, August, and October Board of Directors meetings. With respect to each such board meeting, deadlines for submission of applications are as follows:
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BOARD MEETING |
APPLICATION DEADLINE |
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APRIL |
MARCH 1 |
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JUNE |
MAY 1 |
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AUGUST |
JULY 1 |
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OCTOBER |
SEPTEMBER 1 |
Wiregrass Foundation endeavors to ensure that every grant application is thoroughly and fairly considered. A letter is sent to each applicant acknowledging the receipt of the grant application. The application is then reviewed for technical completeness and determined if it meets the funding requirements. This review determines which grant applications will be recommended to the Board of Directors. Each grant applicant is notified in writing of the decisions of the Board of Directors, which is final. A complete summary of the review process can be found in the full
Grant Application Guidelines.
Micro-Grants are intended to assist with fundraisers or single issue/single activity projects. No multi-year projects will be funded through this program, and organizations may not increase the $5000/year cap by joining with another agency to submit a cooperative proposal. Receipt of a Micro-Grant award will not preclude an organization from submitting a request under the regular grant program. Although Wiregrass Foundation actively supports education through its regular grantmaking, schools are not eligible for Micro-Grants.
For consideration of a Micro-Grant, your organization must be located in Houston, Dale, Henry or Geneva counties and you must complete a
Micro-Grant Application Form. Organizations may apply more than once in a year but are limited to a maximum of $5,000 per year. For purposes of this program, a “year” shall mean a calendar year, regardless of the recipient organization’s fiscal year.
