Mini-Grants
Mini-Grants are reserved for 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations that predominantly serve residents of Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham Counties, Michigan.
Mini-Grants are limited to organizations with an annual operating budget of less than $200,000. Applicants will be asked to provide revenue and expense statements for the past two fiscal years.
- Eligibility is verified by the Federal Tax ID number provided by the applicant.
- Grant requests can include support for programming, operations, or ongoing projects, up to $5,000.
- Event or festival sponsorships and other time-sensitive programs are not eligible for a Mini-Grant.
- Mini-Grant requests are compiled and presented to donors for consideration in a catalog, several times throughout the year.
View the 2025 Mini-Grant Catalog to see how mini-grant requests are presented to our donors.
Mini-Grant requests may be for programming, operations or project support. However, event or festival sponsorships and other time-sensitive programs or projects are not eligible for a mini-grant.
Your grant request will be included in a catalog which is presented to Community Foundation fundholders and donors for funding consideration. Requests may be funded at any time throughout the year based on the giving interests of the fundholder. The grant will close on December 31, whether or not it has been selected for funding.
Tips for a successful mini-grant application:
- Remember: our donors will be receiving 35-40 Mini-Grant applications for their consideration. To stand out, you will need to be clear and compelling in your request!
- Be very concise and specific in describing the impact that the funds will have, either on your organization or those you serve.
- Avoid phrases like “helping those in need”, “empowering youth”, or “feeding the hungry” - these are too general and do not help the donor understand what they are supporting with their funds.
- It is very helpful if you can quantify your request with number of individuals helped, how often, for how long, etc. (Example: This grant will provide 10 meals per month to 100 low-income Lansing residents for one year). The more specific you can be, the more confidence our donors will have in choosing to fund your request.
2026 MINI-GRANT TIMELINE:
- The 2026 Mini-Grant application period is December 3, 2025 - February 4, 2026 at 5 pm.
- Mini-Grant requests are published in our Funding Opportunities Catalog and presented to potential funders several times throughout the year for their consideration.
- Grant applicants will be notified right away if their project is selected for partial or full funding.
- All current Mini-Grant requests will close out on December 31, whether they have received funding or not.
SAMPLE Mini-Grant Application (for review only, do not submit)
