Civic and Community Organization Grant Funding
The City of Harrisonburg Civic and Community Organizations Grant Program, commonly referred to as Community Contributions, provides an opportunity for qualified non-profit organizations that deliver services to Harrisonburg residents to receive funding from the City. City Code Section 4-2-9 states that each outside agency or charitable organization which requests a financial contribution from the City or currently receives a financial contribution from the City must submit its application by January 30th of each year.
Key Eligibility Criteria
- The applicant must be a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization meeting the legal requirements of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
- The applicant must provide significant, measurable direct services to residents of Harrisonburg. The organization must be able to provide an unduplicated count of the residents served.
- The applicant must have fulfilled all service, reporting, auditing, and payment obligations for any previous loans or grants from the City.
- The application must submit all required supporting documents in order to be considered by the Civic and Community Organization Grant Review Committee.
Program Updates
The FY25-26 application and reporting requirements are the same as FY24-25.
Applicants are now required to select a funding category that best aligns with their organization's mission. Applicants may only select one category. Category selection will not impact scoring of applications. View the funding categories and their descriptions here: Funding Categories Definitions (PDF) [230KB]
Applicants' request amounts may not exceed the new funding request caps. Funding request caps are established based on an organization's operating budget. View funding request caps here: Funding Request Caps (PDF) [146]
Awardees who receive more than $5,000 in funding in FY25-26 may be required to present to City Council on their use of the funding. Presentation requirements and schedules will be determined after awards have been made.
Application Process
View the Announcement of Community Contributions Grant Application-2025-2026 (PDF) [49KB]
Applications are due on Thursday, January 30, 2025, by 5:00pm.
Requests $5,000 or more - Complete the Application
Requests Under $5,000 - Complete the Application
Download the Application Budget Worksheet (Excel) [21KB]
A virtual information session on the application, the evaluation process, and program changes will be held on Thursday, January 9, 2025, at 3:00pm.
Examples of required documents:
Applicants must submit current required documents. For the State Corporation Commission Certificate of Good Standing submission requirement, the document must be dated within the last 12 months.
1. IRS 501(c)(3) Determination Letter
- Sample IRS Letter of Determination 1 [1MB]
- Sample IRS Letter of Determination 2 [78KB]
- Sample IRS Letter of Determination 3 [290KB]
2. State Corporation Commission Certificate of Good Standing
3. IRS Tax Form 990, 990-EZ, or 990-N (990 or 990-EZ highly preferred)
- Sample IRS Form 990 [1MB]
- Sample IRS Form 990 EZ [398KB]
4. An audit by an independent CPA, a financial review, or a compilation
- Sample Audit [1MB]
- Sample Review [1MB]
- Sample Compilation [1MB]
Evaluation Process
Following the application deadline, the Community Organization Grant Review Committee will review and consider all applications. All proposals will be scored using a scoring rubric.
Download the Scoring rubric (PDF) [160KB]
The Civic and Community Organization Grant Review Committee submits its funding recommendations to the City Manager for consideration. The City Manager will review and determine which recommendations to include in the budget as is feasible based on financial constraints.
Award of Funds
The Harrisonburg City Council will review and consider award of funds to selected non-profit organizations included in the City Manager’s proposed budget. In all cases, the City Council retains sole and absolute discretion in administering this program, including which applicants will be awarded funds and the total level of funding in each instance.
Execution of Agreement
Non-profit organizations selected to receive funds will be required to sign and execute an agreement with the City of Harrisonburg. The agreement will require submission of a semi-annual reporting form.
Download the Sample agreement (PDF) [131KB]
Grant Contacts
Brian Vandenberg, Assistant to the City Manager
540-432-7701
Brian.Vandenberg@harrisonburgva.gov