Apply For Grants

How the Ankeny Community Foundation Can Support Your Nonprofit’s Mission

The Ankeny Community Foundation uses a competitive application process to award grants that help nonprofit organizations launch new programs and sustain their ongoing missions across the Ankeny community.

Our 2025 grant application period will open in August. Find more information on eligibility criteria and how to apply on this page. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected].

The Ankeny Klothing Exchange (TAKE) accepts a $1,000 grant from the Ankeny Community Foundation

The Ankeny Service Center accepts a $1,000 grant from the Ankeny Community Foundation

2025 Grant Cycle Information

We will begin accepting applications for the 2025 grant cycle on August 15th, with a deadline of 11:59 p.m. local/Central Time on September 15th, 2025. Watch this website and our Facebook page for the announced opening.

We will consider grant requests for any dollar amount between $1 and $1,000. We plan to provide a total of $3,000 for the 2025 grant cycle across the Educate, Enhance, and Serve Ankeny fields of interest, with up to $1,000 grants awarded in each of the three areas.

Explore Previous Grant Winners

Grant Scoring & Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Requirements:

Tax-exempt status: Must be a nonprofit entity classified by the IRS as 501(c)(3) or as a 170(c)(1) governmental entity with up-to-date compliance.
If not a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, must have a 501(c)(3) or 170(c)(1) fiscal agent who will be legally and financially responsible.
Must be a local Ankeny entity.
Must have only one application per organization.
Must not be a private foundation.
Must not re-grant the award money. Funds cannot be redistributed through other grants.

Scoring Criteria:

Local need: Originating and serving within the city limits of Ankeny and addressing one of the primary fields of interest: Educate Ankeny, Enhance Ankeny, or Serve Ankeny.
Planning by a local Ankeny organization to make a meaningful impact in meeting and addressing the need.
Impact to be made through the project (scope, significance, type).
Planned use of funds and fiscal viability of the project.
Additional investments needed, including cash match and/or volunteer commitments.
Evidence of broad-based support.
Organization’s capacity to implement and complete the project or to meet application goals within 12 months of the grant’s award date.

Application Instructions

All applications must be submitted and received via email. Portions not uploadable or otherwise included via the online application should be submitted to [email protected].

Children & Families of Iowa accepts a $750 grant from the Ankeny Community Foundation

Please check that each of the following areas have been included in your application and completed:

Cover page information
Description of organization
Project summary
Project information
Project timeline
Project budget
Organizational budget
Additional supporting materials (optional)
A copy of your 501(c)(3) IRS determination letter should be provided via email to [email protected]
A fiscal sponsorship agreement with sponsor contact information, if fiscal sponsor is used

Application Definitions

Fiscal Sponsor

A fiscal sponsor is an organization that is receiving the awarded funds on behalf of the grant applicant. The sponsor is responsible for disbursing the funds for the project as well as maintaining the appropriate documentation. An entity must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit or a 170(c)(1) unit of government to serve as a fiscal sponsor, and a fiscal sponsorship agreement must accompany the grant application if a fiscal sponsor is used.

In order to receive grant funding, organizations must be recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as tax-exempt, nonprofit, public charities under Section 501(c)(3) of the Federal Tax Code or as a “unit of government” under Section 170(c)(1), which refers to agencies that conduct activities to benefit the public at large, like public schools, state universities, and public libraries.

Local Ankeny Entity

A local Ankeny entity is an organization located within the geographic city limits of the city of Ankeny. In order to receive grant funding, organizations/applicants must be located within the city of Ankeny, Iowa.

Local Need

The need that the applicant organization/initiative/project is striving to meet must be located within the city of Ankeny. Grant funds must be spent to serve the community of Ankeny or to meet or address a need in Ankeny.

Grant Scoring

Members of the Ankeny Community Foundation Board of Directors review and score all applications that meet the eligibility requirements. The board’s award decisions are final.

Ankeny High School students hold up a $500 grant check from the Ankeny Community Foundation to the Ankeny Instrumental Music Foundation

Grant Recipient

We’re proud to support organizations making a meaningful impact in the Ankeny community.

Previous grant recipient nonprofits: Ankeny Service Center; TAKE/The Ankeny Klothing Exchange; New Horizons Adult Day Center; Friends of the Ankeny Library; Children & Families of Iowa - Ankeny; Courage League Sports - Ankeny; Ankeny Instrumental Music (AIM) Foundation, Ankeny Friends of the Art Center; Foster SQUAD; The Little White Schoolhouse Foundation; Northview Middle School Crochet Club.

These partnerships help us fulfill our mission of giving back and strengthening our local community.

Representatives of the Friends of the Ankeny Library accept a $500 check from the Ankeny Community Foundation

Residents and staff at New Horizons Adult Day Center accept a grant check from the Ankeny Community Foundation

Representatives of the Ankeny Service Center accept a $1,000 grant check from the Ankeny Community Foundation

Representatives of the Friends of the Ankeny Library accept a $750 grant check from the Ankeny Community Foundation

Grant Application Form: Grant Cycle 2025

Application requesting funding/fiscal sponsor (if the organization is not a 501(c)(3) nonprofit):

Organization conducting the project (if different from the applicant/fiscal sponsor):

Project Title:

Federal tax identification number of applicant or fiscal sponsor (EIN):

Applicant/Fiscal Sponsor Contact Information

Applicant/Fiscal Sponsor Mailing Address

Country:

Address Line 1 (required):

Address Line 2:

City (required):

State (required):

Zip Code (required):

Applicant/Fiscal Sponsor Contact Person & Title

First Name:

Last Name:

Applicant/fiscal sponsor contact person phone:

Applicant/fiscal sponsor contact person email:

Optional Organization/Project Contact Information

Organization/project address (if different)

Country:

Address Line 1 (required):

Address Line 2:

City (required):

State (required):

Zip Code (required):

Organization/Project contact person & title (if different)

First Name:

Last Name:

Organization/project contact person phone (if different):

Organization/project contact person email (if different):

Request Details

Total cost of project:

Amount requested:

Type of Request:

Project focus area:

Brief description of organization:

Brief description of project/project summary:

Project Information

Describe the local need or problem addressed by this project or initiative:

Explain how the project or initiative will address the need. What will be the project’s impact?:

Explain how the project/initiative will benefit the citizens of Ankeny. What will be the project’s legacy?:

Explain your organization’s ability to complete the project and ensure success::

Describe the timeline of the project:

Project Budget: Numbers & Details

Please add here or provide separately via email to [email protected] the project budget numbers and a detailed description of how you would use the grant funds:

Fiscal Sponsorship Agreement (If Applicable)

Date:

Fiscal sponsorship (legal applicant)

First Name:

Last Name:

Fiscal sponsor contact person

First Name:

Last Name:

Fiscal sponsor contact email:

Fiscal sponsor full mailing address

Country:

Address Line 1 (required):

Address Line 2:

City (required):

State (required):

Zip Code (required):

Sponsored organization conducting the project:

Project Name:

Have Questions About Applying for Grants? Contact the Ankeny Community Foundation.

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