Grants for derecho recovery expenses available to nonprofits with mission-based grounds

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation has announced a new grant opportunity, Nonprofit Recovery Grants, for nonprofit organizations in Linn County with derecho-related recovery expenses for grounds that are used to provide key mission-based programming.

The grants will provide funding up to $25,000 to reimburse the long-term recovery of grounds. Eligible expenses are those not being reimbursed from another source such as insurance or fundraising contributions. The funding is available from the Disaster Recovery Fund at the Community Foundation.

“It was determined that nonprofits with grounds used for programming have funding gaps in their derecho recovery efforts,” said Elizabeth Cwik, Senior Program Officer at the Community Foundation. “The gaps are primarily due to insurance that does not cover the costs of tree removal. These grants will help these nonprofits as they work to return their grounds to a safe space for programming needs.”

Nonprofits must describe the derecho damage, provide an update on efforts to restore the land to provide safe programming, and outline the funding gap after insurance and fundraising. Scoring will be based on eligibility criteria of land-based programming, financial need based on insurance gap, organizational stability and impact of the organization in the community.

The grant deadline is 4: 30 p.m. Dec. 6. Applications should be emailed to disaster@gcrcf.org. Nonprofits are encouraged to contact Cwik before applying to confirm eligibility.

More information about the Nonprofit Recovery Grants, including the application, can be found at https://www.gcrcf.org/grants/funding-opportunities/disaster-recovery-fund/.