About Nonprofit Project Grants

The FCIDD accepts nonprofit project grant applications from I/DD serving nonprofits in our 15 states. Applications are completed online through our Submittable, formerly WizeHive, grants portal (select FCIDD Nonprofit Program Grant Requests).

Grant submission rounds close on March 1, July 1, and October 1 at 11:59 p.m. Awards are announced in April, September, and November respectively. Applications submitted after the due date will be put into consideration for the following submission round.

You can read about some of the recent projects we've funded on our blog.

Find out more about the grant categories, application process, and frequently asked questions (FAQs) below, and please contact us at fciddgrants@fcidd.org or call us at 410-696-4686 if you have questions.

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A grant application typically fits into one of the following categories. If you’re not sure where your proposal fits and would like to discuss, please contact us at fciddgrants@fcidd.org or call us at 410-696-4686.

Accessibility & Engagement

for museums, parks, other public spaces without a specific I/DD focus wanting to make property or equipment improvements and additions to better include visitors with I/DD. I think this category would also hopefully avoid the recurring conversations about the ratio of visitors with I/DD as it's understood that these are public spaces and those types of statistics are not kept.

Educational Spaces

for I/DD serving school programs with a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) attached needing property improvements or equipment/resource purchases to better serve their students with I/DD.

Program Area Improvements

for I/DD specific 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) looking to add/improve programming potential via equipment and property improvements, updates and additions (obviously the bulk of our current funding).

Outreach and Education

for trainings, scholarships, seminars and events related to empowering program staff, families or individuals related to I/DD programming, life skills, and other opportunities. This would not include staff salaries for staff trainings or scholarships to individuals.

Please read all instructions in Section 1 before beginning.
Add any additional users from your organization (known as "Collaborators" within Submittable) whom you would like to access the application by clicking the "Add/Manage Collaborators" icon at the top of the application. You can do this at any time in the process. If you're sponsored by a Participating Civitan Club (required for the October and March applications), you'll also need to have the name and email address of the club representative to add as a collaborator.
Complete any fields with a red asterisk (*). You'll be unable to submit your completed application if one of these fields is left empty. When appropriate, simply use "n/a" in the field.
When your organization has completed all applicable sections, if you are being sponsored by a Participating Civitan Club (required for the October and March applications) reach out to your Civitan club representative so that the club section(s) can be completed (sections 5 and 6). Section 5 is to be used if there is only one club sponsoring you. If you have multiple clubs in your area working with you on the grant, Section 6 will also be available.
The Participating Civitan club section(s) are for the sponsoring club(s) to verify that they have reviewed and support your application, and allows them to also commit funds toward the request. Please stay in touch with your club representative to make sure their section is completed before the deadline.
Once all appropriate sections are completed, you'll be able to click the "Submit" button at the top of the application. The Grants Committee will review all applications at the end of a round and may contact you for more information. You will also be contacted to have someone from your organization available to answer questions from the Board of Directors during their final review via Zoom, typically held the second Thursday of April, September, and November at 7 p.m.

Two things before you begin an application:

If you're applying for a grant in the October or March rounds, you'll need to have a partnering Civitan club to sponsor your application. Contact us if you need to be connected with a parnering club. Only the July round (awarded in December) doesn't require a partnering Civitan club as a sponsor. However, there are a number of benefits of having a partnering club outside of just the granting process.
If this is your first time using the online portal through Submittable (formerly WizeHive), you'll need to create an account and make sure it's connected to a nonprofit. If you're not sure if your organization already has an account, or how to access it (if someone else in your organization created one), please contact us and we'll make sure you're set up.

Creating an account allows you to preview and download a review copy of the online application. Once you begin an application, it also allows you to come back to the application for further editing, as well as monitor the status of the application once it's submitted. This is also how you'll make any adjustments if requested by the Grants Committee.

What is the typical FCIDD grant award?

The FCIDD tries to award all approved grant applications in full, based on its budget for that year. Typical requests/awards fall between $5,000 and $100,000, though all requests are considered.

What are the benefits of partnering with a Civitan Club?

The FCIDD's existence and success is due to members of many Civitan members throughout the 15 states we serve who have spent time, talents, and resources for over 75 years. The Board of Directors consists of representatives from area clubs. But more importantly, Civitans in your community can vouch for your work, and are also frequently a source of continued support after the grant cycle in terms of volunteerism, financial support, and networking opportunities.

What expenses will the FCIDD fund?

Grants will be awarded for the purpose of primarily benefiting, including, or increasing accessibility for individuals with intellectual or development disabilities. Grants may be awarded for scholarships or training personnel in the care and education of individuals with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities. Grants shall mainly be distributed to a Charity whose primary purpose or whose project is to support individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. A Charity which has a project to benefit individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities based on financial need shall be awarded the grant money based upon its own objective criteria and without any special preference to members of Civitan or members of their family. Generally, grants may not be approved for the purpose of funding the following: Office and janitorial supplies Advertising expense Administration fees Regular staff wages (i.e. regular recurring payroll would generally not be funded, but a request to fund staff for the first year of a pilot program may be considered on an exceptional basis.) Rent and mortgages Utility costs Regular property maintenance Training for general (non-I/DD community specific) compliance certification or licensure, waiver requirements, or day-to-day operations. Exceptions will be considered in a compelling case.

How does the FCIDD determine who receives funds?

All grant applications are reviewed by 3 parties: the Grants Committee, the Executive Committee, and the Board of Directors. The Grants Committee reviews and scores the grants. The scoring doesn't determine who receives a grant, but it helpful for differentiation if necessary. You can find a pdf of the scoring sheet below. After the Grants Committee review, applications are recommended for approval and reviewed at the next Executive Committee meeting. The Executive Committee then makes their recommendations. The Board of Directors then meets to review the grants, and hears from Civitan partners and organizational representatives. They are the final arbiters and may even choose to approve a grant that wasn't recommended by the other bodies.

Grant Scoring with Likert Scale.pdf