Capital Improvement Grants

Capital Improvement Grants support time-limited projects for Forsyth County nonprofits to acquire, upgrade, and maintain physical assets (such as property, buildings, technology, or equipment).  

WHAT WE FUND

• Organizations may have only one funded Capital Improvement Grant open at a time. (However, they may have concurrent funding open for Capacity-Building Grants, Small Grants, Focus Area Investments, and/or Strategic Initiative Grants.)
• Organizations that have received Capital funding are asked to wait three years before submitting an additional request.
• Maximum funding request: $50,000
• Capital grants will not be awarded for operating expenses required to meet the ongoing costs of running a nonprofit.

Approved expenses include:

• Existing facilities (renovations, upgrades, and repairs)
• New facilities
• Major material goods (equipment, vehicles, and furniture)
• Technology and software
• Beautification
• Supplies

A strong application will demonstrate:

• Two years of organizational operation
• Proven track record of service in Forsyth County
• Financial statements demonstrating revenue and expenses over two years (current year and previous year) – an audit is helpful, but not required
• Clear project plans
• Decsription of project need
• Organizational capacity to manage the scale of the project
• Ability to sustain any ongoing maintenance costs
• Diverse leadership representative of the community it serves
• How the organization gains insights from people with lived experience in the area(s) of service(s) provided

Expenses that are not eligible for funding:

• Operations (utilities/rent, legal/financial services)
• Programming/services
• New or existing staff

For information on past Capital Campaign Grants that were made through the former Capital Campaign Coordinating Committee calendar, click here.

Information Session

On June 8, we hosted an information session to share an overview of our Capital Improvement Grants process and answer questions. Watch the recording below:

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How to Apply

Capital Improvement Grants are considered once a year (first business day in August); applicants will receive a decision after a three-month review period.

To apply, visit the Foundation’s Grant Application Portal and register for an account. (Please register at least two weeks before the deadline so our staff has time to approve your registration.) For more information about creating an account, read our registration instructions. If you need technical assistance, please contact us at grants@wsfoundation.org and we will follow-up within 1-2 business days.

If you have specific questions and/or a proposal idea you would like to discuss, we would be happy to schedule a conversation. Please review the information on our website beforehand. Organizations are not required to meet with our staff before applying. We understand nonprofits may find it helpful to discuss their idea with our team. While we aim to be accessible, please keep in mind call and email volume can be high as submission deadlines approach. To schedule a conversation, contact us at least one week before the application deadline. Note: we cannot guarantee a meeting close to a deadline.