28 Sep 2015 Applications for Bridge Fund Endowment grants due Oct. 15

Posted at 10:04 AMh in News by

The Arkansas Community Foundation is accepting proposals for programs that support education, libraries and the teaching/promotion of Arkansas history.  Schools, libraries, museums, historical societies and other nonprofit organizations can visit arcf.org/BridgeFund to apply online for grants from the Bridge Fund Endowment.

"The Bridge Fund was created at the Community Foundation in 1993 to serve as a bridge between Arkansas’s past and future,” said Heather Larkin, president and CEO of Arkansas Community Foundation. “We’re looking for projects that connect Arkansans to our past by promoting Arkansas history, or that connect us to our future by increasing information access for our residents."

Grants will typically range from $1,000 to $25,000.  Proposals should fall into one of the following categories:

  1. Requests from community, school and college libraries for technology to improve access to information; for improving services to patrons; and/or for upgrading history and reference collections.
  2. Requests from schools, archives, county and state historical societies and museums for projects to provide training for teachers of state and local history, and to increase the knowledge and understanding of Arkansas history, especially through research and publication, with an emphasis on county and local history projects.

Any IRS 501(c)(3) public charity or government agency in Arkansas is eligible. Grants are not made to individuals. Organizations in any geographic area of the state may apply.

Arkansas Community Foundation is especially interested in proposals that show evidence of collaboration with other organizations or have multiple sources of funding.

Arkansas Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization that fosters smart giving to improve communities. The Community Foundation offers tools to help Arkansans protect, grow and direct their charitable dollars as they learn more about community needs. By making grants and sharing knowledge, the Community Foundation supports charitable programs that work for Arkansas and partners to create new initiatives that address the gaps.  Since 1976, the Community Foundation has provided more than $120 million in grants and partnered with thousands of Arkansans to help them improve our neighborhoods, our towns and our entire state. Contributions to the Community Foundation, its funds and any of its 27 affiliates are fully tax deductible.