Grant calendar: November 2026 to April 2027

Pinecrest Community Pantry · one county · annual budget about $180,000 · prepared from your 990, last year's numbers and your program notes

Example organization (fictional)
Prepared by Acrid Team

9open grants you fit, ranked
$25,750 – $135,000combined range if every cash grant says yes (they will not all)
Dec 18first hard deadline: county community foundation
4looked at and skipped, with the reason

This week

  1. Mon: ask the board chair for the signed board list and the conflict-of-interest policy (the county foundation and the grocery foundation both ask for it).
  2. Tue: request a letter of support from the school district family liaison (useful for three of the nine).
  3. Wed: confirm the nearest big-box store number for the local store grant; the request goes to one store.
  4. Fri: start the county foundation draft. Target: draft to the director by Dec 4, two weeks before the deadline.

The season at a glance

NovDecJanFebMarApr
County community foundation
Dec 18
Big-box retailer local store grant
Dec 31
Regional grocery foundation
Jan 15
Regional family foundation (letter of inquiry)
Jan 30 LOI
State agriculture dept. capacity grant
Feb 27
Utility company foundation (quarterly review)
Mar 1 review
Community bank foundation
Apr 1
Search-ad grant (in-kind, rolling)
Refrigeration equipment program (in-kind)
start firstdrafting windowdeadlinerolling: apply any time

The nine, ranked by fit

FitFunder (type)AmountDeadlineWhy you fitWhat they will ask for
StrongCounty community foundation · community impact cycle$5,000 – $25,000Dec 18Funds food security inside the county; you serve only this county.Budget, board list, last 990, one-page outcomes. You missed it last year by two days.
StrongRegional grocery chain foundation · hunger relief$2,500 – $10,000Jan 15Hunger relief within 25 miles of a store; three stores are inside that range.Pounds distributed and households served last year (you have both).
StrongSearch-ad grant from a major search engine · in-kindUp to $10,000 a month in search adsRollingAny 501(c)(3) with a working website; yours qualifies after one fix (no privacy page).Charity verification and a site that meets their quality rules.
GoodBig-box retailer · local store grant$250 – $5,000Dec 31Local projects near a store; small, quick, a good first yes.Online form, about 30 minutes. Goes to one named store.
GoodRegional family foundation · basic needs$5,000 – $20,000Jan 30 (letter)Basic needs in your region; full proposal by invitation after the letter.Two-page letter of inquiry. We draft it; the full proposal only if invited.
GoodState agriculture department · food bank capacity$10,000 – $50,000Feb 27Pays for coolers, shelving and a van, the exact gap in your notes.State vendor registration first (about 2 weeks). Start it in January.
GoodUtility company foundation · community grants$1,000 – $10,000Rolling (Mar 1 review)Service-area nonprofits; you are inside the territory map.Short form plus budget. Reviewed quarterly.
GoodCommunity bank foundation · community giving$2,000 – $15,000Apr 1Funds basic needs where the bank has branches; two in the county.Online application. A board member who banks there helps, but is not required.
MaybeRefrigeration equipment program · in-kindEquipment, not cashRollingDonated coolers for pantries; you need power and floor space confirmed.Photos of the space and a partner food bank reference.

Reusable answers to write once

  • Mission and history (100, 250 and 500 words)
  • Need statement with last year's numbers
  • Outcomes table: households, pounds, repeat visits
  • Budget and budget narrative
  • Board list, 990, determination letter in one folder

Five of the nine ask for the same core pieces. Written once, each later application is mostly assembly.