Big Idea Grants

The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation is seeking big ideas to dramatically improve the quality of life in Washtenaw County, and will award a total of $200,000 to the best one to four proposals it receives. Proposals should be made for between $50,000 and $200,000 in Community Foundation support.
In order to cast as wide a net as possible, the Community Foundation is imposing very few guidelines on this grant program. Proposals will be judged on two very broad criteria:

• the impact that a proposed project would have on our community, either through an innovative approach to a compelling need or the scaling up of an existing approach; and

• the project’s likelihood of success, meaning whether it has the leadership and organizational capacity to deliver and sustain the results it promises.

Within these broad guidelines, virtually any big idea is eligible for consideration. The winning proposal or proposals will be those that AAACF judges will have the greatest impact on community well being.
Proposals may only be submitted by nonprofit organizations, so individuals with a big idea should find a nonprofit to partner with. Applicants must first contact AAACF Program Director Phil D’Anieri before submitting a proposal. The deadline for applications is February 4, 2009. Proposals must be submitted using the online grant application system CommunityGrants.org.

The AAACF Distribution Committee will evaluate proposals and recommend grant awards. The final decision will be made by the AAACF Board of Trustees.

This special grantmaking program is made possible by the Pfizer Foundation’s gift of $1 million to the Washtenaw County community, through AAACF, in the wake of Pfizer’s closure of its Ann Arbor Labs.