CHC Foundation funds the purchase of fixed material assets - such as real estate, equipment, and machinery - that support organizations in the initiation, support, and furtherance of activities that meet social, cultural, and/or community needs in their service areas. 

CHC Foundation supports a variety of interests - arts, science, education, social services, environment, cultural, and community interests, and so much more! CHC Foundation is always excited to participate in funding innovative projects. 

CHC Foundation prefers to support one-time projects. It may consider longer term projects that demonstrate a potential for ongoing matching funds or operational funding independent of CHC Foundation funds.

We give priority to:

• Innovative and enriching projects

• Projects that serve the public interest and well-being

• Projects that significantly improve the quality of life in our region

• Projects where our funds will make a critical difference

CHC Foundation does not make grants

• To projects that are already completed or purchases made prior to receiving notification of grant award

• To religious groups or churches, unless the program outlined benefits the broader community

• To political or legislative action groups

• To national or interstate regional organizations. Exceptions may be made for a specific project or activity within the CHC Foundation service area

• To other charitable foundations

• For individual participation in trips, tours, workshops, contests, or competitions

• For specialized training

• For scholarships

• For operating expenses of organizations (for example, salaries, fees, rents, and honorariums)

• For consumable items

• For annual fund drives

• For advertising charitable benefits

• For general activities not clearly linked to specific charitable objectives

• For projects that deliver basic educational services

Under the rules of the Internal Revenue Service, CHC Foundation makes grants only to publicly supported, tax-exempt, nonprofit organizations and institutions and public agencies.CHC Foundation does not make grants directly to individuals. To be eligible for support, applicants must be one of the following types of organizations: 

1. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with written confirmation from the Internal Revenue Service of tax-exempt status.

2. A city, county, or city/county-funded organization. 

3. A school district. 

Additionally, your organization must also be located within our service area (See details in the next question.) 

We do NOT make grants directly to individuals.

If you’re uncertain about your organization’s eligibility, please contact our office (208-522-2368 or office@chcfoundation.net.) 

CHC Foundation makes grants to organizations that serve the greater Eastern Idaho region, with a focus on the Idaho Falls and surrounding area community. The following counties fall into our service area: Bonneville, Northern Bingham (Blackfoot and everything north of it), Butte, Clark, Fremont, Jefferson, Madison, Lemhi, Teton, and Custer (everything east of highway 93). (See maps here for more details.) 

After the deadline has passed for receiving grant applications, all CHC Foundation Board Directors will receive a copy of the grant requests. One or more Board Directors will individually research each grant request, and all grant requests will be discussed by the entire Board of Directors. All grant applications will generally receive written notification of the grant request's disposition by June 1 for the spring session and November 1 for the fall session.

CHC Foundation considers the following factors when reviewing grant applications:

• Eligibility — 501(c)(3) letter of verification

• Need addressed in the proposal

• Potential benefits of the project

• Capability of the proposing organization to achieve the desired results

• Adequacy of the total project budget and timetable to achieve the desired results

• Evidence of appropriate cooperation with other organizations in the same field or organizations assisting and/or materially supporting the project

• Extent and sources of other matching funds being raised for the proposed project

• Inclusion of written bids from vendors

• Likelihood and extent of ongoing support from the requesting organizations and other sources

• Assurance of the continued, long-term operational viability of the requesting organization

You can apply as often as you’d like.

We award grants twice a year: once in the Spring and once in the Fall. 

Spring: We accept grant applications for our Spring session in January and February, with the final deadline date typically being the last Thursday of February. Awards for this session are announced at the end of May. 

Fall: We accept grant applications for our Fall session in June and July, with the final deadline date typically being the last Thursday of July. Awards for this session are announced at the end of October. 

See our home page for this session’s exact dates. 

Yes! Please do! 

This will give us time to review your application and let you know if there's anything missing. 

It'll also give you wiggle room to work with any unforeseen technical difficulties. 

Your grant application should include:

• A completely filled-out CHC Foundation Grant Application, which can be downloaded here.  

• All supporting documentation (see description of required attachments in the Grant Application) 

• The application + the supporting documentation compiled into a single PDF file

• To begin the process, download our grant application form here.  

• Fill out the form and attach all supporting documentation identified in the application.

• Convert the form and all its attachments into a single PDF document. 

• You can find instructions for doing so here.

• Fill out the online application cover letter, attach your PDF, and hit “Submit.” 

If you are having difficulty submitting a grant application, please consider the following:

• Using a different browser to submit your grant will sometimes make a difference. For example, if you're using Chrome, try Firefox. If Firefox isn't working, try Edge, etc.

• Larger file sizes have more difficulty uploading. This can often be resolved by scanning your printed document IN BLACK AND WHITE using an office scanner.  Scans completed using your phone camera often generate larger files, as do color scans.  

If you continue to have problems, feel free to contact the CHC office (208-522-2368 or office@chcfoundaiton.net) for assistance.

Your completed application file, including your narrative and supporting documentation, must be saved as a single PDF file before submission. You can find information about merging your application into a single document here.

After the deadline has passed for receiving grant applications, all CHC Foundation Board Directors will receive a copy of the grant requests. One or more Board Directors will individually research each grant request, and all grant requests will be discussed by the entire Board of Directors at a meeting in May (for the Spring session) or October (for the Fall session). 

Applicants will receive an email notification regarding the status (awards or denials) of their grant applications sometime before June 1st for the Spring session and November 1st for the Fall session. 

NOTE: The email listed for the grant’s Primary Contact is the one used for these notifications, so make sure you use an email that you check regularly.  

Those who receive grants will need to sign a digital agreement outlining the terms and conditions of the grant. This will be emailed to you along with the award letter. 

Get going on that project! CHC Foundation grants are reimbursement-based grants, meaning you’ll need to spend your money first, then submit a request for reimbursement directly to our office. Additional information about the reimbursement process, along with a downloadable reimbursement form, can be found here. 

Most grants allow a one-year period in which you can submit for reimbursement on expenditures related to your project.

Contact our office at 208-522-2368 or office@chcfoundation.net. 

CHC Foundation understands that sometimes circumstances beyond your control can push projects past projected deadlines. If this is the case for you, you’ll need to send a written request to the board at office@chcfoundation.net outlining your situation and requesting a deadline extension. The Board will review your request at its monthly meeting and determine if an extension is appropriate. 

All the recipients of CHC Foundation grants are required to strictly comply with the laws of the United States, the Internal Revenue Service, and of the states and political subdivisions relating to the use of the funds. In addition, the recipients must comply with the following CHC Foundation requirements:

• Sign and return the "General Conditions of Grant" document (provided with an award letter) to CHC Foundation. 

• Use funds only for the approved project.

• Furnish CHC Foundation with the reimbursement form with all financial accounting of expenditures (including copies of invoices and cancelled checks) as the project is completed or as funds are requested.

• Request funds for project completion within the timeline stated in the grant.

• Supply additional information requested by CHC Foundation.