GENERAL OPERATING GRANTS

Definition and Purpose: General Operating Grants are unrestricted funds that enable an organization to carry out its mission. Funding awards are intended to underwrite an organization's administrative and  infrastructure costs, assist with strategic financial and organizational capacity, and/or help maintain core programs and essential staff. Prior to making application, organizations are encouraged to review the Cinnabar Foundation's Funding Priorities.

Eligibility Criteria: 
  • Applicants must be established, well managed 501(c)(3) organizations that operate effective conservation programs serving Montana or the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
  • Applicants must receive an invitation from the Foundation to apply for a General Operating Grant. Thirty-two organizations were invited to submit General Operating Grant applications for the 2019 Challenge Grant cycle.  Invitations for the 2020 grant cycle will be issued in early January.     
  • Organizations must provide a 1:1 challenge match. An organization that is offered a General Operating Grant will be required to raise an equal amount of funding from other sources in order to claim its Cinnabar award. This must be a cash match — "in-kind" services will not qualify as meeting the match.
  • An applicant organization that received a Cinnabar Foundation grant in 2019 must submit a brief written report (two pages maximum) describing the progress made toward achieving the purposes outlined in the applicant's 2019 grant application and detailing expenditures made from the granted funds. To be eligible for a 2020 grant, this 2019 grant report must be submitted by January 31, 2020. Please send your report via email as a PDF attachment to: gwolfe@cinnabarfoundation.org.

Funding Amounts: Applicants seeking General Operating support are advised that grant amounts will not exceed 10% of an organization’s annual operating budget, or $15,000, whichever is less.

When To Apply: 2020 General Operating Grant applications will be accepted between
​January 13 and February 28, 2020.

How To Apply: 
  • If your organization is invited to submit an application for a General Operating Grant, Cinnabar's executive director will send the grant application to you as a fillable PDF.
  • Save the PDF application template to your computer.
  • Complete the application in full and save it to your computer.  All information must fit into the visible space on the application form.  Do not insert a "scroll" function or modify the application template. 
  • NOTE: The application form is designed to be used with Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.  Do not attempt to complete the application with any other PDF viewers or other Adobe programs.  Acrobat Reader DC is available as a free download for both Windows and Mac operating systems.
  • ATTENTION Mac users.  Mac’s default pdf program (Preview) will corrupt the application template.  You must download and use Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (see above) to complete the application.
  • Send the completed application as a PDF attachment to: gwolfe@cinnabarfoundation.org.
  • Only applications submitted electronically will be accepted.
Funding Decisions will be announced by July 1, 2020.