Empowering Communities Together
Our communities have the power to create a place where everyone is included and thriving.
We help by providing tools and resources, like grants. Grantmaking is at the heart of our role as a community foundation. Most of our grants are awarded through our more than 120 community foundation and designated fund partners, which have their own grant application guidelines. If you have a fund in your area, it may be a resource for you.
SWIF Grant Details and Eligibility
We accept grant ideas on an ongoing basis as well as providing defined grant rounds on occasion. Our grants are open to nonprofit organizations, schools, government agencies and projects that use one of these entities as a fiscal partner.
Grants generally range from $1,000 to $20,000.
We will consider funding for up to 50 percent of a project. The remaining 50 percent must be provided through other sources including in-kind and a cash contribution.
We don’t award grants to individuals or to start a business. Instead, entrepreneurs can talk to our loan team. If the business plan seems like it could be a fit for Southwest Initiative Foundation, our loan team will help you apply for financing.
Read our grant guidelines to get more details about our funding focus and policies.
Viewing and completing grant applications works best when you use Google Chrome as your browser!
Open Grant Opportunities
Otto Bremer Trust Community Responsive Fund
Southwest Initiative Foundation is a 2026 intermediary for the Otto Bremer Trust (OBT) Community Responsive Fund. Through this partnership, SWIF will award grants to organizations whose work aligns with one or more of the OBT Community Responsive Fund focus areas of food, shelter, low-income healthcare clinics, disability services, and school-based mental health. Applications are invitation only.
If you’re seeking funding for work that doesn’t fit one of our open grant rounds, or there is not a grant round open currently, you can fill out our grant request form to tell us more about the project.
Before completing the form, please review our grant guidelines to be sure your project fits within our guidelines and criteria.
For more information
Nancy Fasching, Vice President of Community Impact
Email Nancy or call (320) 484-9104