GREEN BAY — The Greater Green Bay Community Foundation will offer planning grants to local and regional non-profits beginning this spring through the Basic Needs Giving Partnership.

The planning grants will provide funding to teams of local and regional non-profits as they explore and plan for the implementation of collaborative projects that address Basic Needs community issues.

“We recognize that addressing community needs efficiently and with innovation takes not only creativity and passion, but also resources,” said Vice President of Programs Martha Ahrendt.

The Basic Needs planning grant opportunity is intended to leverage resources from multiple non-profits working together to address a community issue that will help move individuals and families out of poverty, Ahrendt said. In addition, the planning grants aim to help position non-profit collaborative projects better in order to receive funding from various sources.

The deadline for application is Feb. 15. Application guidelines, more information about the impact areas, and the specific definition of “collaboration” as it relates to these projects can be found on the Community Foundation Web site, www.ggbcf.org. Planning grant recipients are not guaranteed to receive or be considered for additional Greater Green Bay Community Foundation funding for project or program implementation.

The Community Foundation changed the focus of this year’s Basic Needs grants from annual and collaborative grants for projects to planning grants to encourage further collaboration among non-profits and due to the foundation’s ongoing commitment to their current Basic Needs grantees. This past summer, the Community Foundation awarded $250,000 from the Basic Needs Giving Partnership to three groundbreaking local projects, featuring collaboration among 16 non-profits.

The planning grants can be applied towards a variety of expenses associated with project planning: hiring staff; planning time; site visits to review models and best practices; and consultants, facilitators or other outside professional assistance.

Local non-profits seeking funding for projects not falling within the planning grant guidelines may be eligible for grants through the Community Foundation’s Funds for Greater Green Bay.

The Basic Needs Giving Partnership is a Field of Interest Fund established in 2007 at the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation to address the root causes of poverty in the region. The partnership brings together charitable resources from the U.S. Oil Open Fund for Basic Needs within the Community Foundation, the J.J. Keller Foundation and other partner donors.

Proceeds from the U.S. Oil Open help fund the Basic Needs Giving Partnership, and the J.J. Keller Foundation matches the resulting grant-making budget. The Greater Green Bay Community Foundation, one of three area community foundations to receive the funds, is responsible for determining how the funds will be distributed.

The Basic Needs Giving Partnership provides assistance to established nonprofit organizations that have a proven record of success in maintaining solid, critical programs that address the root causes of poverty and prevent persons in episodic crisis from becoming persons of chronic need.