Norco Economic Development Fund

Purpose

The Norco Economic Development Fund(NEDF) was formed as a result of a five million dollar gift to the Norco community by Shell. Its purpose is to maintain a community-based organization that supports the future community and economic development needs of Norco and St. Charles Parish. Priority is given to organizations and programs that are located in and support the Norco community.

Mission

To address social and economic issues at the local level in a manner that increases the capacity of the community. The NEDF provides leadership and vision in identifying community needs and in creating sustainable solutions to meet those needs.

Priorities

The Fund will only consider grants for charitable purposes to nonprofit organizations that serve the Norco community and its residents. Grants generally range from $10,000 to $50,000. Grants may be larger or smaller.

 The goals of the NEDF are:

• Increased success and competitiveness of Norco-based business
• Increased prosperity and enhanced quality of life for the Norco community

 Funding, in no priority order, will be considered based on the following priorities:

• Small Business Development/New Job Creation: Support will be given for business development, i.e., training and technical assistance.
• Workforce Development/Training: Target needed programs that strengthen the local workforce.
• Quality of Life (i.e., Health, Land Use, Infrastructure, Senior Citizens): Expanding access to services and resources that enhance the quality of life for Norco residents.
• Youth Opportunity (i.e., Youth Participation/Youth Job Related Activities): Youth community involvement, youth-adult partnerships, youth leadership and youth empowerment activities all beneficially conspire to make young people participants in the life of the community rather than merely spectators or recipients of services.

Proposal

Nonprofit organizations which wish to apply to this fund should submit their completed proposal (including supporting materials) via the Foundation’s online portal. If your organization has already created a profile, simply log in with the same information and you will be able to apply to the Norco Economic Development Fund. If not, setting up a profile is a very easy process. Creating a profile will allow you to track the status of your grants from the Foundation’s various programs in the future as we bring more programs online.

If you have further questions about this fund, please email grants@gnof.org.

Reporting Requirements

If a grant is awarded, the funded organization will be asked to submit both fiscal accounting and narrative reports on the use of its grant and the impact that the grant may have had on the community it serves. A site visit may also be requested during the grant period. Reports will be due one year from the award date and will be submitted via the online portal.