General Guidelines

The Alliant Energy Foundation’s Community Grants Program contributes to a wide array of programs aimed at improving the quality of life in the communities we serve.

Eligibility Community Grants are directed to projects, programs and initiatives that benefit the residents and communities in the four Midwestern states served by Alliant Energy’s utility subsidiaries, Interstate Power and Light Co. and Wisconsin Power and Light Co. View maps of Alliant Energy’s utility service territory

Grantmaking cycle

The Alliant Energy Foundation awards grants on a quarterly basis as detailed:

Grant Cycle	Request Deadline	Decision Date
Cycle One	November 1	January 15
Cycle Two	February 1	April 15
Cycle Three	May 1	July 15
Cycle Four	August 1	October 15

Requests are accepted on an ongoing basis throughout the year, but are considered only in the next grantmaking cycle. As a general rule, requests for funding will not be considered outside of one of the four grantmaking cycles.

Grants for a project on a particular date should be requested so that a decision can be made prior to the actual date of the program or event.

Learn more about the request process

Funding priorities

The Foundation will accept requests in any of its areas of focus during each cycle. Priority is given to those projects that:

• Originate from organizations in areas where Alliant Energy has a presence and in communities where Alliant Energy employees live and work. (Non-profit organizations located outside of Alliant Energy’s utility service territory but serve populations in Alliant Energy’s areas are also eligible for consideration.)
• Encourage community partnerships and leverage additional support;
• Meet identified needs and have a measurable impact in the community;
• Come from organizations that exhibit strong financial management and board commitment;
• Are sustainable and demonstrate innovative solutions to problems; and/or
• Have an internal “advocate” or “sponsor” within the Alliant Energy family of companies.

Learn more about our areas of focus

View the list of 2007 Community Grants awards [PDF]

View the list of 2006 Community Grants awards [PDF]

Other information

The Foundation receives many more funding requests than it can grant. If it is necessary to deny funding for a worthwhile organization or project, it is not a reflection on the value of the group or its services, but rather on the need to be selective because of limited resources during each grantmaking cycle. As a general rule, if the Foundation cannot provide at least 20 percent of the organization's requested amount, the request will not be funded.

Grants are approved for a one-year period and the Foundation does not make multi-year commitments. Typically, only one grant will be committed to an organization in a calendar year. Some exceptions may be made when an organization hosts multiple divisions or departments, or when the projects target different areas of focus.

The Foundation is governed by a board of directors, comprised of officers of Alliant Energy Corporation or its subsidiaries, which reviews the Community Grants program guidelines on an annual basis. The Foundation Executive Director manages the day-to-day operations of the Foundation and its programs, and the staff administers the Community Grants program with substantial input and feedback from local Alliant Energy employees.

Organizations that ultimately receive funding from the Foundation must sign a Grant Agreement and, depending on the amount of the grant award, will be asked to provide a written report documenting program achievements, lessons learned and a detailed list of grant expenditures.

Learn more about the funding process

Brochures and fact sheets:

Download the Community Grants Program Guidelines [PDF]

Download the Community Grant Request Form [PDF]

Download Alliant Energy Foundation 2007 Summary of Support Report [PDF]