If your credit union is interested in receiving grant support for a planning project to expand or pilot a program to serve rural communities, please apply below. You will not be able to save your work and return to it later, so we recommend you compile your application responses in another document and paste them into the application when ready. All fields must be completed before you can submit your grant application.

Planning grant applications are currently being accepted for NWCUF’s Rural Access to Financial Services Initiative.

For more details, please see NWCUF’s Rural Access to Financial Services Initiative Request for Proposal.

  • Credit Union Information

  • Proposal Narrative

    We recommend developing your responses to these questions in a Word document, and copying them into the fields in this section.
  • What is the state of rural communities in your field of membership? What barriers to accessing financial products and services exist? Please include supporting data and facts, where possible.
  • Describe your credit union’s history with offering products or services (including mortgages, small business loans, credit building products, financial education, agriculture based loans, etc.) to rural members.
  • Please provide an overview for your intended project. What research or focus groups will you complete to help you better understand your communities’ needs? What topics or opportunities do you want to explore?
  • Describe the populations that are most likely to ultimately benefit from your project. Are you planning to target services/products to specific underserved or minority populations? How do you plan to engage these groups during the planning process?
  • NWCUF will prioritize funding to those credit unions who demonstrate an intent to collaborate and partner with other credit unions and nonprofits. Please identify who from your credit union will be working on this project (internal team) and other credit unions, if any, you have partnered with. List partnerships (community-based organizations, private market, government agencies, etc.) you are currently working with or interested in engaging.
  • Describe your credit union's long-term goals and metrics for success as well as any project deliverables you are hoping for with this grant award. How will you know if this planning project is successful?
  • What is the general timeline for you to implement your planning project? What are the key milestones for you to keep your project on track?
  • Please provide a detailed budget (to the best of your ability) on the necessary expenses to complete your planning project.
  • Each credit union or credit union partnership that applies for the grant will need to include a letter stating their credit union’s level of contribution to the project and what resources will be dedicated to make it successful. This could include staff time, marketing support, charitable contributions to community partners (related to the project), direct investment, and more.