The Outer Banks Community Foundation is now accepting applications for its annual special focus grants, which includes animal welfare, aviation education, health/wellness and opportunities for people with disabilities.

Applications must be submitted by Friday, April 27.

Aviation grants will be drawn from the Aviation Education Fund. Requests for $500 or less may be made through a simple, one-page letter that explains the project and how the grant money would be spent. Applicants must also submit proof of tax-exempt status (e.g., 501c3 letter from the IRS). If an organization has a larger project in mind, it can apply for matching funds through the community foundation’s online application (www.obcf.org).

Animal welfare grants will support efforts to protect, rehabilitate and care for animals, both domestic and wild. Animal grants will be drawn from the All God’s Creatures Fund, the Adams Family Fund for Animals and the Schiffman Fund for Animals. In this category, requests for $1,000 or less may be made through a one-page letter that explains the project and how the grant money would be spent. Proof of tax-exempt status must be attached. If an organization has a larger project in mind, it can apply for matching funds through the online application.

Health and wellness grants will be made from the Annual Advice 5K Turkey Trot Fund to improve and support the health and wellness of all people of the Outer Banks. Here, health and wellness is defined broadly, to include initiatives that attend to physical, social, emotional and environmental health, and including projects that focus on prevention, education and direct care. To be considered for a health and wellness grant, organizations must submit an application online.

Finally, in the area of opportunities for people with disabilities, the foundation will utilize three special focus funds: the David Aycock Loy Memorial Fund, the Pauline Wright Endowment for Currituck County and the Pauline Wright Endowment for Dare County. While the Loy Endowment focuses on children with developmental and/or learning disabilities, with a priority for children with autism, the Pauline Wright Endowments may give priority to programs for adults with Down syndrome. The Pauline Wright Endowments are available to nonprofit organizations, schools, and government agencies, serving either Currituck or Dare residents, or both. To be considered for a Loy or Wright grant, organizations must submit an application online.

In addition to the special focus grants, the foundation is also accepting applications for its general Community Enrichment Grants Program, which is open to any nonprofit for any kind of charitable project that benefits the Outer Banks. This includes arts and culture, children and youth, education, the environment, disaster relief and prevention, historic interpretation and preservation and other human services.

Most community enrichment grants will support the direct costs of a charitable project or program, such as art supplies and educational materials; however, the grants are also awarded for capacity-building projects, with a goal of enhancing a nonprofit’s long-term effectiveness, financial stability, and/or program quality (e.g., computers, office equipment, strategic planning).

Program scholarship grants are also available. These are grants that enable a nonprofit to offer scholarships for its programs to participants in need. These scholarships would offset or reduce the participation fees normally charged for any sort of enrichment program, such as a day camp, educational offering, and/or after-school program.

Before submitting an application, prospective applicants should first review the criteria at www.obcf.org, and then contact Lorelei Costa at 252-261-8839 to discuss their projects.. Grant decisions will be announced on Thursday, June 7.