Nonprofit letters of intent to the Melvin R. Lane Fund of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina are due December 17.

The mission of the Melvin R. Lane Fund is to promote access to quality health care, safe and affordable housing and supportive social services for the youth, elderly and disabled people living in Western North Carolina.

Approximately ten organizations will be selected from the letter of intent process to participate in an organizational assessment paid for by the Fund.

From these ten organizations, five to seven organizations will be awarded grants of up to $50,000 per year for three years to help improve their operations, become more collaborative and secure their future to better serve disadvantaged citizens.

The grants are intended to transition key community organizations to a stronger infrastructure in order that they can more effectively deliver their services.

To be eligible to apply, a nonprofit must be a 501(c)(3) organization, in operation for at least three years, have two or more full-time employees and an operating budget exceeding $100,000, and be located in or serving one or more of these counties: Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania and Yancey.

Detailed application information can be found at www.cfwnc.org. For more information about the Melvin R. Lane Fund or The Community Foundation, visit www.cfwnc.org or call 828-254-4960.