Author Archives: grantcentraldepot

Biodiversity Conservation Grant: Enhancing Pollinator Habitats

The Biodiversity Conservation Grant: Enhancing Pollinator Habitats is a partnership between the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) and Toyota Motor North America. This program offers awards of $50,000 – $100,000 for one year projects that create or restore habitats for pollinator species. A total of $200,000 in funding is available.

Letters of Intent are due by March 1, 2024 at 11:59 PM PST. After an initial review period, some applicants will be invited to submit a full application due May 1, 2024. Grants will be awarded on June 10th.

Eligibility

Applicant

This funding opportunity is open to:

  • Federal, state, or local government agencies
  • Federally recognized Native American Tribes
  • 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations
  • Educational institutions

Project

Image by Myriams-Fotos

Eligible projects must:

  • Take place on public land (i.e. accessible to everyone)
  • Cover at least 200 acres
  • Apply best management practices to the creation and maintenance of pollinator habitats
  • Incorporate community outreach and education

Application Requirements

Applicants should be prepared to submit the following if their LOI is approved:

  • A step-by-step plan for the creation or reclamation of the pollinator habitat
  • A detailed timeline of the grant year including educational and community engagement events
  • Letters of Support from all project partners
  • Annual organizational budget
  • Audit for previous fiscal year or balance sheet and profit/loss statement, if audit unavailable

Projects Near Toyota Sites

One of the final projects selected for funding will be within one hour of the following communities, located near a Toyota manufacturing or corporate sites:

Image by PublicDomainPictures
  • Long Beach, CA
  • Henderson, NV
  • Chandler, AZ
  • San Antonio, TX
  • Plano, TX
  • Troy, MO
  • Tupelo, MS
  • Huntsville, AL
  • Alpharetta, GA
  • Greensboro, NC
  • Georgetown, KY
  • Jackson, TN
  • Buffalo, WV
  • Evansville, IN
  • Ann Arbor, MI

Urgent Action Fund Security Grants

The Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism supports women, non-binary, and trans activists as they fight for justice. Security Grants provide up to $8,000 in funds to respond to critical safety threats.

Applications are accepted on a continual basis and decisions made within 1-10 days. Grant periods are three months.

Eligibility

Organization

This grant is open to organizations that:

  • Are Woman/Trans/Non-binary led
    • Are focused on Women’s, Trans, and Non-binary human rights
  • Are supported by a network of other organizations in the human rights field
  • Are experiencing an unexpected and time sensitive situation
  • Have an annual operating budget of less than $1 million

Applications will not be accepted from non-activists or organizations led by cisgender men.

Geography

This grant is open to organizations in:

  • The Balkans
  • Canada
  • The Caucasus
  • Central Asia
  • Europe
  • The Middle East
  • The United States

Organizations in other regions of the world can apply to:

Allowable Expenses

Security Grant funds must be used to protect the safety and security of activists. They cannot be used for:

  • Planned projects or programs
  • Annual operating expenses
  • Scholarships
  • Capital projects

Bloomberg Philanthropies Digital Accelerator for Arts & Culture

The Bloomberg Philanthropies Digital Accelerator for Arts & Culture funds the development and expansion of digital infrastructure for nonprofit cultural organizations in the United States and United Kingdom.

Applications for up to $200,000/£150,000 over 2 years are due by March 13, 2024. Truly innovative projects with the potential to have a wide cultural impact may be considered for larger amounts. All grantees will receive technical assistance and leadership development. No matching funds are required.

Eligibility

Applicant

This grant is open to organizations in the U.S. and U.K. who:

  • Are nonprofit cultural organizations
  • Have been in existence for at least 3 years
  • Had a budget of at least $500,000/£500,000 in FY2023

Project

Grant funds may be used for:

  • Content creation and distribution
  • CRM/Ticketing (including donor management/fundraising systems)
  • Digital archives/Digital asset management
  • Website upgrades/Redevelopment 

Allowable Expenses

Grant funds may be spent on:

  • Hardware
  • Software
  • Vendors and suppliers
  • Staff time
  • Training

Additional Benefits

In addition to financial support, all grantees will have access to:

  • An advisor from Arts Council England or the Lapine Group who will provide technical planning and project management assistance.
  • A network of over 140 organizations who are already in the program.
  • A Bloomberg Tech Fellowship. Each organization will designate a Fellow to serve as the project lead and work one-on-one with their advisor.

Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) Grant

The USDA Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) Grant is designed to help rural communities build their economies through job acceleration programs and innovation centers to assist new and existing businesses.

Award requests can range from $500,000 – $2 million with a grant term of 4 years. RISE funds cannot be used for more than 80% of direct costs and must be matched with non-federal funds. Applications are due through Grants.gov by April 1, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET.

Eligibility

RISE fund are available to rural jobs accelerator partnerships with experience in economic and job training programs. Partnerships must have been formed on or after December 20, 2018.

Applicants

Partnership members may include:

  • Public bodies
  • State governments
  • Tribal governments
  • Nonprofit organizations
  • Institutions of higher education

Area

The region to be served by this project must be rural and primarily low-income. The USDA defines a rural area as any area other than

  1. A city or town that has a population of greater than 50,000 inhabitants
  2. The urbanized area contiguous and adjacent to such a city or town, as defined by the U.S. Bureau of the Census using the latest decennial census of the United States.

The IRS defines a low-income community as having a poverty rate of at least 20%.

Allowable Expenses

Grant funds may be used on activities such as:

  • Building or supporting a business incubator
  • Construction or purchase of a building in which to establish an Innovation Center
  • Support for programs to be carried out at such facilities
  • Worker training for assistance with job creation
  • Skills training for existing workforce to obtain higher paying jobs

No more than 10% of grant funds may be spent on indirect costs to administer the grant.

Key Priorities

Additional points may be awarded during the review process for projects that promote the key priorities of the USDA’s Rural Development Office.

  • Addressing Climate Change and Environmental Justice
  • Advancing Racial Justice, Place-Based Equity, and Opportunity
  • Creating More and Better Market Opportunities

Funding Wireless Innovation to Enhance American Communities

CTIA Wireless Foundation is promoting social progress driven by innovative wireless technology with the Funding Wireless Innovation to Enhance American Communities program.

Six for-profit or nonprofit social entrepreneurs in the United States or its territories will receive unrestricted grant funding, as well as non-financial awards. Applications for Phase 1 are due by March 5, 2024 11:59 PM ET. Invitations will be issued post-review to proceed to Phases 2 and 3.

Eligibility

Applicant

This funding opportunity is open to social entrepreneurs registered in the United States or its territories. Applicants may be registered as a:

  • Nonprofit organization
  • For-profit business
  • B Corporation

All award recipients will be expected to attend some in-person events.

Project

Submitted projects should be mobile-first solutions to challenges faced by American communities, especially marginalized communities. The product should run on 5G and cutting edge wireless technology and already have a proof of concept.

Awards

Financial Awards

  • 1st Place – $100,000
  • 2nd Place – $50,000
  • 3rd Place – $25,000
  • 3 Honorable Mentions – $10,000 each

Non-Financial Awards

The 3 winners will all receive:

  • A 2 minute, professionally produced video about their social enterprise
  • Opportunities to speak to and share their work with wireless industry leaders, policymakers, and elected officials

The winners and honorable mentions will receive:

  • A profile on the CTIA Wireless Foundation website
  • Features in CTIA Member newsletters and social media profiles
  • Financial assistance to attend Catalyst events
  • Pitch coaching
  • Networking with CTIA Wireless Foundation board members
  • The opportunity to join the Catalyst alumni network

ViiV Healthcare Positive Action Grants

ViiV Healthcare supports community-led projects working with populations disproportionately impacted by the HIV epidemic. Through their Positive Action Grants, ViiV funds care, prevention, and educational efforts in the United States and Puerto Rico.

Applications for three year funding cycles are due by March 8, 2024. Applications for one year cycles are due by March 8, May 10, or July 12, 2024. Positive Action Grant programs are also available in Australia, Canada, France, and Italy.

Eligibility

Applicant

This grant is open to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations or organizations with a fiscal sponsor, in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, who work with communities impacted by HIV.

Applicants may not be fully or partially owned by a healthcare professional that buys or prescribes medication or other medical interventions.

Target Populations

Applicants should work with one or more of the following:

Image by rihaij
  • Black gay, bisexual, queer, and trans men
  • Latinx gay, bisexual, queer, and trans men
  • Black, Latinx, and Indigenous women (cis or trans)
  • Young people living with HIV
  • Residents of Alabama, the DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia), Florida (Ft. Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Tallahassee), Georgia (Atlanta, Augusta, Savannah), Illinois (Chicago), Louisiana (Baton Rouge, New Orleans), Mississippi (Jackson), Missouri (St. Louis), North Carolina (Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham), South Carolina (Columbia), Tennessee (Memphis, Nashville), Texas (Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston), and Puerto Rico 
  • Other populations with demonstrated need

Grant Categories

Applicants may apply for one or more of these grant categories with a single submission per project.

General Operating Support

There is no maximum request amount for general operating funds.

Project Support

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko: https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-sitting-on-chairs-inside-room-5710976/

Applicants may request up to $250,000 per year for projects in:

  • Linkage and Engagement – Services to people living with or vulnerable to HIV
  • Networks for People Living with HIV or Vulnerable to HIV and for Organizations – Formal or informal groups that meet in person or virtually more than once a year
  • Advocacy – Campaigns to reduce stigma, promote harm reduction, use the arts as a tool, etc.

AMP Grant

Applicants may request up to $350,000 per year to support grassroots projects and organizations who need capacity building, technical assistance, and mentorship as well as money. ViiV will provide all of this to focus on:

  • Capacity building and leadership development for people living with or vulnerable to HIV
  • Developing networks to reduce isolation and build cooperative efforts
  • Linkage and engagement projects
  • Using arts and culture to reduce stigma, raise awareness, and build empathy

Funding Restrictions

Grant funds may not be used for:

  • Preventative, diagnostic, or therapeutic outpatient care
  • Medication
  • Patience assistance programs
  • Medical education
  • Direct building expenses, endowments or other capital expenditures

NextWorldNow Community Investments

NextWorldNow envisions a world where everyone’s basic needs are met. To make that dream a reality, they fund small, but meaningful projects through their Community Investments.

Notifications of Interest are due by March 1, 2024. Organizations invited to submit a full application will be notified in April. Applications for up to $10,000 will be due in May.

Eligibility

This funding opportunity is open to international communities working on development projects that require a modest amount of capital.

NextWorldNow encourages partnerships with Rotary International and may request that applicants reach out to their nearest club.

Review Criteria

All applications are reviewed based on:

  • Feasibility
  • Impact
  • Sustainability
  • Relevance
  • Creativity
  • Outcomes
  • Strength
  • Engagement
  • Financial

National Science Foundation: Growing Convergence Research

Growing Convergence Research is a multidisciplinary method of solving complex and vexing problems. The U.S. National Science Foundation is seeking applications from teams using GCR to develop innovative solutions to complicated problems.

The NSF anticipates awarding 6-10 grants of up to $1.2 million for two years of Phase I work. Continued support of up to $2.4 million for an additional three years of Phase II work will be contingent upon exceptional progress in Phase I. Applications are due through Grants.gov or Research.gov by April 12, 2024 at 5 PM, submitter’s local time.

Eligibility

This grant is open to:

  • 2 and 4 year institutions of higher education, accredited and located in the United States
  • Nonprofit, non-academic organizations such as museums, research laboratories, observatories, and professional societies engaged in educational or research activities

The Primary Investigator must be a full time appointee in a research or teaching position at an eligible organization.

Applications Requirements

All applications must include:

  • A long term vision inspired by a societal and/or scientific problem
  • An explanation of why the project fits this solicitation and why a growing convergence research approach is required
  • An explanation of the challenges that this project hopes to address and how it will tranform scientific understanding
  • A five-year, two phase research plan
  • A convergence management plan

Review Criteria

All applications will be reviewed based on:

  • Intellectual merit – its potential to further knowledge
  • Broader impacts – potential benefits to society

AARP Community Challenge Grant

The AARP Community Challenge Grant funds small projects to make communities more livable. Awards are made in three categories – Flagship Grants, Capacity-Building Microgrants, and Demonstration Grants.

Available funding varies by grant type, but applications for all categories are due by March 6, 2024 at 5 PM ET.

Eligibility

This grant is open to:

  • Nonprofits with a 501(c)3, 501(c)4, or 501(c)6 status
  • Government entities

Organizations that do not fall into either of the above categories may be able to apply, but that will be determined on a case by case basis. For-profit businesses and individuals are not eligible.

Grant Types

Flagship Grants

Flagship Grants focus on improving life for community residents, especially those who are 50 years of age or older. In the past, awards have ranged from $500 to $50,000 and the average award is $11,900. But don’t be afraid to dream big! There is no cap and extraordinary projects may receive larger amounts.

Project Categories

Image by Coombesy
  • Public Places – Improvement of parks, open spaces, and equitable access to public amenities
  • Transportation and Mobility Options – Road improvements, wayfinding, improved connectivity and walk/bikeability, and increased access to transportation
  • Housing – Increasing availability of affordable and accessible housing
  • Digital Connections – Expanding access to high speed internet and digital literacy
  • Community Resilience – Disaster preparedness and mitigation
  • Community Health and Economic Empowerment – Increasing physical and financial health

Capacity-Building Microgrants

Capacity-Building Microgrants provide $2,500 as well as non-financial assistance like one-on-one coaching and webinars.

Project Categories

Image by Mircea – All in collections

Demonstration Grants

Demonstration grants are intended to be used for pilot projects that can be replicated by other communities. Awards may be up to $50,000.

Project Categories

  • Enhancing digital connectivity to prepare and respond to disasters
  • Facilitating equitable engagement to reconnect communities divided by infrastructure
  • Implementing housing choice design competitions 

Selection Criteria

  • Impact (45 points) – Does the project address a need to become more livable for residents, particularly those age 50 or older?
  • Execution (30 points) – Has the applicant demonstrated an ability to complete the project on time and on budget, engage residents, and enlist volunteers, especially those age 50 or older?
  • Addressing Disparities (15 points) – Does the project address disparities faced by historically marginalized groups?
  • Innovation (10 points) – Is the project unique?

McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation Academic Enrichment Grant

Professors Sarah McCarthey and Mark Dressman from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign founded the McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation to assist dedicated teachers in creating extraordinary programs. They did so in recognition of the many challenges teachers face and how that can come at the expense of our most vulnerable students.

The Academic Enrichment Grant can be used for classroom or after school learning programs targeting low income students. Applications will be accepted until April 15, 2024 or when they reach 200 applicants, whichever comes first. Awards of up to $10,000 or $20,000 over two years are available.

Eligibility

This grant is open to educators in the United States who:

  • Work in a school or at a non-profit organization
  • Work with Pre-K – Grade 12 students
  • Work with students from low income households
  • Have the skills and experience to complete the proposed project
  • Are willing to collaborate with the Foundation

Application Requirements

All applications must include:

  • Two references such as books, articles, or models that support the project
  • A timeline for executing the project
  • A complete budget
  • Three references to whom the Foundation can send information