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Taco Bell Foundation Ambition Accelerator

The Taco Bell Foundation Ambition Accelerator helps young people in the United States and India create positive change in their communities. One grand prize winner in each country will receive $25,000/₹1,000,000, but many others will receive smaller awards.

Applications are due by March 14, 2024 at 11:59 PM EST in the U.S. and March 15, 2024 at 10:29 AM IST in India. All applicants who submit a draft by the Early Entry Deadline (February 15, 2024 in the U.S. or February 16, 2024 in India) will receive feedback and the chance to resubmit with changes.

Eligibility

This opportunity is open to individuals and teams in the United States, U.S. territories, and India who are:

16 – 26 years old
Residents of the United States, U.S. territories, or India
The founder or co-founder of the project they’re applying for

U.S. based applicants must also be able to participate in the Ambition Accelerator U.S. Summit in California the week of August 2, 2024. India-based applicants must be able to participate in the Ambition Accelerator India Summit in Bangalore the week of September 9, 2024. Participants under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Prizes

Early Entry Standouts

Ten Early Entry Standouts will be chosen from those who submit by the early deadlines in February. At least one each will be from the U.S. or its territories, India, and a Taco Bell restaurant team member. They will receive:

$500 – U.S. and territories
₹20,000 – India

Seed Prize Awards

Photo by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/young-man-and-woman-having-a-conversation-at-school-6209361/

All applicants will have the chance to participate in the Community Review process during which they will evaluate other projects and receive feedback from their peers. Based on the scores from this process, 250 Seed Prize winners will be chosen. At least 50 each will be from the U.S. or its territories and India and at least 10 will be Taco Bell restaurant team members. They will receive:

$500 – U.S. and territories
₹20,000 – India

Summit Semi-Finalists

Fifty U.S. applicants and 25 Indian applicants will be chosen as Semi-Finalists and attend their country’s Ambition Accelerator Summit. At least 5 of the 75 Semi-Finalists will be Taco Bell restaurant team members. In addition to airfare, lodging, and meals, attendees will receive:

$1,000 – U.S. and territories
₹40,000 – India

Pitch Finalists

Five Summit particpants from each country will be chosen to pitch their idea to the judges. All finalists will receive recognition on the Taco Bell Foundation Ambition Accelerator website and social media accounts. They will also receive:

U.S. Grand Prize Winner – $25,000
4 U.S. Runners-up – $5,000
Indian Grand Prize Winner – ₹1,000,000
4 Indian Runners-up – ₹200,000

Review Criteria

Photo by Joy Deb: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-reading-book-1580272/

All applications will be evaluated based on:

Fueled by community – Understanding of and connection to the problem, informed by impacted people, and dedicated to improving the community
Innovation – Making something new, focusing on an overlooked issue, or providing a new perspective on a known problem
Collaborative leadership – The existence of or plans to form a team and/or partnerships
Commitment – A well developed plan with actionable steps and the dedication to carry it out

Michael & Susan Dell Foundation

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation supports organizations working with or impacting children and youth from low-income, urban communities in the United States, India, and South Africa.

Applications are accepted on a continual basis for requests of $50,000 or more in Education (all), Health and Wellness (U.S.), and Family Economic Stability (India, South Africa, Central Texas, and Greater Boston).

Eligibility

This grant is open to:

Governments
Social enterprises
Nonprofit organizations
Charitable trusts
Community foundations
Private foundations
Schools
Educational organizations
Religious organizations

Focus Areas

Education

Projects submitted under Education should concentrate on:

Health and Wellness

Health and Wellness projects should concentrate on:

Healthy Communities
Healthy Food

Family Economic Stability

Projects under this focus area should concentrate on:

Allowable Expenses

Grant funds may not be spent on:

Computers, tablets, or other hardware
Endowments
Fundraisers or event sponsorships
Lobbying
Medical research
Infrastructure

Request

Requests must be for $50,000 or more. However, the Foundation typically does not fund more than 25% of a project or 10% of an organization’s total annual operating expenses.

Veterans and Nature Grant Program

The Veterans and Nature Grant Program is a joint project of the National Environmental Education Foundation and the U.S. Forest Service. They support projects that expose veterans to the physical and mental health benefits of time spent in nature.

Applications for up to $10,000 are due by March 1, 2024 at 11:59 PM PT.

Eligibility

This grant is open to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations and groups with a fiscal sponsor who have a partnership with a public lands entity. Public lands staff must be involved in both the preparation of the application and adminstration of the project.

Public Lands – “Any federal, state, local, county, or regional land or waterway held in the public trust and/or spaces that are accessible to the public.”

Allowable Expenses

Grant funds may be used for:

Recreational and educational services
Equipment and supplies
Administrative costs
Billed labor

Funds may not be used to pay for transportation.

Potential Activities

Potential activities under this grant include:

Outdoor recreation (hiking, biking, fishing, etc.)
Community science programming
Environmental service projects
Adaptive programming
Conservation

Priority Consideration

Priority consideration will be given to projects that:

Work with an organization that serves veterans and include a letter of support from them
Discuss how they will address accessibility issues
Work with veterans who are BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and/or have disabilities
Involve Forest Service staff

NIFA Veterinary Services Grant Program

The Veterinary Services Grant Program from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture will support projects to develop and sustain food animal veterinary services and alleviate vet shortages in the United States.

Grants will be awarded in two categories – Education, Extension, and Training (EET) and Rural Practice Enhancement (RPE). Approximately 10 awards will be made in each category. EET applicants may request up to $250,000; RPE applicants may request up to $125,000. There is no matching requirement. All applications must be submitted through Grants.gov by March 21, 2024 at 5:00 PM ET.

Education, Extension and Training Grants

EET grants are intended for programs to assist veterinarians, vet technicians, and students gain the skills needed to alleviate the shortage of veterinary services in the United States and Insular Areas.

Eligibility

This grant is open to:

Colleges or schools of veterinary medicine accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association
Departments of veterinary science or departments of comparative medicine accredited by the U.S. Department of Education
University research foundations or veterinary medical foundations
State, regional, or national organizations supporting food animal veterinary programs.
Allied or professional food animal veterinary organizations recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association
State agricultural experiment stations or Research Farms
State, local, or tribal government agencies

Potential Activities

https://vet.purdue.edu/hospital/farm-animal/

Potential uses of grant funds may include:

Training in food safety, public health, or food animal medicine
Modifying veterinary courses, including updates for remote learning and faculty recruitment and retention
Training vet residents, interns, and externs
Continuing education, including remote learning opportunities
Outreach to 11th and 12th grade students on education and career opportunities in food animal medicine

Rural Practice Enhancement Grants

RPE grants will support private clinics in Veterinarian Shortage Situations expand their capacity to provide food/large animal veterinary services.

Eligibility

This grant is open to clinics in rural veterination shortage situtations as definded by the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP). Type II shortage situtations are rural. Type I and III situtations will need to consult the USDA’s Rural Community Development Initiative to determine eligibility.

Applicants may include:

For-profit or nonprofit vet clinics and hospitals
Clinics or hospital that employ a current VMLRP grantee

Potential Activities

https://vetmed.iastate.edu/vmc/large-animal/food-animal-camelid

Potential uses of grant funds may include:

Veterinary office equipment
Clinical equipment
Overhead expenses associated directly with providing services in the shortage area (up to 50% of total budget)
Establishing mobile vet facilities
Outreach to 11th and 12th grade students on education and career opportunities in food/large animal medicine and herd health management

Dr. Scholl Foundation

The Dr. Scholl Foundation has invested over $312 million since 1980 in organizations improving the world through Innovation, Practicality, Hard Work, and Compassion. These were core values for Dr. William M. Scholl, MD, founder of the foot care company, and they inspired him to establish his foundation.

Letters of Inquiry are accepted on a continual basis and applicants should expect a response within five business days. Full applications, for those invited to submit, are due by March 1, 2024 at 4:00 PM CT. There is no limit to the request amount, but the average award is $5,000 to $25,000.

Eligibility

This grant is open to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations who can provide at least three years of financial documents. Publicly supported government entities are rarely approved.

Applicants from outside the United States may be considered if a board member has direct knowledge of their activities.

Primary Focus Areas

The Foundation is primarily interested in funding projects in:

Education
Social service
Healthcare
Civic and Cultural
Environmental

This list should not, however, dissuade applicants from submitting worthwhile projects in other categories. Grant guidelines are intentionally broad to allow for flexibility.

Allowable Expenses

Use of grant funds is also flexible. However, they cannot be used for:

General support
Capital campaigns
Endowments
Loans
Event sponsorships
Political activities

The Calvin K. Kazanjian Economics Foundation

The Calvin K. Kazanjian Economics Foundation has supported programs that increase economic literacy in the United States for over 70 years. From traditional K-12 classrooms to college courses and beyond, they are encouraging financial knowledge in America.

The average award is $10,000 – $25,000 and, although there is not a matching requirement, the Foundation will give preference to organizations that have other sources of funding. Letters of Interest are due March 10th or September 10th each year to be considered for the chance to submit a full proposal.

Eligibility

This grant is open to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations that have been in operation for at least 5 years.

Allowable Expenses

Grant funds may not be spent on:

Overhead costs
Indirect costs

Funding Interests

The Foundation is currently interested in funding projects such as:

Using arificial intelligence (AI) to improve student learning
Novel methods for reaching more people
Behavioral economics with a focus on environmental issues
Economic education for under-serverd communities
Online competitions

Evaluation Criteria

All proposals will be evaluated based on:

Significance – will the project’s reach and impact be meaningful?
Plan of Operation – the projects potential to achive its goals
Technical Soundness – does the proposal’s methods reflect the latest in economic education?
Quality of Key Personnel and Reputation of the Institution
Budget and Cost Effectiveness – additional leveraged funds
Evaluation – how will the project measure its goals and objectives?

U.N. Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery

The United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery provides assistance to the more than 40 million people enslaved worldwide. Through their grants program, they fund civil society organizations who provide humanitarian, psychological, social, legal, medical, and financial help to survivors.

Applications are accepted annually from January 15th – March 1st for projects to occur the following calendar year. Awards range from $15,000 – $35,000. Organizations may submit requests for continual funding for up to five years, but they must submit a new application each year. Applications may be submitted in English, French, or Spanish.

Eligibility

This grant is open to civil society organizations with at least two years’ experience working in the of contemporary enslavement.

Governmental, parliamentary or administrative entities, political parties, and national liberation movements are ineligible.

Allowable Expenses

The primary focus of grant funds should be on providing direct assistance to survivors of contemporary enslavement and their families. No more than 15% of the award should be used for administrative costs and grant funds should not exceed 2/3 of the total project budget.

Funds may be used for training and seminars to improve professionals’ ability to assist survivors of enslavement. Speakers’ fees cannot be paid with grant funds, but pre-agreed fixed honoraria for trainers can.

Priority Areas

Priority consideration will be given to projects that focus on:

Reparations
Empowerment
Integration through the provision of direct aid such as medical, legal, and educational assistance

Application Requirements

Applicants who have not previously received a grant must include:

Curriculum vitae of staff to demonstrate that they have relevant experience
Statutes and organizational structure
Valid legal registration certificate of the organization (if available)
Proof of nonprofit status (if available)
One reference letter and contact details for two additional references
Bank statements from the previous three months
Most recent annual report
List of principal members of the directorate or board of trustees
Five case studies of individuals recently assisted or to be assisted

All budget numbers should be in U.S. dollars.

Google Cybersecurity Clinics Funds

Google has partnered with the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics on the Google Cybersecurity Clinics Fund. They will award grants to 10 U.S. based institutions of higher education to run cybersecurity clinics which train the next generation of cybersecurity experts. Students will work with organizations that otherwise would not be able to afford these services to gain real world experience.

Applications for up to $1 million over 6 years are due by March 1, 2024 at 3:00 PM PT. Grantees will also receive access to the Google Cybersecurity Certificate, Google Titan security keys, and student mentorship opportunities from Google.

Eligibility

This grant is open to all nonprofit or public institutions of higher education including colleges, universities, and community colleges.

Collaboration between institutions is encouraged. Schools may apply separately, but note in their applications that they are working together to design their clinics. Joint applications are also permitted but they must:

Be well-established collaborations with a successful track record
Designate an anchor organizations to lead the effort

Program Goals

Over the 6 year grant period, grantees will:

Collectively train 4,200 students to prevent cyber attacks on critical public infrastructure
Collectively assist 600 critical public infrastructure and community organizations
Engage as members of the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics
Submit an Impact Report on use of funds and progress toward goals

Allowable Expenses

Grant funds may be used:

To support professors, instructors, teaching assistants, graduate students, and post-docs
To support students, including stipends
To purchase software and hardware
For clinic-related travel

No more than 10% of grant funds may be spent on indirect costs not related to program implementation

NEA Grants for Arts Projects

The National Endowment for the Arts Grants for Arts Projects program funds activities all over the United States to engage the public with the arts and promote health and well-being.

Part 1 of the application is due through Grants.gov by February 15, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET. Part 2 can be submitted through the NEA Applicant Portal February 21-28, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET. Applicants may request $10,000 – $100,000; designated local arts agencies eligible to subgrant may request $30,000 – $150,000. All grants require a 1:1 match of non-federal funds.

Eligibility

Applicant

This grant is open to:

501(c)3 nonprofit organizations
State and local government entities
Federally recognized Native American Tribes

Discipline

Applicants may request funds for projects in:

Artist Communities
Arts Education
Dance
Design
Folk & Traditional Arts
Literary Arts
Local Arts Agencies
Media Arts
Museums
Music
Musical Theater
Opera
Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works
Theater
Visual Arts

Areas of Particular Interest

The NEA is particularly interested in funding projects that:

Contribute to a thriving arts and cultural ecosystem
Elevate artists as essential for a flourishing society
Celebrate the creativity and cultural heritage of the United States or its territories
Center the arts in collaboration with other disciplines
Focus on advancing health and well-being
Invest in organizational capacity-building and leadership development
Incorporate existing and new technologies in art across disciplines and as a means for reaching the public
Addresses the impacts of artificial intelligence
Originate from or are in collaboration with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Predominantly Black Institutions, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Native American and Native Alaskan tribes, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, and organizations that support the inclusion and independence of disabled people
Educate and engage communities in dialogue about the past, present, and future of our nation as part of America250

Allowable Expenses

Grant funds may used to support small, medium, or large projects, new or old programming. In addition to basic supplies, grant funds may be used for:

Technology such as increased bandwidth, audio/visual equipment, hardware, software, and equipment
Open or closed captions and sign language for virtual events

Grant funds may not be used for:

General operating support
Support for a full season
Direct grants to individuals or elementary and secondary schools
Social activities
Entertainment
Achievement awards
Commercial activities
Purchase, construction, or renovation of facilities

Peace Research Grant

The International Peace Research Association Foundation supports research into the causes of conflict and alternatives to violence through their Peace Research Grant. They award up to $5,000 in one time funding to scholars anywhere in the world.

Applications are accepted during two annual cycles: January 1 – February 28/29 and July 1 – August 31. All application materials should be emailed to prg.grants@iprafoundation.org.

Eligibility

This grant is open to individual scholars anywhere in the world. Institutions and organizations are not eligible to apply.

Allowable Expenses

Grant funds must be applied to direct research costs for the proposed project. They may not be spent on:

Overhead
Fees to administer the grant
Salaries
Tuition
Living expenses, such as rent or utilities
Airfare other than economy class
Translation costs without prior approval from the Foundation

Application

Applications must include four parts:

Application form
Applicant’s curriculum vitae
Project proposal – no more than 6 pages not including bibliography
A letter of support on official letterhead from an organization with which the applicant has been associated. The author should send their letter directly to prg.grants@iprafoundation.org.