Category Archives: Homelessness

DWF Foundation

The DWF Foundation funds organizations and communities to help them reach their full potential. Applications requesting up to £5,000 are due by October 31, 2024 for projects focused on:

Homelessness
Health and wellbeing
Employability
Education
Environment and sustainability

Eligibility

This grant is open to registered charities in:

Australia
Canada
France
Germany
India
Ireland
Italy
Poland
Qatar
Spain
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States

Applicants outside the United Kingdom and Ireland are asked to email the Foundation Manager at clare.beavan@dwf.law to discuss their eligibility before filling out the application.

Program Goals

Photo by Max Fischer: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-children-clapping-together-5212700/

The Foundation seeks to fund organizations and projects that are:

Focusing on a specific community issue
Making voluntary and community groups more effective
Getting often overlooked and excluded members of the community involved
Helping youth develop skills to benefit themselves and their community

Funding Limitations

Grant funds may not be used for:

General operating expenses
Salaries
Startup costs for new organizations
Sponsorships
Marketing and fundraising
Activities for which a statutory body is responsible
Academic research
Higher education facilities
Animal welfare
Vehicles

Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing

Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing is a program from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to support communities actively removing barriers to affordable housing.

HUD expects to make 30 awards of $1 million – $7 million for a 6 year grant period. Applications are due by October 15, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET. Cost sharing is not required but points will be awarded for leveraging funds.

Eligibility

This grant is open to:

Municipal and county governments
State governments
Metropolitan Planning Organizations
Multijurisdictional entities

Barriers to Affordable Housing

Projects should focus on removing barriers such as:

Outdated zoning, land use policies, or regulations
Inefficient procedures
Gaps in available development resources
Deteriorating or inadequate infrastructure
Lack of neighborhood amenities
Challenges to preserving existing housing stock including threats from natural hazards, redevelopment pressures, or expiration of affordability requirements

Program Priorities

Priority consideration will be given to applicants who:

Have demonstrated a commitment to increasing affordable housing through new laws and regulations
Have an acute need for housing for households with incomes below 100 percent of the area median income
Are committed to promoting desegregation through their housing efforts
Are committed to promoting affordable housing for protected classes in areas where they have previously been excluded
Are committed to increasing housing choice and making affordable housing less concentrated

Allowable Activities

Grant funds may be used for activities related to:

Planning and policy
Development
Infrastructure
Preservation

Public Comment Requirement

All applicants are required to publish their application for public comment for 15 days and hold at least one public hearing with reasonable notice. Grantees will also be required to provide ongoing public access to information about how funds have been used.

The Oak Foundation

The Oak Foundation is committed to the fight for social justice, environmental protection, and a safer more sustainable world. They fund programs in eleven different focus areas, all addressing difficult global, social, or environmental issues.

Although they are headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the Oak Foundation has a presence in Denmark, India, the United Kingdom, the United States and Zimbabwe. Each year they make over 300 grants in 40 countries, averaging $600,000 each.

Grantees are typically invited to apply, but any nonprofit organization that believes their work aligns with the Foundation’s funding priorities can submit a Letter of Inquiry. After review, an invitation to submit a concept note and/or full application may be extended.

Programs

HUD Eviction Protection Grant Program

The Eviction Protection Grant Program from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development supports organizations providing legal services to low income tenants at risk of eviction.

HUD expects to make approximately 25 awards of $500,000 – $2.5 million each. There is no matching requirement. Applications are due by August 20, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET.

Eligibility

Applicant

This grant is open to:

State, county, and municipal governments
Special district governments
Federally recognized Native American tribal governments
Public and nonprofit private institutions of higher education
Nonprofits with or without a 501(c)3 designation
Native American tribal organizations

Public and tribal housing authorities are not eligible.

Activities

Photo by George Becker: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photography-of-orange-and-gray-building-129494/

Eligible activities include:

Legal representation, counsel, and advice
Tenant advocacy
Post-eviction housing stability services
Court navigation services
Tenant education and outreach
Referrals and services to avoid eviction and minimize post-eviction impacts
Development, improvement, or evaluation of tools, processes, education materials and trainings, and eviction prevention and protection programs

Program Goals

The objectives of this program are to:

Increase housing stability for low-income tenants by providing funds to organizations offering no cost legal assistance to those at risk of eviction.
Support eviction protection strategies using equitable, community-driven strategies to serve those at greatest risk of eviction – Black and Brown people, people with limited English proficiency, people with disabilities, households with children, and people in rural communities.
Support the development and implementation of evidence-based strategies to make housing more equitable and justice oriented.
Evaluate legal assistance strategies and outcomes to develop evidence for means of preventing eviction and making housing more stable for renters

Allowable Expenses

Photo by Binyamin Mellish: https://www.pexels.com/photo/house-lights-turned-on-106399/

Grant funds may be used for:

Compensation and fringe benefits for employees for time spent on this specific project
Materials specifically for this project
Necessary equipment
Necessary travel expenses
Translation and interpretation services
Litigation costs
Outreach, education, and marketing materials

Funds may not be used to pay rent and other housing costs

Barbara McDowell Foundation

The Barbara McDowell Foundation provides grant funding for legal fees related to specific social justice cases in the United States.

Letters of Intent will be accepted June 1-15, 2024 for a grant term of October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025. LOIs submitted before June 1st will be rejected.

Eligibility

This grant is open to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations to pay legal fees for social justice cases filed between October 1, 2022 and December 31, 2024.

Criminal cases, individual claims, and amicus briefs are not eligible.

Key Issues

The McDowell Foundation is focused on cases related to:

Access to benefits
Children’s rights
Disability rights
Discrimination
Domestic violence
Due process
Environmental justice
Healthcare
Homelessness
Housing
Native American rights
Prisoner’s rights
Refugee and immigration rights
Veteran’s rights
Voting rights

Ideal cases will:

Address one of these areas of interest
Have a significant impact on the well being and civil liberties of disadvantaged Americans
Set a significant legal precedent

Scoring Criteria

All LOIs will be scored based on:

Alignment with mission
Social justice impact
Financial need

Ravi & Naina Patel Foundation

The Ravi & Naina Patel Foundation is working to help every human being achieve the happiness that is their birthright. They provide grants to nonprofit organizations around the world that align with their five core pillars and build strategic partnerships to make an even bigger impact.

Grant inquiries as well as your organization’s Form 990 should be sent to amar@rnpfoundation.org.

Five Core Pillars

Homelessness

The Foundation is seeking programs that take different approach to the problem of homelessness. This includes both providing short term services and long term affordable housing solutions.

Education

The Foundation believes in the power of education and supports organizations that help youth learn to be confident and lead joyful lives, as well as reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Environment

A healthy Earth to live on is foundational to all the other core pillars. To address the impacts of environmental destruction, the Foundation supports organizations that are designing innovative solutions and championing environmentally sound policies.

Nutrition

A nutritious diet can feed the body, mind, and spirit, but many people don’t have access to or knowledge of healthy food. The Foundation supports projects that are working to overcome food inequities, provide education, and promote more environmentally friendly farming.

Spirituality

The Patel family believes that spirituality is the true path to happiness and supports organizations that promote mindfulness and meditation.

KFC Foundation: Kentucky Fried Wishes

The KFC Foundation funds actionable, local level projects in the United States through the Kentucky Fried Wishes program.

Twenty-five grants of $10,000 are awarded each quarter in a different focus area. The next funding cycle will be May 1-31, 2024 for projects focused on Improving Health & Wellbeing.

Eligibility

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

Have a 501(c)3 nonprofit designation
Have maintained good standing with the IRS for 2 years
Work at the local level, either individually or as a chapter/affiliate of a larger organization

Allowable Expenses

Grant funds may be used to:

Hire professional services necessary to complete the project
Purchase equipment necessary to complete the project

Grant funds may not be used for:

Salaries
Scholarships
Ongoing or recurring programs
Event sponsorships

Focus Areas

Improving Health & Wellbeing

Applications for Improving Health & Wellbeing will be accepted May 1-31. Potential projects include:

Creating a mobile health clinic
Playground improvements
Domestic violence shelter upgrades
Accommodations for individuals with disabilities

Expanding Access to Food & Shelter

Applications for Expanding Access to Food & Shelter will be accepted July 1-31. Potential projects include:

Remodeling a food pantry
Creating a community garden
Beautifying a community space
Repairing and renovating buildings

Caring for the Environment, Animals, & More

Applications for Caring for the Environment, Animals, & More will be accepted September 1-30. Potential projects include:

Creating a permanent wildlife conservation exhibit
Purchasing a new vehicle for mobile vet clinic
Park improvements
Other reasonable requests not covered under any other focus area

Empowering Through Education & Training

This focus area is currently closed and a new funding cycle hasn’t yet been announced. Potential projects include:

Establishing a community-wide CPR certification program
Creating an after school literacy program
Creating a job skills training program for adults with disabilities

Emma Carey Groh Trust

The Emma Carey Groh Trust, administered through Wells Fargo Trust Philanthropic Services, supports projects that benefit children living in group homes, orphanages, and homeless shelters in the U.S.

Applications for an average of $4,000 are due annually by May 1st.

Eligibility

This grant is open to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations.

Funding Limitations

Grant funds must be used to provide direct services to children, including children with disabilities. They may not be used for:

Indirect costs
Construction
Capital improvements

Youth Homelessness System Improvement Grant

The Youth Homelessness System Improvement Grant is a program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development which supports programs to create or improve response systems for youth homelessness. HUD expects to make about 35 total awards in the categories of:

Planning and Partnerships – up to $400,000
Data – up to $300,000
Coordinated Entry – $200,000
Racial and Gender Equity – $200,000

These maximums will be doubled for projects that cover two or more Continuums of Care or if the CoC covers the entire state. All requests must be $200,000 – $2 million per project period for up to 30 months. Applications are due through Grants.gov by February 15, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET.

Eligibility

This grant is open to:

Nonprofit organizations
Units of state, county, and municipal government
Special district governments
Federally recognized Native American tribal governments
Public housing authorities
Native American tribal organizations

Objectives

The objectives of this program are to:

Improve the capacity of youth in the community
Establish partnerships
Improve the centralized or coordinated assessment system also known as the Coordinated Entry Systems
Improve data collection and use between systems that work with youth at-risk of and experiencing homelessness.
Assess, address, and improve equity in youth homeless response systems

Potential Project Activities

Photo by Timur Weber: https://www.pexels.com/photo/homeless-person-sitting-on-the-sidewalk-9533102/

Funded projects may work to create or improve response systems for youth homelessness through activities such as:

Developing peer support models
Training for communities and Youth Action Boards
Collecting and analyzing data
Building partnerships with groups who work with youth in unstable housing like the public school system and child welfare

Review Criteria

All applications will be reviewed based on:

Proposed Project Activities – 40 points
Budget – 10 points
Youth Involvement – 20 points
Project Outcomes and Evaluation – 15 points
Regional Approach – 15 points