GrantStation Insider: January 18, 2024

Application deadline: March 13, 2024
Geographic scope: United States and United Kingdom
Grant amount: Up to $200,000
Description: Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Digital Accelerator Program seeks to strengthen nonprofit cultural organizations in the United States and United Kingdom through strategic investments in their digital infrastructure. The Bloomberg Philanthropies Digital Accelerator Program provides funding, expert technical assistance, and leadership development over two years to strengthen the digital infrastructure of nonprofit cultural organizations with the principal goals of growing revenue, increasing fundraising, engaging audiences, improving operations, and developing programming opportunities. Nonprofit cultural organizations in the U.S. and U.K. that have been in existence for at least three years and had a budget of at least $500,000 (£500,000 in the U.K.) in FY2023 are eligible to apply for projects in the following categories: content creation and distribution, CRM/ticketing (including donor management/fundraising systems), digital archives and digital asset management, and website upgrades or redevelopment. Up to 50 organizations will be accepted for this round of the program.

Application deadline: March 1, 2024
Grant amount: A total of $100,000 will be awarded; applicants may request up to $10,000.
Description: The National Environmental Education Foundation’s Veterans and Nature Grant Program, sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service, aims to increase engagement of veterans’ communities in understanding the physical and mental health benefits of time in nature and provide opportunities for physical and mental health-focused outdoor activities at U.S. Forest Service sites and other public lands (including state and local sites). Support will be provided to 501(c)(3) nonprofit entities that have a partnership with a public lands entity for projects including outdoor activities (e.g., hiking, biking, picnicking), wellness activities, educational components (e.g., community science, environmental service projects), adaptive programming, conservation efforts, and volunteer opportunities.

Application deadline: None for letters of inquiry
Geographic scope: United States, with some emphasis on OK, MI, GA, CO, LA, TN, DC, and specific cities in MS and WI
Description: Public Welfare Foundation invests in nonprofit organizations in the United States that are advancing a new, transformative system of justice with the core values of racial equity, economic well-being, and fundamental fairness for all. Current focus areas include 1) organizations and projects with a focus on structural and systemic changes in the U.S. criminal justice system; 2) organizations developing innovative, transformative approaches to youth and adult criminal justice reform with an eye toward supporting impacted leaders in OK, MI, GA, CO, LA, TN, DC, and Jackson, MS, and Milwaukee, WI; 3) organizations, projects, or special initiatives with a focus on reducing harm and violence using community-centered interventions; and 4) reframing the narrative and fostering greater transparency and urgency around the U.S. criminal justice system through storytelling, journalism, and other targeted efforts. General support and program or project support grants are provided.

Application deadline: None for letters of inquiry
Geographic scope: United States and internationally
Description: The MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation, a joint initiative by Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), seeks to increase participation in and expand access to youth baseball and softball across the United States and internationally. The Foundation provides support in the following areas: capital projects, including field lighting, renovations, and construction; baseball and softball programs, including players’ and infrastructure equipment, uniforms, training of coaches, umpire fees, player registration fees, facility rental fees, and field maintenance; education initiatives, including programs, exhibits, and other learning opportunities that use baseball and softball as its primary focus to promote interest and engagement in the game; and grants to schools of up to $5,000 for players’ and infrastructure equipment.

Application deadline: February 15, 2024
Geographic scope: Communities with Dollar General stores in 47 states
Grant amount: Up to $10,000 for Adult and Family Literacy grants and up to $3,000 for Summer Reading Grants
Description: The Dollar General Literacy Foundation provides grant funding to support literacy and education initiatives serving individuals of all ages. The Foundation funds nonprofit organizations, schools, and libraries within a 15-mile radius of Dollar General stores in the 47 states in which they operate. Applications are currently being accepted for the following grants: Adult Literacy Grants fund organizations serving adults in need of literacy assistance in the areas of adult basic education, GED or high school equivalency preparation, or English language acquisition. Family Literacy Grants are available for organizations that support the whole family in literacy and provide all of the following: adult education instruction, children’s education, and parent and child together time. Summer Reading Grants support the creation or expansion of summer reading programs that target pre-K-12 grade students who are new readers, below-grade-level readers, and readers with learning disabilities. (Youth Literacy Grants, which range up to $4,000, will open for application in March 2024.)

Application deadline: There will be three grant cycles in 2024. The upcoming deadline is February 16, 2024. The second grant cycle will run from April 1 to May 31, 2024.
Geographic scope: Communities served by a Hannaford store in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Upstate New York
Grant amount: $500 to $10,000
Description: The Connection, Health, and Equity Through Food Program (CHEF Program), sponsored by Hannaford stores and administered by the Maine Council on Aging, provides funding to increase older adults’ equitable access to food and social connections in their communities. Support will be provided to nonprofit organizations, municipalities, faith groups, tribal governments, and educational institutions for programs operating in or near communities served by a Hannaford store in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Eastern Massachusetts, and Upstate New York. Grants will support programmatic infrastructure, expansion of current programming, and the launch of innovative, new programming that supports the food and social connection needs of older people. Priority will be given to projects and programs that serve diverse older people, veterans, and older people living with disabilities. Funds can also be used to help find solutions to the root causes of food insecurity and social isolation, including but not limited to poverty, transportation, rurality, and language barriers. 

Application deadlines: Economic Mobility Focused on Needs of Individuals and Families applications will be accepted from January 22 to February 16, 2024. Economic Mobility Focused on the Needs of the Community applications will be accepted from May 27 to June 21, 2024.
Geographic scope: Communities in specific Bank of America markets
Description: The Bank of America Charitable Foundation supports nonprofit organizations focused on issues fundamental to economic mobility in low- and moderate-income communities in specific Bank of America markets. In 2024, the Foundation will issue two requests for proposals. The Economic Mobility Focused on Needs of Individuals and Families request for proposals will provide support for programs and organizations working to address the economic and social conditions that influence family stability and an individual’s health, including access to community-based health services, crisis prevention tied to family stabilization, and other poverty-related issues, as well as for programs and organizations building pathways to employment through workforce development opportunities, including education, upskilling, and reskilling programs. For the Economic Mobility Focused on the Needs of the Community request for proposals, areas of interest include affordable housing, neighborhood revitalization, and small business resiliency.

Application deadline: The application deadline for the Betty Kinsman Fund is February 15, annually. Applications for historic preservation and wildlife rehabilitation grants of less than $5,000 are accepted throughout the year, while requests of over $5,000 must be submitted by August 1, annually.
Geographic scope: Oregon and southern Washington
Description: The Kinsman Foundation provides support in Oregon and southern Washington in the areas of historic preservation, wildlife rehabilitation, and arts and culture. In the area of historic preservation, the Foundation’s primary interest is the preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, and reconstruction of historic buildings, structures, and related sites. In the area of wildlife rehabilitation, support is primarily provided for the rehabilitation of injured and orphaned wildlife native to Oregon and Washington by state- and federally-licensed wildlife rehabilitators. Support is also provided through the Betty Kinsman Fund in the areas of literary arts, theater, and photography, with emphasis on smaller organizations and companies and, in larger urban areas, alternate or secondary ones.

Grants.gov deadline: April 25, 2024
Applicant portal deadline: May 14, 2024
Description: The Challenge America program offers support primarily to small organizations for projects in all artistic disciplines that extend the reach of the arts to populations that are underserved. The focus is on populations whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. Possible projects include, but are not limited to, arts programming, including commissioning or presentation of artists or artwork; marketing and promotional activities; and organizational planning. Projects may consist of one or more specific events or activities, but should not cover an entire season of programming.

Application deadline: February 23, 2024
Description: The Legal Services for Homeless Veterans and Veterans At-Risk for Homelessness program aims to increase access to legal services to eligible veterans through the award of grant funds and by promoting Medical Legal Partnerships and VA-affiliated legal clinics throughout the Veterans Health Administration. Some legal services that may be provided under these grants include services related to housing, family law, income support, criminal defense in matters symptomatic of homelessness, requests for an upgrade to the character of discharge from the U.S. Armed Forces, access to healthcare, and employment law.

$7 million in grants is being awarded to affordable housing providers or other nonprofit organizations across the Bank’s footprint that support initiatives aiming to increase access to independent living for marginalized community members. 

Some examples of preferred programs include (but are not limited to) Rapid Re-housing, Housing First, Permanent Supportive Housing, and Transitional Housing. 

Grants ranging from $150,000 to $250,000 will be available to eligible organizations with competitive proposals that demonstrate positive impact and sustainable long-term solutions towards addressing affordable housing for the most disadvantaged populations. 

For more information, visit our website.  

Are you a community organizer who is looking to bolster your strategy in order to achieve long-lasting change? If so, the article “The Ten Components of Good Strategy” by Serena Adlerstein may be a useful guide. Published by The Forge, this article proposes a framework for understanding strategy that aims to give organizers what they need to build more resilient, and effective, organizations.

Webinar date: January 22, 2024, 2:00 to 2:45 PM Eastern Time
Description: During this TargetED, Alice Ruhnke and David Gates will provide you with a framework for how to use AI tools effectively in order to help you write proposals faster. You’ll learn the research you need to complete prior to using AI as a writing assistant, how to use AI to answer questions in a request for proposals, and prompts you can use to generate and iterate unique outputs. (This session is part of a full TargetED series: AI for Nonprofits.)

Webinar date: January 24, 2024, 2:00 to 3:30 PM Eastern Time
Description: While it might seem like a luxury to devote time to collecting and analyzing donor data, especially for small fundraising teams, the reality is different. There are a few key data points that can effectively eliminate the uncertainty in enhancing your yearly fundraising outcomes. Using donor data metrics to guide fundraising isn't challenging, but it does require careful planning. During this high-energy session, Lori L. Jacobwith will bring the topic of data-driven fundraising to life and help you identify the data points you should regularly review so you’re ready to answer this question: “How will we reach our fundraising goals in 2024?” 

Webinar date: January 25, 2024, 2:00 to 3:30 PM Eastern Time
Description: From start to finish, your proposals must tell a strong, consistent story. However, accomplishing this across the unique sections of an application is not always straightforward. Grantmakers make it even more challenging by using different terms that often mean the same thing. During this webinar, Alice Ruhnke will walk you through a systematic process to apply to all your grantseeking efforts in order to reduce the stress related to proposal writing. She’ll introduce a planning tool that can be used again and again by your organization, saving you time and energy in your grantseeking efforts.

I began working for GrantStation in 2020 as a Member Service Representative after working for a large corporation for thirty years, managing projects and executive metric reporting.

You may have heard from me after you sent us an email or called our number. I'm happy to answer any questions you have about using GrantStation or attending our webinars. I also help with administering our Membership programs. When I have extra time, I assist the research team with reviewing funder profiles. If you have any questions, please contact us at 877-784-7268 or info@grantstation.com.

Interested in GrantStation's funder profiles? View the weekly Funding Spotlights to see profiles of grantmakers currently accepting applications. Current opportunities include the Robert D. Bielecki Foundation (U.S. national), Antero Foundation (U.S. local: OH and WV), Cause We Care Foundation (Canada: BC Lower Mainland), and Cultural Survival (global).