GrantStation Insider: April 18, 2024

Application deadline: June 15, 2024, for letters of interest
Grant amount: Up to $100,000
Description: Infinite Hero Foundation aims to connect U.S. military, veterans, and military family members with innovative and effective treatment programs for service-related injuries. Support is provided to nonprofit organizations in the United States committed to creating or working with cutting edge technologies, methods, practices, or products that address the mental and physical challenges faced by military heroes and their families. Funding categories include physical rehabilitation, brain health (including TBI and PTS), suicide prevention, veteran leadership development, and military family support.

Application deadline: Applications are accepted quarterly. The upcoming application window, focused on health and well-being, is open from May 1 to 31, 2024.
Grant amount: Up to $10,000
Description: Through the Kentucky Fried Wishes program, the KFC Foundation will award up to $1 million total to 100 nonprofit organizations in the United States. Twenty-five grants will be awarded per quarterly cycle. The remaining quarterly cycles for 2024 focus on the following areas: improving health and well-being (open for application in May 2024), including efforts such as mobile health clinic creation, playground improvements, domestic violence shelter upgrades, and accommodations for individuals with disabilities; expanding access to food and shelter (open for application in July 2024), including efforts such as food pantry remodels, community garden creation, building repairs and renovations, and beautification of community space; and caring for the environment and animals (open for application in September 2024), including efforts such as permanent wildlife conservation exhibits, a new vehicle for a mobile vet clinic, and park improvements. (The application window focused on empowering through education and training was open in February 2024.) Eligible nonprofit organizations must operate on the local level (or be an affiliate or chapter of a larger organization that operates locally) and directly benefit their surrounding community.

Application deadline: May 29, 2024
Geographic scope: United States, including U.S. territories
Grant amount: $75,000 per year for two years
Description: The Disability Inclusion Fund (DIF), a donor collaborative housed at Borealis Philanthropy, is accepting applications from organizations in the United States working to strengthen disability inclusion, rights, and justice. DIF grants support organizations whose work is rooted in social movements (especially intersectional cross-movement work), is collaborative, and helps to build a more vibrant, just, and joyful world for people with disabilities—from arts and culture to policy and advocacy. Supported areas of work include grassroots movement-building, advocacy, the performing arts/cultural change, mutual aid, and policy change. Funding prioritizes organizations that are disability-led, with priority towards Black, Indigenous, and people of color; queer and gender non-conforming; and women-led organizations. U.S-based or U.S. territory-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and fiscally sponsored organizations that have annual budgets with committed revenue of less than $1 million are eligible. (Applications are also being accepted through the DIF x Tech Fund, which seeks proposals working to bring about transformational change at the intersections of disability, justice, and technology.)

Application deadline: None
Grant amount: $500 to $2,500
Description: The Rural Technology Fund provides grants to schools and organizations in the United States for rural technology education projects and assistive technology projects. Rural Technology Education Grants support teacher and student-led projects in public schools and libraries to help spark student interest in technology-based careers. Support is provided for projects that help introduce and teach students about computer technology; teach students to solve real-world, human service, and community impacting problems using computer technology; are conducted by schools in rural or high-poverty areas; are designed to reach multiple students within a school, equitably; and help establish ongoing student interest groups like maker spaces and coding clubs. Assistive Technology Grants provide funding for assistive technology equipment to increase accessibility for students with disabilities in public schools and libraries.

Application deadline: None for inquiries
Geographic scope: Communities near an Apex Clean Energy project
Description: Through the Apex Conservation Grant Program, Apex Clean Energy supports local or regional wildlife conservation, reforestation and flora restoration, protection of sensitive habitats such as grassland or wetlands, and other environmental conservation initiatives in or near Apex project communities. Funding is provided for on-the-ground conservation initiatives in the vicinity of Apex Clean Energy projects that support local or regional ecosystems and habitats that will enhance the recovery and protection of local wildlife populations; preserve, restore, or enhance local or regional native grasslands, shrublands/woodlands, forests, wetlands, and riparian habitats, or other unique habitats; support environmental programs and projects that promote sustainable agricultural and soil health practices; and restore working landscapes that support ranching and livestock operations that may incorporate sustainable grazing practices, carbon sequestration, or other wildlife-friendly land management practices. Applicants are required to secure additional local, state, or federal grant funds or in-kind contributions to match the conservation grant at a ratio of no less than 1:1.

Application deadline: Applications will be accepted from April 29 through May 17, 2024.
Geographic scope: Arizona
Description: The mission of Fiesta Bowl Charities is to enhance organizations in Arizona that contribute to the success of their communities through youth, sports, and education. All proposals must provide services within the Charities' core pillars of youth, sports, and education and all applicants must be an Arizona 501(c)(3) organization. More information on the upcoming cycle will be available on the Fiesta Bowl Charities website when the grant cycle opens.

Application deadline: June 18, 2024, for letters of inquiry
Geographic scope: South Carolina
Grant amount: $5,000 to $100,000
Description: Delta Dental of South Carolina’s Oral Health Grant Program aims to improve oral health for people of all ages in South Carolina. The Program’s objectives are to reduce oral disease through education, prevention, and treatment; ensure access to affordable, timely, and high-quality dental healthcare; enhance the awareness of good oral health with a focus on children, the indigent, and other underserved populations; and make a measurable difference in the oral health of South Carolinians, with an emphasis on underserved populations. Grants are generally awarded for projects and programs, capacity building, and equipment. Preference will be given to proposals focused on increasing access to care in rural, dental health professional shortage areas as well as proposals showing a dollar-for-dollar level of matching from other sources. (Requests of under $5,000 may be submitted through the Community Donation Program.)

Application deadline: June 3, 2024
Geographic scope: Maine
Description: The Elmina B. Sewall Foundation seeks to create a healthier and more equitable Maine, where all people, animals, and environment thrive. The Foundation’s Animal Welfare Grants provide support to animal shelters throughout Maine, primarily through one-year operating support grants of $15,000 to $40,000 per year. Support is also provided for efforts working at the intersection of social services and animal well-being, including service and therapy animal programs, social service or other community organization-based programs that support animals to stay with their families and out of shelters (e.g. pet food pantries), programs that support families and animals together in times of crisis (temporary sheltering for animals and people facing domestic violence or other disasters), and those that otherwise address social justice issues as they pertain to animals. (Support for cat population control is provided to organizations which the Foundation has supported for cat population work in the past three years.)

Optional draft due: May 8, 2024
Application deadline: June 12, 2024
Description: The Public Impact Projects at Smaller Organizations program seeks to assist small and mid-sized humanities organizations in meeting their communities’ needs by expanding the scope, reach, and excellence of public programs. These awards support a variety of activities that focus on enriching interpretive strategies, strengthening interpretive skill sets, or enhancing community engagement with public-facing programs. The program aims to meet organizations where they are by supporting projects that are appropriate in scope and content to each organization’s resources and community needs.

Application deadline: May 27, 2024
Description: The Invasive Species Eradication Funding Opportunity invites proposals to support the eradication of newly introduced or established species in terrestrial or aquatic habitats (including freshwater, wetland, riparian, estuarian, and marine) of the United States and its territories. While preference will be given to proposals that result in eradication of invasive species, research proposals that advance research that increases the effectiveness and availability of eradication tools will also be considered.

Are you planning on seeking grant funding to expand your nonprofit's capacity but not sure how to get started? Join the Grant Readiness Bootcamp—a six-session online course designed for executive directors, founders, and key staff eager to secure grants. Learn from Assel Grant Services experts how to assess your grant readiness, navigate the grantseeking process, assemble funder-required documentation, and more!

Sessions run from May 1 to July 10, 2024, every other Wednesday, 12:00 to 1:30 PM CT.

Take advantage of our special introductory price of $250 and empower your nonprofit for future funding success! Click here to learn more and register.

Next Level Grant Training, led by instructors Cyndi MacKenzie and Scot Scala, is a live online training to help advance your grant career with one monthly class for 12 months! The training includes live Q&A with instructors after each session and networking opportunities with other grant professionals.

The neighborhoods people live in impact their lives in myriad ways, from the quality of their schools to access to opportunities and even how long they live, yet many Americans reside in areas that are plagued by social ills. The book Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society, One Zip Code at a Time, written by fragile-states expert Seth D. Kaplan, offers a bold new vision for addressing social decline in America. This book is an exploration of social decline in America which looks at its true causes and the practical steps each person can take to combat it, starting with the places people call home. 

Webinar date: April 22, 2024, 2:00 to 2:45 PM Eastern Time
Description: Business and corporate support for philanthropic activities can be an integral part of your overall funding strategy. However, businesses give in different ways. Some have corporate foundations while others provide sponsorships, matching funds, product donations, or volunteer time. This diversity makes it difficult to determine the best way to strategically position yourself to be competitive for corporate support. During this TargetED, Alice Ruhnke will share strategies you can use to add corporate donations to your organization’s funding portfolio.

Webinar date: April 23, 2024, 2:00 to 3:00 PM Eastern Time
Description: Many corporations and foundations are consolidating their giving into fewer, larger awards. So it pays—literally—when you stand out among your outstanding peer applicants. This webinar will highlight strategies that lead to significant private grants in this increasingly competitive environment. Susan Schaefer of Resource Partners will guide you to develop a tailored plan that deepens your nonprofit’s foundation partnerships.

Webinar date: April 24, 2024, 2:00 to 3:00 PM Eastern Time
Description: Finding the funds needed to fulfill your mission is a never-ending challenge for all nonprofits. Whether you’re part of an established nonprofit constantly searching for new funding to expand your programs, or you’re a one-person development office, which means you need to do it all, GrantStation can work for you because it is designed to help nonprofit organizations of all sizes get funded. During this live demo and Q&A session, Jeremy Smith, Director of Communications Technology, and Kerry Glauser, Senior Research Specialist, will show you how you can use GrantStation to complete your grant research quickly and get high-quality results. You’ll see how you can find and vet funding opportunities in a quick, streamlined fashion, so you and your staff can focus on what's most important—serving your community.

Does your organization struggle with the grant application process? Do you spend too much time writing proposals that do not get funded? Do you want to take your grantwriting to the next level? If so, then GrantStation’s new online course, Turbocharge Your Grantwriting Skills, is right for you!

A successful grantseeking program can provide your nonprofit with vital financial resources so you can enhance your capacity and fulfill your mission. Consistently writing winning grant proposals, however, can feel like a daunting task that leaves many nonprofits stressed, confused, and overwhelmed.

Throughout this course, GrantStation President Alice Ruhnke will guide you through the entire grant proposal process step-by-step. You’ll learn how to craft an organizational background, compelling statement of need, process and outcome evaluation, approach, and budget with detailed videos, downloads, examples, and other resources. 

You’ll be introduced to a proposal writing framework that can be used repeatedly and will help save you time, write better proposals, and get funded more frequently.

All participants will receive a Certificate of Completion and five CFRE credits. 

Questions? Contact David.Gates@GrantStation.com.

GrantStation is thrilled to announce our sponsorship of the upcoming event, the UnCharitable Virtual Movie Screening!

Join us for a virtual screening that will challenge everything you know about charity and giving. UnCharitable will shatter your perceptions and ignite a fire within you. It challenges everything you know about charity, giving, and tackling the world's most pressing issues.

Viewing Dates: 

• May 2nd at 12:00 PM EST: RSVP here.
• May 7th at 6:00 PM EST followed by a one-hour fireside chat with Dan Pallotta:  RSVP here. 

Hosted by: Nonprofit Collective Foundation and The Nonprofit Cooperative

Get ready for an eye-opening experience! 

Want to stay on top of upcoming deadlines? Check out the weekly Funding Spotlights on the GrantStation homepage. Current opportunities include Arbor Rising (U.S. national), the Save Mart Companies CARES Foundation (U.S. local: California and Nevada), the Simple Plan Foundation (Canada local: Quebec), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) National Committee of the Netherlands: Land Acquisition Fund (Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific).