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COVID-19 Related Funding
Opportunities related to the COVID-19 pandemic
Current COVID-19 funding opportunities are available on our website.
National Funding
Opportunities throughout the U.S.
Support for Impactful Mental Health Solutions for Youth
Morgan Stanley Alliance for Children's Mental Health Innovation Awards
The Morgan Stanley Alliance for Children's Mental Health Innovation Awards program aims to fund mental healthcare solutions for children and young adults across the United States. This program focuses on new or piloted projects from direct-service organizations that will help address the far-reaching challenge of stress, anxiety, depression or other mental health issues in children and young adults. Projects must tackle specific issues and address unmet needs, with a goal of reducing stigma, increasing access to care, improving equity in mental health, and enabling early identification/prevention or enhancing intervention, especially among disadvantaged and vulnerable populations. Proposed projects can be on a national, regional, or local level; priority will be given to projects that can show feasibility of replicating the service to benefit children and youth in broader communities. Grants of up to $100,000 will be awarded to each finalist. These organizations will also have the opportunity to showcase their projects to other funders during the awards presentation day. The application deadline is July 2, 2021, at 5 PM ET. Visit the Awards program website for details and to sign up for a briefing session on May 6 where applicants can ask questions about the program.
Citizen Education and Voter Participation Efforts Funded
The Herb Block Foundation: Encouraging Citizen Involvement
The Herb Block Foundation is committed to defending the basic freedoms guaranteed all Americans, combating all forms of discrimination and prejudice, and improving the conditions of the poor and underprivileged. Through the Encouraging Citizen Involvement grant program, the Foundation seeks to ensure a responsible, responsive democratic government. The focus is on projects that promote citizen education and greater voter participation in the electoral process. All projects must be nonpartisan and may not involve lobbying for specific legislation or candidates. Nonprofit organizations throughout the United States are eligible to apply. The deadline for letters of inquiry is June 3, 2021; invited proposals must be submitted by August 17, 2021. Visit the Foundation's website to learn more about the application procedure.
Grants Focus on Increasing Police Accountability and Transparency
Borealis Philanthropy: Communities Transforming Policing Fund
The Communities Transforming Policing Fund, administered by Borealis Philanthropy, works to resource local communities impacted by deadly and discriminatory policing practices to build power, increase police accountability and transparency, and redefine safety by advocating for investment in community-based programs as alternatives to police, jails, and prisons. Priority consideration will be given to Black-, Indigenous-, or People of Color (BIPOC)-led organizations; organizations led by individuals who have been directly impacted by the criminal legal system; ongoing campaigns in jurisdictions with timely opportunities for change; and organizations who do not receive significant support from national foundations. The Fund will provide general operating support grants ranging from $15,000 to $30,000 to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations as well as groups fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) organization. Letters of inquiry are reviewed on a rolling basis. (Eligible groups are encouraged to apply soon as it is possible that all funds will be disseminated before the end of the year.) Details about the Communities Transforming Policing Fund are available on the Borealis Philanthropy website.
Awards for Excellence in Skilled Trades Education
Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence
Harbor Freight Tools for Schools, a program of The Smidt Foundation, is dedicated to the advancement of skilled trades education in America. The Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence recognizes outstanding skilled trades teachers and programs in U.S. public high schools. Eligible applicants are those who teach skilled trades classes that emphasize the expert use of tools and materials to build or repair products and structures, and which lead to high-demand and high-wage careers. Individual skilled trades teachers as well as teams of up to three teachers are eligible to apply. Three first place awards of $100,000 will be provided, with $70,000 for the skilled trades program and $30,000 for the teachers or teacher teams; 15 second place awards of $50,000 will be provided, with $35,000 for the skilled trades program and $15,000 for the teachers or teacher teams. Round 1 applications are due May 21, 2021; the deadline for Round 2 applications is August 4, 2021. Visit the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools website to learn more about the Prize guidelines.
Regional Funding
Opportunities for specific geographic areas
Social and Economic Justice Initiatives in the Southeast U.S. Supported
Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation
The Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation partners with organizations and networks working to alleviate poverty and increase social and economic justice in eleven Southeastern states. The Foundation has a particular interest in supporting economic transition work in Central Appalachia, civic engagement in Georgia and North Carolina, civic engagement for local and state policy change in Arkansas and Louisiana, and community economic development efforts in South Carolina. The Foundation is also open to supporting new approaches to achieving economic opportunity, systems and policy change, or democracy and civic engagement outcomes. Organizational summaries may be submitted throughout the year. Visit the Foundation's website to learn more about the grant guidelines and application process.
Youth, Sports, and Education Programs in Arizona Funded
Fiesta Bowl Charities
The mission of Fiesta Bowl Charities is to enhance the lives of Arizonans through youth, sports, and education. Grants are provided to nonprofit organizations in Arizona through three funding levels: Field Goal Grants of $25,000 each, Touchdown Grants of $50,000 each, and Spirit of the Fiesta Bowl Grants of $100,000 each. All funded programs must provide services within the Fiesta Bowl's core pillars of youth, sports, and education. Additionally, one hundred percent of the applying organization's project must serve residents within the Arizona geographic boundaries. The application deadline is May 31, 2021. Grant guidelines, FAQs, and online application information are available on the Fiesta Bowl Charities website.
Grants Foster Statewide Quality of Life in Oklahoma
Sarkeys Foundation
The mission of the Sarkeys Foundation is to improve the quality of life in Oklahoma. The Foundation's major areas of grant support include education, social service and human service needs, and cultural and humanitarian programs of statewide significance. Preference is given to organizations that have been in operation at least three years. The upcoming deadline for letters of inquiry is June 1, 2021. (Interested applicants should speak with a Foundation staff member prior to submitting a letter of inquiry.) Invited proposals will be due August 2, 2021. Visit the Foundation's website for more information on the application process.
Support for Grassroots Black-Led Organizations in California
California Black Freedom Fund
The purpose of the California Black Freedom Fund, administered by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, is to invest in the power and capacity of nonprofit organizations to support structural policy changes that will improve the health, safety, and economic well-being of Black communities in California. The Fund supports Black-led organizations throughout California, with emphasis on the visionary grassroots advocates and organizers leading California as a whole toward systemic transformation. The current funding round will prioritize support for grassroots organizations with missions and strategies that focus on mobilizing young people, families, and communities to build Black power. Grant awards will range from $50,000 to $150,000 over a two-year period. The application deadline is May 14, 2021. Visit the Fund's website to review the RFP and to register for an information session on April 27.
Federal Funding
Opportunities from the U.S. government
Program Seeks to Improve Senior Nutrition
Department of Health and Human Services
The Innovations in Nutrition Programs and Services—Community Research initiative supports research and documentation of innovative and promising practices, including those that have emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, that have the potential to enhance the quality, effectiveness, and proven outcomes of nutrition services programs within the aging services network. Project goals and outcomes must relate to reducing hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition; promoting socialization; and promoting health and well-being by delaying the onset of adverse health conditions through the provision of meals and associated nutrition services to vulnerable older adults who are in greatest social and economic need. The application deadline is May 24, 2021.
Local Terrorism Prevention Activities Funded
Department of Homeland Security
The Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Grant Program provides funding to implement local prevention frameworks and explore innovative prevention approaches. Program priorities include preventing domestic violent extremism, enhancing local threat assessment and management capabilities, implementing innovative solutions for preventing targeted violence and terrorism, and challenging online violence mobilization narratives. Program objectives include raising awareness of radicalization to violence; raising awareness of the risk factors for radicalization to violence; engaging the broadest set of local stakeholders that sustain trusted partnerships and increased communications addressing radicalization to violence; ensuring that members of the local community have the ability to act on their awareness training by knowing how to contact threat assessment and management teams; ensuring that members of the local community have access to multi-disciplinary threat assessment and management teams; and ensuring that the local community has a variety of programs that address risk factors while also providing services supporting threat management approaches. The application deadline is May 25, 2021.
Tracks to Success
Feature articles focused on a particular grantmaker or philanthropic trend
Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Breaking the Cycle of History
by Sid Davis
Eighty percent of U.S. adults are concerned about how companies use their digital data. Now imagine that what's been mined was not your data, but your blood, and it was done without any consent at all. We discuss the emerging concept of Indigenous Data Sovereignty with Raymond Foxworth and Cheryl Ellenwood.
PathFinder: Featured Resource
A library of quality resources designed to help you develop your career path as a grants professional
Work With USAID Webinar
Have you thought about seeking support from USAID, but aren't sure how to go about it? The upcoming Work With USAID Webinar teaches participants about the agency's operations, key terms they need to know, tips for submitting proposals and finding funding opportunities, and more. Participants can also ask questions of USAID staff. This webinar will be held on May 4, 2021.
Upcoming Online Education Trainings
Live Webinars
Unless otherwise noted, all Online Education Trainings are webinars,
are 90 minutes in duration, and are scheduled to begin at 2 PM Eastern Time.
FREE Proposal Writing in 2021: What's Different and What's the Same? (NEW)
2020 was quite a year! There was not much "business as usual" and we all had to adapt to new ways of doing things. Nonprofit organizations were significantly impacted by the epidemic and not only suffered from a lack of funds, but also saw an increase in people needing services. How do we move forward in our proposal writing strategies in 2021? During this webinar, we will discuss trends in giving, what has changed, and what remains the same so we can weather the storm and continue providing important, mission-driven services. The webinar will be held on Tuesday, April 27, 2021.
Fundraising for the Future: Preparing for Major Donor Scrutiny (NEW)
In this 90-minute training Stephanie Sample will introduce a concept called futures thinking and explore how it can prepare your organization to identify and receive gifts from major donors. We will discuss how COVID-19 has impacted major donor giving and demonstrate how your nonprofit storytelling, digital footprint, and donor communications can attract and retain major donor funding. Topics covered include an introduction to futures thinking: how to examine potential outcomes by identifying trends and increasing our ability to adapt quickly in the present; how futures thinking applies to increasing major donor revenue streams; signals of the future: major donors giving six and seven figure gifts to nonprofits; and communication with major donors in the COVID-19 era. You will walk away with real time exercises to expand innovative thinking, examples of nonprofits that attracted major donor gifts in the pandemic, examples of current wealth identification platforms and tools to locate major donors, and an increased ability to identify new signals and trends in the realm of major donor giving. This training would benefit executive directors, development directors, or major gifts officers who are charged with soliciting from high net worth individuals. The webinar will be held on Wednesday, April 28, 2021.
Jump Start Your Federal Proposal Writing
The federal government awards billions of dollars every year to fund the important work of community and faith-based organizations. While these funds certainly have great benefits, federal grant applications are the most challenging and detailed to develop and the competition is fierce. Join Alice Ruhnke, founder and owner of The Grant Advantage, for this 90-minute webinar, which will review how to identify federal grant opportunities that fit your mission and vision, outline creative ways to set yourself up for success in the government grantseeking process, and discuss what federal agencies are looking for in the major sections of grant applications. Tips from a grant reviewer perspective will be provided to help you write a winning application! The webinar will be held on Thursday, April 29, 2021.
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Editor: Julie Kaufman
Copy Editor: Ashlyn Simmons
Contributing Writer: Kevin Peters
National Funding Opportunities
Support for Impactful Mental Health Solutions for Youth
Citizen Education and Voter Participation Efforts Funded
Grants Focus on Increasing Police Accountability and Transparency
Awards for Excellence in Skilled Trades Education
Regional Funding Opportunities
Social and Economic Justice Initiatives in the Southeast U.S. Supported
Youth, Sports, and Education Programs in Arizona Funded
Grants Foster Statewide Quality of Life in Oklahoma
Support for Grassroots Black-Led Organizations in California
Federal Funding Opportunities
Program Seeks to Improve Senior Nutrition
Local Terrorism Prevention Activities Funded