GrantStation Insider: September 05, 2024

Application deadline: October 11, 2024
Geographic scope: United States, Canada, Japan, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, India, United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, and Costa Rica
Description: The Kyndryl Foundation aims to power human progress and positive change by supporting initiatives around future-forward education, climate action, and an inclusive economy. The Foundation's current request for proposals will focus on funding cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI) skills and job placement programs for underrepresented learners and job seekers. Projects must take place in the United States, Canada, Japan, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, India, United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, and Costa Rica. U.S. nonprofit organizations and organizations with a 501(c)(3) equivalency determination are eligible to apply. The application is available by request through the Foundation’s website.  

Application deadline: October 30, 2024, for initial applications
Geographic scope: United States and Canada, including territories
Grant amount: $50,000 to $300,000 USD
Description: Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives: Amplifying Unheard Voices, a program of the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), supports the digitization of rare and unique materials held by collecting organizations in the U.S. and Canada. For the 2024-2025 cycle, up to $4,000,000 in grants will be provided for projects digitizing materials in a variety of formats that enrich the public’s understanding of the histories of underrepresented communities, particularly those of people of color and other communities and populations whose work, experiences, and perspectives have been insufficiently recognized or unattended. Eligible applicants include nonprofit, academic, independent, and community-based organizations as well as government entities in the U.S. and Canada that collect, preserve, and share rare and unique materials with the general public. The program is generously supported by the Mellon Foundation.

Application deadline: November 1, 2024, for pre-applications
Grant amount: $25,000 to $75,000
Description: The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) is committed to supporting nonprofit organizations in the United States that are led by low-income individuals as they work to break the cycle of poverty and improve their communities. The Community Development Grant Program supports organizations led by people living in poverty that work to address the root causes of poverty by nurturing solidarity between the poor and non-poor and facilitating the participation of people living in poverty in decisions that perpetuate poverty in their lives. The Economic Development Grant Program supports economic development initiatives that significantly include the voice of the poor and marginalized in developing new businesses that offer good jobs or develop assets that will be owned and enjoyed by local communities. To qualify for CCHD funds, applicant organizations must not promote activities that work against Catholic values. 

Application deadline: Applications are accepted from September 1 to November 1, annually.
Geographic scope: United States and internationally
Grant amount: Up to $800
Description: Kindness Grows Here is a grassroots organization on a mission to create a kinder world by fostering kindness in youth. Through Kid Kindness Grants, support is provided to kids between the ages of five and 18 who have ideas for spreading kindness. The intent of these grants is for young people to be involved in developing and carrying out their own ideas dedicated to solving problems in their community by spreading kindness. Applications must be written and submitted by someone who is five to 18 years old. Both individuals and groups of kids may apply, including a group of friends, a school club, a classroom, a scout troop, or a sports team, etc. Individuals may apply for up to $250. Small groups (two to four kids) may apply for up to $500. Large groups (five or more kids) may apply for up to $800. All applicants must have an adult supervising their project.

Application deadline: None
Geographic scope: Areas served by PNC (A list of eligible states and counties is available on the Foundation’s website.)
Description: The PNC Foundation supports nonprofit organizations in communities where PNC has a significant presence in order to enhance educational opportunities, with an emphasis on early childhood education, and to promote the growth of communities through economic development initiatives. Through the PNC Grow Up Great grants, the Foundation supports early education initiatives benefiting children birth to age five from low- and moderate-income families, including direct services or programs for children in their classroom or community, professional development and workforce development for early childhood educators, and family or community engagement in children’s early learning. The focus should include math, science, reading, vocabulary development, the arts, financial education, or social/emotional development. The Foundation also provides support for economic development organizations that enhance the quality of life through neighborhood revitalization, cultural enrichment, and human services, with priority given to initiatives that promote the growth of low-and moderate-income communities.

Application deadline: October 31, 2024
Geographic scope: New Mexico
Grant amount: Up to $5,000
Description: Through the Smiles Across New Mexico small grant program, Delta Dental of New Mexico provides grants to nonprofit organizations throughout New Mexico for programs promoting oral health. Of particular interest are programs that promote and improve the oral health of underserved children and individuals in at-risk populations and programs that have an oral health education component.

Application deadline: October 16, 2024
Geographic scope: Route 66 corridor in IL, MO, KS, OK, TX, NM, AZ, and CA
Grant amount: Generally $2,500 to $10,000
Description: The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Preserve Route 66 Grant Fund provides support to public agencies, tribal governments, and nonprofit organizations to preserve and interpret historic places on or connected to the Route 66 corridor in IL, MO, KS, OK, TX, NM, AZ, and CA. Funded activities may include restoration and preservation of designated historic sites and structures, obtaining the services of consultants, designing and implementing innovative preservation education programs, producing and marketing printed materials or other media communications to advance historic preservation, the acquisition of historically significant land or buildings, and the purchase of perpetual easements. Special interest is given to illuminating the narratives of communities whose places and stories have been historically underrepresented, including communities and neighborhoods along the Route 66 corridor associated with people of color, women, immigrants, LGBTQIA communities, veterans, and economically distressed communities. While organizations do not need to be located directly on Route 66, they should demonstrate geographic or thematic connections to Route 66.

Application deadline: None
Geographic scope: Massachusetts
Grant amount: Up to $7,500
Description: The mission of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation is to ensure equitable access to healthcare for all those in Massachusetts who are economically, racially, culturally, or socially marginalized. The Foundation’s Catalyst Fund provides one-time capacity-building funding for nonprofits seeking to make a positive impact on health or healthcare access for people with low incomes and marginalized residents. Grant funds can be used for expenses that support the organization to strengthen their infrastructure, build capacity, or prepare for the future. Applications will be accepted from community-based organizations, community health centers, and social service organizations, including organizations for which health is not a core activity or emphasis, if the proposed work has a compelling connection to health or healthcare. 

Application deadline: September 30, 2024
Description: The Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education: Transitioning Gang-Involved Youth to Higher Education Program provides funding to organizations that work directly with gang-involved youth to help such youth pursue higher education opportunities that will lead to certification or credentials.

Draft project narrative and budget spreadsheet: September 27, 2024
Application deadline: November 15, 2024
Description: The Landscape Scale Restoration Grant Program (Northeast and Midwest) seeks to encourage collaborative, science-based restoration of priority rural forest landscapes. Desired outcomes of the program include improved fish and wildlife habitat; improved water quality and watershed function; mitigated invasive plants, insect infestation, and disease; reduced wildfire risk; improved forest ecosystem health; and measured ecological and economic benefits. The program supports projects with on-the-ground outcomes across northeast and midwestern states, including Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.

When conducting grant research, reviewing a funder’s tax return is a great way to gain insights into their areas of interest. But how do you locate an organization’s 990? ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer provides access to millions of tax returns from tax-exempt organizations in the United States, including details on executive compensation, revenue, expenses, and more. Users can search for an organization or a person, or search the full text of filings. (Those interested in learning more about the inner workings of political nonprofits can try ProPublica’s new 527 Explorer.)   

Webinar date: September 9, 2024, 2:00 to 2:45 PM Eastern Time
Description: The approach section in your grant proposals must be clear, specific, and realistic. It should also be aligned with the needs you previously identified, your proposed outcomes, your budget, and the funder’s requirements. With so many factors to consider, it's easy to make mistakes and write an approach that has insufficient detail or is misaligned with other portions of your proposal. During this TargetED, Alice Ruhnke will show you how to build an approach that inspires confidence in your program and shows it is well-planned, feasible, and builds on community assets.

Webinar date: September 10, 2024, 2:00 to 3:30 PM Eastern Time
Description: If your organization has a national or regional orientation, you’re likely aware that the private grants landscape can be extremely competitive. The most popular foundations serving these nonprofits accept only a small percentage of new applicants. In this session, Susan Schaefer of Resource Partners will help you navigate the unique obstacles and opportunities you face as a national or multi-state nonprofit when securing major foundation and corporate grants. You'll go beyond grantwriting to explore case studies that candidly reveal the challenges and successes from Susan's 20+ years of experience working with nonprofits across a broad geographic scope.

Webinar date: September 12, 2024, 2:00 to 3:30 PM Eastern Time
Description: Is branding an afterthought for your nonprofit organization? It shouldn’t be, because what people think about your nonprofit influences your ability to build capacity. Whether you’re trying to compete for funding, people, or donations, strong branding must be present. But branding is much more than logo and look. Branding is the sum total of perceptions about what a nonprofit stands for, what it does, and how much social impact it is thought to achieve. During this webinar, Mindy Muller will help you ensure your organization’s forward face matches the value you provide behind the scenes.

Are you ready to take your fundraising efforts to the next level? Join us for the Nonprofit Fundraising Summit: Unleashing the Power of Fundraising, happening virtually on September 10th-13th (just three hours a day!).

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• inspiring keynotes to ignite your passion;
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GrantStation shares database profiles of local, national, Canadian, and international grantmakers with upcoming deadlines each week. Check out the current Funding Spotlights for more grant opportunities! Current opportunities include Workforce Matters Funder Network: Fund for Workforce Equity (U.S. national), Philip L. Van Every Foundation (U.S. local: North Carolina and South Carolina),  Alberta Blue Cross Corporate Giving (AB, Canada), and Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (specific Caribbean countries).