GrantStation Insider: October 26, 2023

Application deadline: Letters of intent for the upcoming grant cycle will be accepted from November 1 to November 30, 2023.
Grant amount: Up to $25,000
Description: The Disabled Veterans National Foundation provides support to disabled and at-risk veterans who leave the military wounded—physically or psychologically. The Foundation’s Capacity Building Grant program provides grants to nonprofit organizations in the United States providing services directly to veterans to address veterans’ mental and physical recovery. Examples of supported programs include, but are not limited to, service dogs, equine therapy, yoga, art therapy, and recreational therapy.

Application deadline: January 18, 2024
Grant amount: Individuals may apply for up to $5,000 and teams may apply for up to $10,000. 
Description: Fund for Teachers strengthens instruction by investing in outstanding teachers' self-determined professional growth and development in order to support student success, enrich their own practice, and strengthen their schools and communities. Fund for Teachers’ fellowships provide support for teachers’ self-designed learning experiences. The goals of the fellowship are for educators to serve as problem solvers and innovators who create solutions to real problems of practice, reflect on their experience as a learner and transfer the most powerful aspects of their experience to student learning, integrate their experiences as fellows into their teaching to create more globally minded students, and grow as leaders and change makers. Full-time preK-12 grade teachers who spend at least 50% of their time directly providing instruction to students are eligible to apply. Applicants must have at least three years of teaching experience.

Application deadline: The eligibility quiz deadline is November 9, 2023, and the submission deadline is November 13, 2023.
Geographic scope: United States, including U.S. territories
Description: The mission of Circle for Justice Innovations (CJI) is to end mass criminalization and incarceration in the United States. CJI’s Until She’s Free Fund supports grassroots organizations led by and working to end the criminalization and incarceration of women, girls, and gender expansive people in the United States. The current request for proposals seeks to support efforts including, but not limited to, ending the abuse-to-prison pipeline; organizing to demand an end to the routine separation of families, including through incarceration or immigrant detention; organizing to support reproductive justice, especially ending the criminalization of people who exercise their reproductive rights and those that support them; decriminalizing drug use and providing appropriate programs and treatment; and transformatively changing systems of supervision for people with convictions. Supported organizations must include the leadership of currently and formerly incarcerated women, girls, trans, and gender expansive people and demonstrate commitment to achieving fundamental system change through mobilizing and organizing.

Application deadline: November 30, 2023
Grant amount: Up to $5,000
Description: The Every Kid Outdoors Small Grants Program, a program of the National Park Trust in partnership with the USDA Forest Service, provides support to nonprofit organizations and schools in the U.S. that connect elementary school-aged youth to public parks, lands, and waters. The goal is to ensure every child in the United States has the opportunity to visit public lands and waters by the time they are 11 years old, thereby establishing a lifelong connection to U.S. outdoor heritage. Support is provided to connect elementary school-aged youth to public parks, lands, and waters through a positive and impactful outdoor experience. Special consideration will be given to requests specifically engaging 4th grade students and to requests that take place on USDA Forest Service lands and grasslands. Funding covers transportation and experience costs associated with approved outdoor outings.

Application deadline: January 15, annually, for letters of intent 
Geographic scope: Massachusetts
Description: The Massachusetts Medical Society and Alliance Charitable Foundation aims to increase access to quality healthcare throughout Massachusetts. The Foundation provides grants to nonprofit organizations addressing one or more of the following funding priorities: quality healthcare services for the un- and underinsured; behavioral health services when not available; improved access to healthcare by overcoming barriers to healthcare delivery; health promotion through proactive prevention, education, and outreach; and programs aimed at addressing the social determinants of health. Supported organizations must demonstrate a commitment to communities that have been historically marginalized or made vulnerable and must focus on expanding access to high quality healthcare, addressing the drivers of health, reducing disparities in health, or promoting more equitable healthcare.

Application deadline: January 23, 2024
Geographic scope: Wisconsin
Grant amount: $100,000 or $200,000 over two years
Description: Ruth Foundation for the Arts’ inaugural Wisconsin Special Project Grants program will provide project funding to small and mid-size nonprofit visual arts, performing arts, and arts education organizations in Wisconsin. The aim is to build a robust and equitable arts ecosystem by investing in projects that have long-term cultural and structural impact for their communities. Of particular interest are initiatives that rethink and reimagine past practices, bring an expansive range of voices into public and artistic discourse, and contribute to a more complex and abundant understanding of the histories, lived experiences, and futures of the region. Supported efforts can include new artistic commissions in the public realm, archival projects, publications, cultural revitalization projects, and capacity building and planning initiatives. Arts and culture organizations with operating budgets under $2 million as well as tribal nations of Wisconsin are eligible to apply.

Application deadline: Optional letters of inquiry are accepted throughout the year. The next application deadline is January 15, 2024.
Geographic scope: Colorado
Grant amount: Typical grants range between $5,000-$10,000.
Description: The Anschutz Family Foundation supports rural and urban nonprofit organizations in Colorado that assist people to help themselves while nurturing and preserving their self-respect. The Foundation has a special interest in self-sufficiency, community development, and programs aimed at the economically disadvantaged, children and youth, seniors, and people with disabilities. Support is provided for programs and services that fit within one or more of the following areas: self-sufficiency, families, and literacy; food, shelter, and homelessness; youth development and outdoor programs; early childhood development; community and capacity building; crisis intervention; senior programs; and people with disabilities. General operating and program/project requests are accepted.

Application deadline: The upcoming quarterly deadline is December 15, 2023.
Geographic scope: Tennessee
Grant amount: Up to $50,000
Description: The Tennessee Center for Health Workforce Development aims to improve the health of Tennesseans by guiding healthcare workforce development in Tennessee. The Center’s Practice Site Recruitment and Retention Incentive program gives rural and underserved primary care practice sites up to $50,000 to use in their efforts to recruit primary care physicians, psychiatrists, psych nurse practitioners, and dentists. Eligible sites include critical access hospitals, federally qualified healthcare centers, rural health clinics, health departments providing primary care, faith-based clinics, or private practices in rural or underserved areas of Tennessee that serve TennCare or uninsured patients. The $50,000 grant can be used for sign-on bonuses, enhancement of benefits, relocation expenses, equipment necessary for improved provision of care, tuition or loan repayments, and other recruitment needs.

Optional draft deadline: November 30, 2023
Application deadline: January 12, 2024
Description: The National Digital Newspaper Program’s purpose is to create a national digital resource of historically significant newspapers published between 1690 and 1963, from all states and U.S. jurisdictions. Funds may also be used for dissemination activities that engage the wider public in exploring the digitized content.

Application deadline: December 19, 2023
Description: The Coastal Habitat Restoration and Resilience Grants for Tribes and Underserved Communities program supports opportunities for tribes, tribal entities, and underserved communities to meaningfully engage in coastal habitat restoration activities. Funding will prioritize capacity building, science support, and restoration project activities that enhance resilience and have the greatest potential to lead to habitat restoration in coastal, estuarine, marine, and Great Lakes areas.

The year-end giving season is almost upon us. Are you looking for strategies to maximize donations to your organization? If so, you can find some helpful tips in the article “How to Upgrade Nonprofit Donors Using Suggested Donations.” This article discusses how offering suggested giving amounts can help donors choose a giving amount that works for them while oftentimes resulting in higher donations. It explains what suggested donations are, how to choose suggested donation amounts, and how to upgrade giving using suggested donations.

Webinar date: October 31, 2023, 2:00 to 3:00 PM Eastern Time
Description: If you have been in the grantseeking space for a while, you’ve probably had stakeholders approach you with a grant application and say, “We need to apply for this…” However, it’s important that you don’t apply to every opportunity simply because it might be a good fit. In order to take your grant strategy to the next level, you need to identify and prioritize the opportunities that have the highest return on investment. During this webinar, Cynthia Adams, GrantStation’s Founder and Corporate Advisor, and Alice Ruhnke, GrantStation’s President, will show you how to create a customized Decision Making Matrix that can help your nonprofit determine the best funding opportunities to pursue.

Webinar date: November 1, 2023, 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. 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 walk away ready to utilize GrantStation to find funding opportunities that are perfect for your organization, build a solid grantseeking strategy, and write winning proposals.

Webinar date: November 2, 2023, 2:00 to 3:30 PM Eastern Time
Description: Funders often look at financials first because they want to support sustainable organizations with realistic project budgets that demonstrate thoughtful planning. Without a compelling budget and appropriate financial package, even the best written grant proposals will be declined. During this webinar, Mary Jessup will help you understand what funders are looking for in your organizational budgets, how you can build effective and accurate program and project grant proposal budgets, and how you can communicate about costs in compliance with funder guidelines.

We’ve added some in-depth six-minute videos on how to search for funders for different mission focuses. Watch any of the short mission-based videos for tips and techniques to get a feel for funding searches with GrantStation. There are various search scenarios for missions including animal rescue, low-income dental care, STEM education, faith-based mental health services, community gardens for food security, hiking and biking trail improvement, music education in schools, transitional housing for women, and veteran housing.

What mission would you like us to feature in our next video? Here’s a one-question survey that lists 85 mission focuses; please pick your top three choices! (The survey closes 10/31/23.) We’ll let you know the top ten results in early November, so that you’ll know which videos will be in the pipeline. We wish you successful grantseeking!

Do you represent a membership organization comprised of many NPOs? GrantStation has four programs designed to add value to the benefits you offer constituent organizations, field offices, or members, no matter your size! 

By joining the Membership Value Program (MVP), your organization can offer deeply discounted access to the GrantStation website and benefit from a new revenue stream. Contact Juliet Vile, Vice President of Operations, to learn more.

Already an MVP? Further increase your revenue stream by joining the Product Referral Program (PRP) and sharing GrantStation’s Online Education offerings with your constituents. Contact Juliet Vile, Vice President of Operations, to learn more.

The Premium Licensing Program (PLP) adds immediate, measurable value to your organization’s membership benefits. Partners can offer their members full access to GrantStation and its numerous benefits via the secure area of their own website. Contact Juliet Vile, Vice President of Operations, to learn more.

The Volume Purchase Program (VPP) allows organizations and grantmakers to add value to the benefits they already offer to their grantees or constituent organizations through a one-time purchase of a volume of GrantStation Memberships at a significant discount. Training components are included in this purchase. Contact Alice Ruhnke, President, to learn more.

Start now to add value for your organizations!

After 23 years serving as the CEO of GrantStation, I stepped down in July 2022, allowing my great team, led by Ellen Mowrer, to take the reins. I thought that it would be a shock, that I would be at loose ends, and that my passion for the work we do at GrantStation would slowly fade. I was wrong. Instead, I am like a five-year-old in a candy shop. I now have the time and the energy to delve into what is truly happening in the philanthropic sector, and it has made my day-to-day work unimaginably rewarding.

I still engage in planning sessions for GrantStation, teach a webinar now and then, and write blogs and articles, but all of this work is based on a much deeper knowledge of what is happening in the world of philanthropy. I think it is what each of us truly wants: to dive deeper into the work we do and really understand its overall impact. Each day I am eager to meet new people, engage in new ideas, and challenge my basic assumptions when it comes to philanthropy. So, while my daily life has changed considerably, my passion for the work we do has only grown stronger, allowing me to feel more like a leader in a field that is near and dear to my heart.

You can join me on October 31 at 2PM EDT for my FREE webinar, How to Determine the Best Funding Opportunities to Pursue. We’ll talk about how to get the highest return on investment from your grantseeking program.

Don’t forget to check out the additional Funding Spotlights on our homepage—you don't want to miss them!