GrantStation Insider: November 21, 2024

Application deadline: December 31, 2024
Description:  The GEICO Philanthropic Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that provide programs and resources to help strengthen diverse communities across the United States. Funding is focused on three areas: education, including nonprofits focused on education resources and opportunities supporting diverse communities across the country, as well as groups that focus on STEM, early childhood learning, and safety; engaging the community, including financial literacy, food insecurity, environmental conservation, animal welfare and advocacy, and health and wellness initiatives; and promoting equity, including building meaningful relationships with community organizations that support equity, justice, diversity, and inclusion.

Application deadline: January 15, 2025
Geographic scope: United States, including U.S. territories
Grant amount: Matching grants range up to $10,000 for one-year emerging projects or up to $25,000 per year for one- to two-year advanced projects.
Description: The Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Mid-America Arts Alliance, seeks to improve the health, well-being, and quality of life for military service members and veterans exposed to trauma, as well as their families and caregivers, through arts-based community engagement projects. The grants support non-clinical programs taking place in healthcare, community, or virtual settings that engage military-connected individuals through experiences of art or art-making to promote creative expression, social connectedness, resilience, and independence and adaptation to civilian life. Supported programs have involved a range of arts activities, including visual, written, and performing arts offered through single events, drop-in programs, and ongoing engagement led by artists or creative arts therapists. Nonprofit organizations and state, local, and tribal government entities that have at least three years of experience in presenting and producing arts-based projects or programming for military communities are eligible to apply. 

Application deadline: January 17, 2025
Geographic scope: United States and other countries
Grant amount: Up to $5,000
Description: The American Society of Breast Surgeons Foundation grant program seeks to improve the standard of care for breast disease patients. Grants are awarded for projects in the United States and in other countries in the following categories: education, with a focus on raising awareness of breast cancer and increasing the capabilities of effective patient breast health education programs; community outreach, with a focus on community-based nonprofit organizations providing education on breast health and screening to underserved, uninsured, and low-income populations; and research specific to patient breast health or breast disease.

Application deadline: January 31, 2025
Geographic scope: United States (including U.S. territories), Haiti, and Mexico
Grant amount: Grants average $5,000.
Description: The Peace Development Fund believes that the change in values needed to establish a more just and peaceful world can come about only if it is strongly rooted in local communities that value the importance of building movements to create systemic social change. The Fund’s Community Organizing Grants support community-based organizations in the U.S., Haiti, and Mexico that are working for social justice. Funding is provided in the following areas: organizing to shift power, working to build a movement, dismantling oppression, and creating new structures. Nonprofit organizations with budgets under $250,000 that are directly engaged in community organizing are eligible to apply.

Application deadline: January 31, 2025
Geographic scope: Texas
Grant amount: Generally $5,000 to $50,000
Description: The Isla Carroll Turner Friendship Trust supports nonprofit organizations throughout the state of Texas that provide services to the elderly. Types of programs considered for funding include health centers, recreation programs, retirement services, Alzheimer's initiatives, meal delivery programs, nursing facilities, etc. Support is also provided for primary caregiver education programs focusing on the elderly and nursing scholarships for students specializing in gerontology. Grant funds must be used within the state of Texas for the benefit of those 60 years of age and above or those born with Down's syndrome age 47 years and above. Early submission of applications is recommended to avoid any issues with the mail and, should something be missing, to give the Trust time to call and request it. The staff of the Trust encourages telephone calls prior to submission to discuss request ideas and to clarify the reasoning for the questions.

Application deadline: December 9, 2024, for concept papers
Geographic scope: Michigan
Grant amount: $50,000 to $300,000
Description: The Michigan Health Endowment Fund’s Maternal and Infant Health Initiative seeks proposals for community-driven and locally focused projects that improve health outcomes for pregnant individuals and their infants in Michigan. Projects must incorporate at least one of the following aims: addressing service delivery environment barriers to improve access to equitable care and services; increasing access to protective and clinical interventions that improve screening for health risks and connect people with treatments and services; and addressing targeted policies, practices, and procedures at the local or practice level that impact or prohibit the best outcomes for mothers and infants. Across all priority areas, the Health Fund seeks proposals that address disparities and promote health equity. Nonprofit organizations, federally recognized Tribes, local units of government, and the State of Michigan are eligible to apply.

Application deadline: December 19, 2024, for letters of interest
Geographic scope: Connecticut
Grant amount: $5,000 to $75,000
Description: Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority (CHEFA) provides support in Connecticut to expand educational opportunities for students and enhance the quality of life for residents, including those in distressed communities. CHEFA’s Nonprofit Grant Program makes grants to nonprofit organizations in Connecticut in the following focus areas: childcare, cultural institutions, education, healthcare, human services providers, and long-term care/senior living facilities. Support is provided for programs and for capital projects and purchases. (Funding is not provided for basic human needs, for example food/soup kitchens or shelter/housing.)

Application deadline: Tier 1 grant applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Deadlines for other grant categories vary.
Geographic scope: Alaska
Description: Rasmuson Foundation provides support to Alaska-based nonprofits, tribes, and state and local government entities actively serving Alaskans. Areas of interest include arts and culture, community development, education, the environment, health, human services, recreation and sports, and organizational development. Tier 1 grants of up to $35,000 primarily support small capital projects and one-time investments such as technology upgrades, renovation work, vehicles, and furnishings. Community Support Grants ranging from $35,000 to $250,000 fund capital and programmatic projects including construction and renovation, acquisition of land or buildings, major equipment or furnishings, and projects with broad community impact. Legacy Grants provide awards of more than $250,000 for capital projects, programs of strategic importance, and innovative solutions to issues of community or statewide importance. The Foundation also offers grants to individual artists, sabbatical grants for nonprofit and tribal leaders, and program-related investments. Guidelines and deadlines vary by grant category. Visit the Foundation’s website for more information.

Application deadline: February 4, 2025
Description: The Native American Library Services Basic Grants program assists Native American tribes in establishing, sustaining, and improving library services and operations within their communities. The goal of the program is to improve library and archival services for accessing, learning, and preserving information by supporting the acquisition of library-related materials, programming for identified community priorities, and training for library staff.

Application deadline: January 13, 2025
Description: The Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program supports the acquisition of private forest land that is threatened by conversion and that provides community benefits including economic, environmental, educational, and recreational benefits. The program seeks to protect forestland from conversion to non-forest uses. Public access is required for all projects. Eligible costs include appraisals and appraisal reviews, land surveys, legal and closing costs, development of a community forest plan, and title examination.

Are you constantly racking your brain for ideas, inspirations, and motivation to start fundraising but you aren’t sure what would or wouldn’t work? If so, you should read Nonprofit Fundraising Strategies: 7 Strategies to Consistently Secure Funding and Ensure Your Organization Doesn’t Fail. This book outlines seven effective and practical strategies for fundraising. It explains the best ways to find donors and partnerships, how to utilize the internet and social media to fundraise, effective techniques for annual giving and event hosting, and how to properly plan for fundraising. 

While conducting searches in the GrantStation database (Members only), are you unsure what some of the specific search terms mean? Hover your cursor over the "i" icon for a more in-depth description of the term.

Webinar date: December 3, 2024, 2:00 to 4:00 PM Eastern Time
Description: As grantseekers, it's vital to streamline the grantwriting process and craft compelling proposals that secure essential funding for our organizations. As AI tools become more commonplace, they’ll be more widely used in the grants world. However, unlocking their deep benefits is not always easy. In this workshop, Alice Ruhnke and David Gates will delve into intermediate and advanced techniques you can use to optimize your grantseeking process using AI technology. Through hands-on demonstrations and practical insights, you’ll gain the skills and confidence needed to take your grantwriting to the next level with AI technology.

Webinar date: December 9, 2024, 2:00 to 2:45 PM Eastern Time
Description: For a nonprofit organization, having clear and comprehensive grant-related policies is crucial to ensure effective management and compliance. If you don’t have these documents when tensions or problems occur, your nonprofit will need to scramble to put something into place. That’s why creating your grant policies and procedures before any challenges arise is vital. This TargetED session will discuss some key policies covering topics such as grant proposal submission, grant acceptance and compliance, grant financial management, grant reporting and closeout, conflict of interest, and grant record retention.

Webinar date: December 10, 2024, 2:00 to 3:00 PM Eastern Time
Description: Nonprofits often struggle to secure sustainable funding, which is essential for long-term growth. Building strong partnerships with funders can address these challenges by providing consistent support and aligning the goals of both parties. During this interactive session, Alice Ruhnke will help you explore the world of funders and master the art of engagement! This session will delve into the process of building partnerships with funders, from researching potential grantmakers to effective outreach and communication.

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. 

Turbocharge your grantwriting for only $399!

Questions? Contact David.Gates@GrantStation.com.

Want to stay on top of upcoming deadlines? Check out the weekly Funding Spotlights on the GrantStation homepage. Current opportunities include Save The Music Foundation (U.S. national), Teen Impact Jersey Coast (U.S. local: Monmouth and Ocean counties, NJ), Fondation Choquette-Legault (Canada local: Quebec), and Global Teacher Prize (global).