GrantStation Insider: December 5, 2024

Application deadline: January 24, 2025, for Leadership Letters
Geographic scope: United States, including U.S. territories
Grant amount: $100,000 to $1,000,000 over a two-year period
Description: The Music Man Foundation seeks to empower organizations using music to catalyze enduring change. The Foundation is currently accepting applications for the National Meredith Willson Awards, which provide multi-year, general operating support to national programs and organizations using music to achieve systemic change. For 2025, the Foundation anticipates awarding grants to three to eight organizations. Successful submissions will clearly identify the primary system the organization is impacting, articulate how and why music plays a key role in advancing this system change, and demonstrate why the organization is well-positioned to take on this system change. Nonprofit organizations with three years of experience conducting programming with a national focus and an intentional presence in at least three U.S. states or territories are eligible to apply.

Application deadline: The next deadline for letters of inquiry is January 16, 2025.
Grant amount: Generally $15,000 to $25,000
Description: The Longview Foundation supports K-12 education projects in the U.S. that build global perspectives in teachers and students. The Foundation provides one-year grants focused on increasing global dimensions within K-12 education in the U.S. in the following strategy areas: Internationalizing Teacher Preparation grants support efforts to expand preservice teachers’ global knowledge and skills. Preference is given to teacher preparation institutions that are connected to state or urban systemic efforts in order to have a greater impact and to those using online courses for pre-service education or professional development. Innovations in International Education grants support strategic, field-building activities that help address gaps in global knowledge or capacity, with a particular interest in bringing international knowledge and skills into virtual learning experiences, bringing international knowledge and skills to career pathways and to career and technical education, including international children’s literature in literacy building initiatives, and using artificial intelligence to bring the world into the classroom. Funded proposals should advance the field of global education or impact significant numbers of students.

Application deadline: January 30, 2025
Geographic scope: National, with emphasis on specific priority geographies
Grant amount: $30,000 to $60,000, with an average size of $45,000
Description: The 2025 Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration program, a program of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and various partners, will award approximately $2.5 million in grants nationwide to local partnerships focused on improving water quality, watersheds, and the species and habitats they support. Supported projects must restore or create wetlands, coastal, or riparian areas and integrate outreach, education, and training to advance local watershed and conservation goals. Ecological improvements may include one or more of the following: wetland, riparian, forest, and coastal habitat restoration; wildlife conservation; community tree canopy enhancement; wildlife habitat; urban agriculture and community gardens; wildlife and water quality monitoring; and green infrastructure best management practices for managing run-off. Nonprofit organizations, state government agencies, local and municipal governments, tribal governments and organizations, and educational institutions are eligible to apply. Projects must involve five or more partners.

Application deadline: Letters of inquiry are accepted throughout the year.
Description: The Arthur N. Rupe Foundation’s Dorothy Rupe Caregiver Program is dedicated to improving the lives of caregivers in the United States providing at-home support to a loved one with dementia. Support is provided for respite programs and training and educational resources for family, professional, and volunteer caregivers. Letters of inquiry are accepted throughout the year and invited proposals are reviewed three times annually. (In addition, the Foundation offers the Dorothy Rupe CNA Program Grants of up to $60,000 to accredited California community colleges for certified nursing assistant and home health aide programs providing entry-level healthcare training for students. The application deadline for this program is January 10, 2025.)

Application deadline: January 7, 2025
Geographic scope: Missouri
Grant amount: Ten grantees will each receive $200,000.
Description: Upward Momentum seeks to increase economic mobility in Missouri for all people deeply affected by systemic barriers to opportunity. Investment pillars include 1) Caring for Our Families, with a focus on re-centering and re-imagining what it means to “care” for families and their economic well-being; 2) Navigating Work, with a focus on navigational and wrap-around supports that improve the odds of people successfully accessing and interacting with key systems in the labor market; and 3) Bridging Divides, with a focus on helping leaders and institutions understand common issues, align resources and efforts, and collectively tackle issues at scale. The current open call will allocate a total of $2 million to community-led, community-driven nonprofit organizations in Missouri with a demonstrated capability to advance upward mobility for populations facing the greatest need. The open call aims to support initiatives to grow or expand promising work that can help leaders and institutions collectively drive catalytic change and sustainable impact. Proposals should aim to bridge across rural and urban communities through solutions that are effective in both environments.

Application deadline: None
Geographic scope: Communities served by Banner Bank in WA, OR, CA, and ID
Description: Banner Bank’s community support program, Banner Gives, provides support to nonprofit organizations that contribute to the vitality and success of the communities where Banner Bank operates in Washington, Oregon, California, and Idaho. Grantmaking areas of interest include housing, especially programs that address homelessness and opportunities to advance affordable housing; youth, including academic achievement, civic involvement, financial literacy, and physical and emotional development; financial education; and economic development, with emphasis on small business and small farm development and lending, workforce development education, and job creation and retention. Priority is given to programs serving low- and moderate-income populations.

Application deadline: February 5, 2025
Geographic scope: AL, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, and TN
Grant amount: Up to $150,000, with an average around $50,000
Description: Cultural Sustainability, an initiative of The Wallace Foundation in partnership with the U.S. regional arts organizations, including South Arts, provides general operating support and collaborative learning opportunities for arts organizations rooted in communities of color. Support is available to nonprofit arts organizations, fiscally sponsored arts groups, arts-centered private entities, and tribal governments in AL, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, and TN. The initiative aims to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion within the arts sector while learning how organizations that have historically been underrepresented advance sustainability. Funds will be provided to a broad range of organizations encompassing the full scope of arts and culture disciplines and operational structures to help further understanding of how arts organizations founded by, with, and/or for communities of color define and develop their well-being and that of their communities.

Application deadline: January 10, 2025, for letters of inquiry
Geographic scope: New York
Grant amount: Approximately $1 million will be awarded across five to eight proposals, with individual projects funded up to $200,000.
Description: The New York Health Foundation is launching a statewide request for proposals to support projects that advance maternal health equity for Black New Yorkers and other New Yorkers of color. Funded projects will address racial disparities through high-quality primary care, preventive care, and community linkages to care, and should meaningfully engage communities and patients. Projects must identify racial disparities in maternal healthcare and outcomes, use primary and preventive care to reduce those disparities, and measure progress to improve racial health equity. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, for-profit organizations, government agencies, and academic institutions.

Application deadline: February 7, 2025
Description: The Heritage Site Protection program seeks assistance in the protection and management of significant cultural resources on public lands. This initiative aims to foster co-stewardship between USDA Forest Service and historic preservation-focused partners to assist the agency in managing, preserving, and sharing history for public enjoyment and professional use.

Application deadline: January 15, 2025
Geographic scope: U.S. territories and freely associated states
Description: The Advancing Public Health Actions to Prevent and Control Chronic Disease in the U.S. Territories and Freely Associated States program supports integrated, evidence-based strategies and activities to prevent and manage chronic disease in the U.S. territories and freely associated states. The program aims to reduce disability and death rates associated with chronic diseases by decreasing the prevalence of modifiable risk factors that contribute to chronic diseases. Focus areas include preventing and reducing tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure, preventing and managing diabetes, and improving oral health disparities. 

The Grant Professionals Association is thrilled to announce Next Level Grant University (NLGU)—launching NEW in 2025! This comprehensive program features three year-long tracks designed to elevate your expertise: Grant Training, Federal Grants, and Grant Management.

With live, expert instructors and interactive monthly meetings, NLGU provides the tools and insights you need to expand your knowledge and advance your career as a grant professional. Don’t miss this opportunity to take your skills to the next level!

Are you interested in learning about leading trends in the field of family philanthropy? If so, you should read Trends 2025: Results of the Third National Benchmark Survey on Family Foundations. Published every five years by the National Center for Family Philanthropy, this report identifies emerging issues, changes in funding priorities and governance practices, innovative approaches to giving and decision-making, and anticipated future giving patterns and practices among U.S.-based philanthropic families nationally.

When researching a funder, make sure to look through their most recent annual report, if available. (GrantStation provides a link to the annual report if the funder posts it on their website.) The report can provide a wealth of information, such as historic and current giving totals and lists of grantees and grant amounts, as well as insight into the funder's strategic outlook, goals, and priorities.

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.

Webinar date: December 11, 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 or you’re a one-person development office, 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, Director of Research, 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.

GrantStation shares database profiles of local, national, Canadian, and international grantmakers with upcoming deadlines each week. Current opportunities include COPIC Medical Foundation (U.S. national), Kahlert Foundation (U.S. local: Maryland and Utah), NFL Canada: NFL Forward Pass (Canada national), and HCLTech Grant Americas (Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and the United States).