GrantStation International Insider - November 2023

Application deadline: None for Emergency Forms
Grant amount: Grants typically range from 15,000 to 35,000 euros.
Description: The mission of Cultural Emergency Response is to coordinate and support locally-led protection of heritage under threat. Cultural Emergency Response offers emergency grants to provide quick and flexible support in immediate response to disaster or conflict for the rescue, stabilization, or evacuation of heritage under threat to prevent further damage. Actions must be locally led, target living heritage, and respond to an acute threat to the affected heritage, which means that without immediate intervention there is a high risk of loss. Examples of supported actions include damage assessment missions, basic repairs, stabilization efforts, evacuations, salvage missions, and emergency documentation. Priority is given to vulnerable countries and communities in disaster- and conflict-prone areas. Projects should be directly or indirectly linked to the aim of contributing to the creation of more just, peaceful, and inclusive societies and insulating people against marginalization, oppression, division, and threat.

Application deadline: January 10, 2024
Grant amount: Grants range from 1,000 to 2,000 euros.
Description: The Free Rivers Fund offers grant funding to activists and initiatives fighting for free flowing rivers. Funding is provided for actions towards undamming rivers as well as actions to preserve free flowing rivers, such as fighting against new dams or hydropower projects. Application is not limited to registered organizations, but is open to any individual, initiative, or group. Find more information on requirements and eligibility here.

Application deadline: None
Description: The Dignity for All: LGBTQI+ Assistance Program is a consortium of six leading human rights and LGBTQI+ organizations that provides emergency assistance, advocacy funding, and security support to human rights defenders and civil society organizations under threat or attack due to their work for LGBTQI+ rights. Two types of grants are available. Rapid Response Financial Assistance Grants provide small, short-term emergency support to activists and organizations threatened because of their work on LGBTQI+ human rights. Grants can support legal representation, prison visits, trial monitoring, temporary relocation, dependent support, security, equipment replacement, and medical expenses. SOAR Grants (Security, Opportunity, Advocacy, Rapid Response Grants) provide support to organizations for short-term initiatives to counteract urgent threats or respond to emerging opportunities for LGBTQI+ rights, such as proposed or recently passed legislation, sudden government crackdowns, increased levels of violence or other emergent dangers/trends, or to take advantage of time-bound advocacy opportunities. Applications for SOAR Grants are made through the six members of the Dignity for All consortium.

Application deadline: None
Geographic scope: Global, with emphasis on the U.S.
Description: The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation is dedicated to planting fruitful trees and plants to alleviate world hunger, combat global warming, strengthen communities, and improve the surrounding air, soil, and water. The Foundation's programs strategically donate orchards where the harvest will best serve communities for generations, at places such as community gardens, public schools, city and state parks, low-income neighborhoods, Native American reservations, international hunger relief sites, and animal sanctuaries. In addition to high-quality fruit trees and shrubs, the Foundation provides equipment, on-site orchard design expertise and oversight, horticultural workshops, and aftercare training and manuals. Recipients must be nonprofits, non-governmental organizations, public schools, or government entities serving a charitable purpose. Most of the Foundation’s programs are implemented in the U.S., however, international projects are also considered.

Application deadline: December 6, 2023
Geographic scope: South Asia and Africa
Grant amount: Up to $400,000 for up to three years
Description: Through its Grand Challenges initiative, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is currently accepting applications through the Strengthening Childcare Models That Advance Women’s Economic Power request for proposals (RFP). This RFP seeks to support evidence-based testing and learning of childcare models in South Asia and Africa that support women's workforce participation by offering paid work opportunities, reducing and redistributing the burden of unpaid care, supporting women's pathways into leadership, and shifting gender norms related to paid work and caregiving. 

Application deadline: None for eligibility evaluations
Geographic scope: Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and South and Southeast Asia
Grant amount: Up to $50,000
Description: The International Foundation funds U.S.-based nonprofit organizations who partner with poor communities in the developing world to improve their health, education, and incomes, while strengthening local capacity to sustain their benefits. The Foundation's geographic focus is on Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and South and Southeast Asia. Grants are provided to U.S. nonprofit organizations committed to addressing the most pressing human needs and creating sustainable opportunities in the areas of agriculture, education, environment, and health. Visit the Foundation’s website to learn more about these focus areas. 

Application deadline: None. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
Geographic scope: Primarily the European Neighborhood (Eastern Partnership, the Middle East, and North Africa), the Western Balkans, and Turkey
Grant amount: On average, support is between 40,000 and 60,000 euros.
Description: The European Endowment for Democracy (EED), an initiative of the European Union (EU) and EU member states, seeks to foster democracy in the European Neighborhood, the Western Balkans, Turkey, and beyond. Thematic areas of interest include anti-corruption and public accountability, independent and social media platforms, civic activism and participation, human rights activism and monitoring, women's civic and political participation, sexual orientation and gender identity, youth, and arts and culture. Support is provided for civil society organizations, movements, independent media, and individual activists working towards a pluralistic democratic political system. These can also include newly created or non-registered organizations, informal platforms, youth groups, and individuals.

Application deadline: November 30, 2023
Geographic scope: Asia and the United States
Grant amount: Up to $50,000
Description: The Asian Cultural Council (ACC) seeks to advance international dialogue, mutual understanding, and respect through supporting cultural exchange projects by individuals and organizations between Asia and the U.S. and between Asian countries. The Organization Grant supports organizations that 1) are engaging in projects that will benefit from cultural immersion, research, increased access to artistic communities, or cultural resources in a specific country, or the exchange of knowledge amongst peers, and 2) intend to build organizational or regional capacities of cultural exchange activities through workshops, specialized training, etc. Support is provided for travel from the U.S. to Asia, from Asia to the U.S., and between Asian countries/regions. Non-governmental organizations based in Asia and the U.S. with five years of programming in cultural exchange are eligible to apply.

Application deadline: November 28, 2023
Geographic scope: Sudan, with a focus on the states of Gedaref, Gezira, Sennar, and White Nile
Description: The Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund has issued a call for proposals to provide grants to local women and young women’s civil society organizations in Sudan focused on ensuring an enabling environment for Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) commitments, increasing women’s leadership in conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and recovery in conflict and humanitarian contexts. Funding will be provided for projects in Sudan with a geographical focus in the four states of Gedaref, Gezira, Sennar, and White Nile. National, regional, or local/grassroots women or young women led, women’s rights, youth rights, feminist, or civil society organizations are eligible to apply.

Application deadline: None
Geographic scope: Latin America and the Caribbean (excluding Cuba, Venezuela, and U.S., British, French, or other territories)
Grant amount: $25,000 to $400,000
Description: The Inter-American Foundation is a U.S. government agency that invests in community-led development across Latin America and the Caribbean. The Foundation partners with local and grassroots organizations that identify innovative and viable solutions to local development challenges—particularly in disadvantaged or excluded communities. Program areas include sustainable agriculture and food security; job skills and enterprise development; civic engagement, leadership, and education; human rights and inclusion; natural resource management; and alternatives to migration. 

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: November 6, 2023, 2:00 to 2:45 PM Eastern Time
Description: As a grant professional, you have a challenging job. The details, tasks, and scope of work to write successful applications can be overwhelming. That’s why it’s vital you don’t try to do everything yourself. Building a team can help you increase the number of applications you can submit, improve your applications by using the expertise and perspectives of various stakeholders, and reduce burnout. During this TargetEd session, Alice Ruhnke will provide practical tools and resources you can use to build a successful proposal writing team.

Webinar date: November 8, 2023, 2:00 to 3:30 PM Eastern Time
Description: When you dedicate your career to seeking grants, you’re bound to consider approaching the most well-known foundations. You may wonder what it takes, if your organization will be competitive, and when is the right time to apply. During this webinar, Susan Schaefer of Resource Partners will lay out a roadmap that creates momentum toward those most elusive foundations. With a career dedicated to securing major grants and helping many others do the same, Susan will provide you with insights built on years of observing what works best in making it to your industry’s most sought-after prospects.

Webinar date: November 9, 2023, 2:00 to 3:30 PM Eastern Time
Description: If the most active member of your team were to walk away tomorrow, would your organization come to a screeching halt or begin a chaotic scramble to figure out the next steps? Are you prepared to guide your organization through expected and unexpected team member transitions? If the thought of losing and replacing essential team members makes you nervous, this session is for you. Succession planning is the best way to avoid leadership gaps and ensure the long-term success and sustainability of your mission. During this webinar, Marie Palacios of Funding for Good will show you strategies to ensure that your mission can move forward productively, even during transitions.

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! GrantStation’s President Alice Ruhnke will introduce the proposal writing framework that will help save you time, write better proposals, and get funded more frequently. Alice will guide you through the entire grant proposal process, step-by-step. You’ll learn how to craft an organizational background, a compelling statement of need, a process and outcome evaluation, an approach, and a budget—while learning from detailed videos, downloads, examples, and other resources. 

There are two ways to take Turbocharge Your Grantwriting Skills: an individual, self-paced learning track and a collaborative-learning track. You’ll have access to:

• seven complete units with over four hours of short, detailed video lessons breaking down every section you’ll find in a typical grant proposal;
• downloads, examples, and other resources you can use to streamline your proposal writing process based on best practices; and, 
• facilitated small-group sessions where you can ask questions, work with other nonprofit professionals, and reinforce what you’ve learned (collaborative learning track only).

The upcoming collaborative learning session begins on November 10, 2023; the individual self-paced track is always available. All participants will receive a Certificate of Completion and five CFRE credits. Questions? Contact David.Gates@GrantStation.com.