July 2023 Resources
Each month LOR sends a curated list of funding opportunities and other resources relevant for small rural communities in the Mountain West. To receive a link to our monthly resources guide, drop us a line to connect@lorfoundation.org.
Funding Opportunities
JULY DEADLINES
The American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation’s Family Medicine Cares USA provides grants up to $25,000 for new clinics and up to $10,000 for existing clinics to care for the uninsured with a primary care focus. Funds can support the purchase of medical equipment and instruments for primary care and other operational costs.
Deadline: July 17
Hello Alice is offering grants between $5,000 and $25,000 to small business owners with growth goals in 2023. The Small Business Growth Fund is available to for-profit businesses with less than $1 million in revenue and a plan to grow their business in the year ahead.
Deadline: July 21
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers program offers up to $750,000 to nonprofit and community-based organizations, institutes of higher education, and tribal organizations that support underserved farmers and ranchers. Programs that improve veteran and underserved farmers and ranchers’ ability to start and maintain agricultural operations via education, training, technical assistance, outreach, and education are eligible to apply.
Deadline: July 25
The National Endowment for the Humanities’ “Dialogues on the Experience of War” program offers up to $100,000 to organizations that support the study and discussion of humanities sources related to the experiences of military service and war from a variety of perspectives. Dialogues projects encourage veterans and nonveterans to reflect collectively on the legacy of service and war. These projects could include bridge programs for veterans seeking to further or resume their education, community discussions hosted by veterans’ organizations, higher education courses that train students to lead discussions, seminars for the public, and reading and discussion programs for veterans. Project teams should include humanities scholars, military veterans, and individuals with relevant experience; eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, and state, local, and tribal governments.
Deadline: July 27
Petco Love offers funding to animal welfare organizations that shelter animals and provide adoption services. Eligible entities include animal control and nonprofit entities, SPCAs and nonprofits, and foster-based rescue organizations. Most grant awards will be under $100,000, with an opportunity for awards more than $100,000 available to organizations that shelter more than 2,500 animals. Funding can be used for efforts to increase life saving opportunities and decrease intake and/or provide care to community-owned animals in need.
Deadline: July 31
AUGUST DEADLINES
National Endowment for the Arts’ Our Town placemaking grants of up to $150,000 are available to nonprofits working to create a sense of place in communities. Through project-based funding, the Our Town program supports activities that integrate arts, culture, and design into local efforts that strengthen communities. Projects might include an artist residency, an arts festival, performances, public art, cultural planning, mapping of creative assets, design of artist or cultural spaces and facilities, or design of public spaces. To be eligible, projects require a partnership between a nonprofit organization and a local government entity, with one of the partners being a cultural organization. Grants range from $25,000 to $150,000, with a minimum match equal to the grant amount.
Deadline: Aug. 3
The Nasdaq Foundation provides grants of $75,000 on average to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and/or an associated business consultant to promote financial knowledge and literacy and support underrepresented communities to grow and sustain businesses. Funding can support improving access to mentoring, capital, and diversifying entrepreneurship.
Deadline: Aug. 11
Fire departments can apply for grants from $5,000 to $25,000 for training, equipment, and technology through the Leary Firefighter Foundation’s Jeremiah Lucey grant program. Funds can be used for equipment, education, training, and technology for firefighters nationwide. Both paid and volunteer departments are eligible. Program areas include training, with the goal of enhancing the professional development of departments; equipment, with the goal of providing the best equipment to help keep firefighters and the communities they serve safe; and technology, with the goal of ensuring that fire departments update their process and systems.
Deadline: Letters of inquiry are due Aug. 15; the deadline for invited applications is Oct. 1.
The Arthur Vining Davis Foundation provides grants ranging between $100,000 and $300,000 for projects that create opportunities for multi-faith collaborations and interfaith religious literacy. Nonprofits and community-based organizations can receive funding for projects that support cooperation across religious traditions, enhance public knowledge of religious beliefs and practices, and cooperation across faiths.
Deadline: Aug. 25
USDA Rural Development is offering two new programs that collectively allocate $11 billion for clean energy and carbon capture systems:
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- The Energy Powering Affordable Clean Energy (PACE) program will help finance large-scale ($1 million to $100 million) solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and hydropower projects in rural areas with $1 billion in total funds and is open to state, local, and tribal governments, cooperatives, utility districts, nonprofits, and other entities who can manage large scale projects. Through forgivable loans, these entities can finance a wide variety of energy projects, including energy storage projects.
Deadline: Letter of interest must be received no later than Sept. 29, but applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
- The Energy Powering Affordable Clean Energy (PACE) program will help finance large-scale ($1 million to $100 million) solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and hydropower projects in rural areas with $1 billion in total funds and is open to state, local, and tribal governments, cooperatives, utility districts, nonprofits, and other entities who can manage large scale projects. Through forgivable loans, these entities can finance a wide variety of energy projects, including energy storage projects.
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- The New Empowering rural America (New ERA) program will fund rural electric cooperatives with a combination of loans and grants totaling $9.7 billion to help rural Americans transition to clean, affordable, and reliable energy by making energy efficiency improvements, deploying renewable energy, developing carbon capture systems, or purchasing renewable energy. The intent of the program is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in rural areas, but has a number of flexible approaches eligible for funding.
Deadline: Letters of interest should be submitted beginning July 31; Application window is July 31 through Aug. 31.
- The New Empowering rural America (New ERA) program will fund rural electric cooperatives with a combination of loans and grants totaling $9.7 billion to help rural Americans transition to clean, affordable, and reliable energy by making energy efficiency improvements, deploying renewable energy, developing carbon capture systems, or purchasing renewable energy. The intent of the program is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in rural areas, but has a number of flexible approaches eligible for funding.
SEPTEMBER (AND BEYOND) DEADLINES
Organizations that operate bookmobiles and provide outreach to underserved communities are eligible for up to $5,000 through the Lois Lenski Covey Foundation’s Bookmobile Grant Program. Nonprofit entities are eligible for grants between $300 and $5,000 to purchase books that young people (preschool through eight grade) can check out from the bookmobile.
Deadline: Sept. 1
The Toshiba America Foundation is offering two grant programs to promote science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) learning in schools. Kindergarten through fifth grade teachers can apply for up to $1,000 to make STEM learning fun, and sixth through 12th grade teachers can apply for up to $5,000 to implement an innovative idea for improving STEM.
Deadline: Sept. 1 (sixth through 12th grade grants); Oct. 1 (kindergarten through fifth grade grants)
Through the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service’s Wildland Urban Interface Community Fire Assistance Program, state, local, and tribal governments, nonprofits, and for-profit organizations are eligible for grants ranging from $5,000 to $10 million to implement community programs that reduce the risk from catastrophic wildfires. Activities can include planning and implementing a fuel management reduction program, risk assessment and planning, and enhancement of employment opportunities, education, and training to reduce fire risk in rural fire districts.
Deadline: Sept. 10
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HOPE VI Main Street Grant Program is designed to support local governments’ efforts to renovate historic or traditional central business districts or “Main Streets” by replacing unused, obsolete commercial space with affordable housing units. Funding, which can be up to $500,000, can be used to build new affordable housing or reconfigure obsolete or surplus commercial space (or extremely substandard, vacant housing) into affordable housing units.
Deadline: Oct. 12
Sky’s the Limit offers grants of up to $2,500 each month to support entrepreneurs with innovative ideas for their businesses. The organization connects entrepreneurs, volunteer business mentors, and donors to provide mentoring, business guides, and monthly grant funding opportunities.
Deadline: Rolling
STATE-SPECIFIC OPPORTUNITIES
Colorado Colorado’s Department of Local Affairs is offering a Nonprofit Infrastructure Grant Program for community-based nonprofit organizations with small budgets (between $150,000 to $2 million), providing services in historically underserved areas. Funding up to $100,000 or 30 percent of a nonprofit’s budget can support nonprofit strategic planning, organizational development, professional development, research, technology infrastructure, marketing and communications, and program expansion or evaluation.
Deadline: Aug. 31
Montana, New Mexico, Wyoming Through the National Fish And Wildlife Foundation’s ConocoPhillips SPIRIT of Conservation program, nonprofits, government agencies, local and tribal governments, and educational institutions are eligible for grants ranging from $50,000 to $275,000 for activities such as grassland restoration, protecting habitats, or researching priority bird populations.
Deadline: July 26
New Mexico New Mexico’s Outdoor Recreation Division is offering Outdoor Equity Fund and Trails+ Grants to improve access to outdoor recreation opportunities. Tribes, pueblos, nations, local governments, nonprofits, schools, and institutions of higher education that work to reduce barriers to access for outdoor activities, including youth up to age 18, can apply for grants ranging between $5,000 and $40,000 from the Outdoor Equity Fund. (Note: There is no match required for rural communities.) The Trails+ grant program supports projects that enhance communities’ outdoor recreation opportunities. Trails, river parks, wildlife viewing areas, and more contribute to economic development, prosperity, and wellness. This grant ($25,000 to $99,999) funds shovel-ready projects advanced by tribes, pueblos, local governments, nonprofits, schools, soil and water conservation districts, and acequia and land grant associations that directly promote access to outdoor places and provides a 2:1 match ($2 in state funds for every $1 in match funds provided) for rural and tribal applicants. Additional funding is available for regional rather than local projects.
Deadline: Outdoor Equity Fund: Rolling until funds have been allocated; Trails+ Grant Program: Rolling beginning July 1 until funds have been allocated.
New Mexico New Mexico’s Public Education Department is offering funding up to $50,000 to expand access to outdoor learning and environmental education for the state’s PreK through 12th grade students. Eligible entities are New Mexico PreK–12 public school districts or state-chartered charter schools, a consortium of public schools, regional education cooperatives, and single public schools in partnership with a community outdoor learning or environmental organization to operate, expand and sustain outdoor learning programs. Funding can support professional development, materials and gear, developing outdoor learning spaces, teacher stipends or substitute costs, and contracting with outdoor learning organizations to plan and create new outdoor learning programs.
Deadline: July 20
Wyoming The Wyoming Arts Council has two grant programs designed to support increased access to arts projects and to help artists continue their professional development. The Arts Access Project grant provides project funding up to $1,000 for (1) projects increasing arts access for, or primarily serving, people with disabilities, (2) arts projects led by and/or primarily serving BIPOC communities (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), (3) projects involving folk and traditional arts and artists, (4) organizations in rural communities with a population of less than 3,000. The Professional Development/Career Advancement grant offers individual artists and organizations up to $1,000 to attend conferences or trainings, purchase equipment, or improve an organization’s effectiveness via board development, leadership development, or strategic planning.
Deadline: Rolling until funds are expended
Resources
The Build Healthy Places Network has developed a series of “playbooks” to help different sectors in communities advance local priorities. The most recent publication “A Playbook for New Rural Healthcare Partnership Models of Investment” provides examples of how rural hospitals are addressing social determinants of health and developing partnerships with community development organizations.
Informed by conversations with Indigenous organizational leaders, journalists, and community members, the recently released “Reach, Representation and Respect” report—produced through a partnership between the Colorado News Collaborative (COLab), Colorado Media Project (CMP), Mountain West News Bureau, and the Colorado Health Foundation—provides helpful context and recommendations for improving relations between Indigenous communities and local news.
AARP’s HomeFit Guide provides helpful and fairly simple ways to help anyone working to keep older adults in their homes with design tips (think:a bench by the front door for setting down packages while unlocking the door; dining chairs with arms to make it easier to get up) in an illustrated, room-by-room guide.