April 2025 Resources | LOR Foundation

April 2025 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

April Deadlines

The Honeycomb Credit Breakthrough Grant offers $10,000 to empower small businesses and foster local economic development. The grant is designed to support businesses aiming to achieve significant growth, such as expanding operations, renovating storefronts, or upgrading equipment. To be eligible, applicants must own a small business, complete the application form, and agree to the terms and conditions. 
Deadline: Apr. 11

The PEDIGREE Foundation offers Program Development Grants ranging from $10,000 to $15,000 and a Dogs rule.™ Grant of $50,000 per year for two years to support shelters and rescues increasing adoption. Program Development Grants fund foster programs, behavior training, and transport initiatives to help dogs find permanent homes. Additionally, the Dogs rule.™ Grant is awarded to one organization for an innovative best practice in adoption efforts, with additional requirements such as speaking engagements and toolkit creation. Nonprofit animal welfare shelters and rescues are eligible to apply. The Foundation also provides Disaster Relief Grants of up to $5,000 throughout the year.
Deadline: Apr. 13

The Council on Library and Information Resources offers Recordings at Risk grants of $10,000 to $50,000 to preserve rare and unique audio, audiovisual, and time-based media in the U.S.. Funding covers preservation costs for fragile or obsolete media, including magnetic tapes, grooved discs, wax cylinders, wire recordings, and film. The program supports institutions with limited resources in preventing media degradation. Eligible applicants include nonprofit academic, research, and cultural heritage organizations, as well as Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages, and cultural heritage-focused government agencies.
Deadline: Apr. 14

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is offering $3.4 million in first-come, first-served funding through the Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program, with applications opening March 18. Funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this program enhances mobility access and infrastructure in rural and tribal communities. States, local governments, and tribal governments can apply for grants to secure legal, technical, and financial advisory services that support project development, preparing for future DOT credit, or grant applications. Funds can be used for feasibility studies, project planning, revenue forecasting, preliminary engineering and design, environmental review, cost-benefit analyses, and more. 
Deadline: April 17

The Voya Unsung Heroes program provides $2,000 grants to 50 educators each year to support innovative K-12 classroom projects that enhance student learning. Of these recipients, three are awarded additional funding of $5,000, $10,000, or $25,000. Eligible applicants include full-time educators, principals, paraprofessionals, and classified staff employed by an accredited K-12 public or private school in the U.S.
Deadline: Apr. 18 

The Community Grant Competition, a collaboration between the Organization for Autism Research and the Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health, will provide up to seven grants to support the development of resources for individuals with autism. Eligible projects include guides, manuals, curricula, instructional books, toolkits, and multimedia tools, with priority given to physical and mental health and adult services. Community stakeholders, such as parents, family members, autistic individuals, direct service providers, and community organizations, are encouraged to apply.
Deadline: Apr. 21 

The Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies Program (Rural MOMS) provides $3 million in funding to develop innovative, collaborative rural obstetric networks that enhance maternity care and improve access in rural communities. Grants of up to $1 million support initiatives that strengthen maternal and infant health outcomes by expanding care coordination, increasing access to essential services, and improving the overall quality of care in underserved areas.
Deadline: Apr. 22 

The J.M.K. Innovation Prize provides $150,000 in unrestricted funding over three years, plus $25,000 in technical assistance funds, to support ten early-stage projects with transformative potential in heritage conservation, the environment, and social justice. Open to nonprofits and other mission-driven organizations in the U.S., the prize targets projects that have been active for less than five years with annual budgets under $500,000. Eligible projects must address a clearly identified need, demonstrate the ability to develop an actionable pilot or prototype, and have the potential for broad impact through a well-defined theory of change.
Deadline: Apr. 25 

The Maki Foundation provides grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 to support environmental protection efforts in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana. The foundation prioritizes projects focused on wilderness and wildlands protection, river and wetlands conservation, biological diversity conservation, and public lands management. Most grantees are grassroots groups working to protect public lands and rivers from threats such as mineral development, off-road vehicle use, and poorly planned water projects. First-time applicants must submit a one-page letter of inquiry via email to the foundation’s grant director before applying.
Deadline: Apr. 30

May Deadlines

The Foundation for Financial Planning (FFP) offers annual grants ranging from $5,000 to $40,000 to community-based and national nonprofit organizations that connect volunteer Certified Financial Planner™ professionals with people in need. Eligible programs must facilitate one-on-one engagements between financial planners and underserved individuals who would not typically have access to quality financial guidance. Nonprofits must actively involve CFP® professionals as volunteers to qualify.
Deadline: May 1

The Glenn W. Bailey Foundation provides grants averaging $20,000 to $35,000 to support STEM education, entrepreneurial programs, environmental innovation, and biomedical research across the United States. Funding focuses on STEM learning for students and educators, business and leadership training, interdisciplinary environmental problem solving, and biomedical advancements. Grants up to $25,000 are awarded through specific program areas, while larger requests require a separate letter of inquiry.
Deadline: Rolling

Abbott Cardiovascular provides charitable contributions to support heart health initiatives across the United States. Funding is available for community well-being activities and fundraisers that focus on cardiac arrhythmia, electrophysiology, heart failure, and coronary, structural heart, or vascular diseases. Additionally, Abbott donates medical products to healthcare organizations to assist uninsured patients who cannot afford treatment.
Deadline: Rolling

Believe in Reading provides up to $3,000 grants for reading and literacy programs across the United States. Funding  supports initiatives for all ages, including adult literacy, English as a second language projects, and Braille-related programs for the blind or visually impaired. Priority is given to programs serving high-need populations, such as communities with low reading scores and high poverty levels. Eligible applicants include nonprofits, educational institutions, and public libraries with established literacy programs operating for at least two years.
Deadline: Rolling

State-specific Funding Opportunities

Colorado: The Colorado Circular Communities (C3) Enterprise offers three grant types to advance a circular economy in Colorado. Mini Grants provide up to $50,000 for small purchases with a six-month term, while Impact Grants range from $50,000 to $250,000 for facility upgrades or large equipment over 18 months. Invitation-only Capacity Building Grants exceed $250,000 for large-scale projects like transfer stations or compost facilities. Each applicant may receive one grant per year, and projects must support circular economy principles such as reuse, repair, recycling, and composting. Waste-to-energy projects, except anaerobic digestion and biochar production, are ineligible.
Deadline: Rolling

Montana: The Montana Healthcare Foundation is offering grants of up to $10,000 for rural organizations focused on health and well-being challenges, including mental health, housing, food, child or elder care, public health, and cultural connection. Projects must be completed within 12 months. The application process includes an initial email inquiry, after which eligible applicants will be invited to submit a full application. Only organizations based in and serving rural communities are eligible. 
Deadline: Rolling until Sept. 1

New Mexico: The Clean and Beautiful Grant Program by the New Mexico Tourism Department supports municipalities, counties, tribal governments, and other government units in promoting litter control, waste reduction, and community beautification. Funding is available for projects that focus on ending littering, reducing waste, beautifying communities, empowering youth, and increasing program capacity. 
Deadline: Apr. 4

New Mexico: The Tourism Event Growth & Sustainability (TEGS) Program by the New Mexico Tourism Department supports tourism-related events that align with the “New Mexico True” brand. It offers three types of support: Accelerator (technical assistance and up to $5,000 in reimbursement-based funding), cooperative marketing (2:1 matching investments for marketing, up to $15,000), and direct sponsorships. Eligible events must drive in-state and out-of-state travel resulting in overnight stays and reflect New Mexico’s cultural and adventurous identity. Applicants include nonprofit and for-profit organizations, municipalities, counties, and tribal governments.
Deadline: Apr. 17

New Mexico: Submissions are now open for Congressionally Directed Spending proposals for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26), available to nonprofits, public institutions, and state, local, and tribal government entities. This funding supports a wide range of local projects, with $545 million directed to 325 projects across New Mexico in the past three years. While the Senate Appropriations Committee has not yet released FY26 guidance, applicants can receive assistance throughout the process. Additionally, programmatic appropriation requests, which seek funding for federal programs or entities, are being accepted.
Deadline: Rolling

New Mexico and Colorado: The Kerr Foundation, Inc. provides funding to target states, including Colorado and New Mexico for capital, program, or operating expenses in the areas of education, health, human services, and arts and culture. Matching funds must be secured within 12 months and organizations must wait three years before reapplying after receiving funding before reapplying. 
Deadline: June 30

Wyoming: The Wyoming 250 initiative offers two grant opportunities ranging from $2,500 to $25,000 to support semiquincentennial celebrations in 2026. The Grants to Counties program is open to officially recognized county semiquincentennial committees and the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho business councils, requiring proof of official designation. The Grants to Communities and NGOs program is available to Wyoming local governments, public education institutions, nonprofits, state agencies, and tribal governments. Eligible projects may focus on strategic planning for semiquincentennial initiatives, public art and murals with an America 250 theme, monuments and markers, and both local and online exhibits. Applicants must demonstrate a history of successful project management or collaboration with community organizations. A letter of support from the official county semiquincentennial committee, county commission, or other official designee is required.
Deadline: Rolling

Wyoming: The Wyoming Women’s Foundation is offering grants up to $10,000 to nonprofits or fiscally sponsored projects that enhance economic self-sufficiency for women and expand opportunities for girls in Wyoming. A total of $95,000 in funding is available this year. The foundation prioritizes projects in various areas, including: income and asset development, education and job training, and financial programs like homeownership and business development. It also prioritizes mentoring and leadership, STEM programs, and addressing economic barriers and the gender wage gap.
Deadline: May 1

Resources

The Nonprofit Checklist from the National Council of Nonprofits is a resource designed to assist organizations in navigating the termination of federal grants or contracts. It provides guidance on reviewing grant terms, understanding relevant federal regulations, and identifying allowable closeout costs. The checklist aims to help organizations protect their rights and effectively manage the financial and operational impacts of grant or contract terminations.

Colorado: With support from the LOR Foundation, the Gates Family Foundation, and others, the University of Denver’s Korbel School of International Studies and Scrivner Institute are launching the next phase of the Colorado Project 2.0: Rural Renaissance—a community effort to highlight the strength and fortitude of rural communities through  innovation, collaboration, and impact-driven action. Last year, the Colorado Project brought leaders together to envision the future of our state and their recommendations have been shared with policymakers across the state. Over the next two years, the project will embark on a statewide Rural Renaissance Learning Tour, uncovering and scaling the most promising economic, workforce, and sustainability solutions emerging from Colorado’s rural communities.

Program leaders are looking for:

The New Mexico Catalog of Local Assistance Programs is a comprehensive resource listing programs administered by the State of New Mexico and the U.S. Federal Government. It serves municipalities, counties, tribes and Pueblos, special districts, nonprofits, and private businesses by matching their specific needs and goals with available funding and resources. The catalog also provides state and federal contact information for additional program assistance.