December 2023 and January 2024 Resources
Funding Opportunities
December Deadlines
The Passion Collective’s Atomic Grants program offers a $1,500 cash grant, coaching, and a free year of Passion Collective On Demand support to women who are looking for support in bringing their passion to life. Projects may include bringing a part-time passion project to life, taking a class to grow a professional skill that will help earn a promotion or a career change, or writing a book that will inspire others. Deadline: Dec. 15
KidsGardening.org will provide 50 Youth Garden grants of $500 and gardening supplies to support school and youth educational garden projects. Nonprofit organizations, schools, or youth programs planning a new or improved garden program that serves at least 15 youth under age 18 are eligible. Deadline: Dec. 15
The Home Depot Foundation’s Veteran Housing Grants Program provides funding between $100,000 and $500,000 for the new construction or rehabilitation of multifamily, permanent supportive housing for veterans. The grants fund physical construction costs, and must comprise less than 50 percent of the total development cost of the project. Nonprofit organizations with a current operating budget of at least $300,000, with previous experience developing veteran housing, and that currently manage or own veteran-specific housing are eligible to apply. Deadlines: Dec. 15, Mar. 22, July 7
The National Endowment for the Humanities Save America’s Treasures program provides grants between $25,000 and $75,000 to help local governments, tribes, and nonprofits preserve nationally significant historic properties and collections. Eligible properties include historic districts, buildings, sites, structures; eligible objects and collections include artifacts, museum collections, documents, sculptures, and other works of art. The program funds a wide array of preservation activities, but does not support construction of new buildings, acquisition of sites, or long-term maintenance beyond the grant period. Deadline: Dec. 19
January Deadlines
The NEA Big Read, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, will provide grants between $5,000 and $20,000 to nonprofits and libraries to host community-wide reading programs. The Big Read is a reading program designed to bring communities together around a selected book. The goal of this program is to inspire meaningful conversations, celebrate local creativity, elevate a wide variety of voices and perspectives, and build stronger connections in each community. Grantees must select a book from the current available reading selections, program diverse and imaginative events and activities related to the book selection, and engage with community partners. Deadline: Intent to apply, Jan. 10; full application, Jan. 25
The Bob Woodruff Foundation provides support for programs and services that serve the military and veteran community in the United States. The focus is on programs that improve the health and well-being of service members, veterans, and their families and caregivers; improve social determinants of health; decrease barriers to accessing physical and mental health care; increase accessibility to programming that fosters a healthy lifestyle; and enhance opportunities for veterans to thrive after service. Nonprofit organizations providing direct services to the military and veteran population are eligible to apply. In the last grant cycle, the foundation awarded $2.9 million to 21 organizations. Deadline: Jan. 11
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program offers the opportunity for communities to acquire and conserve forests. These forests provide public access and recreational opportunities, protect vital water supplies and wildlife habitat, serve as demonstration sites for private forest landowners, and provide economic benefits from timber and nontimber products. Community forests can be owned by local governments, tribal governments, and qualified nonprofit entities. Lands acquired through the program must be actively managed in accordance with a community forest plan to provide community benefits. Federally Recognized Indian Tribes, local governmental entities, or nonprofit organizations that are qualified to acquire and manage land are eligible to apply for up to $600,000. Deadline: Jan. 12
The JAMS Foundation-ACR Initiative for Students and Youth supports conflict resolution education and training for preK to 12th grade students and youth with grants for nonprofits, educational institutions, and public agencies up to $20,000. Projects should promote the use of conflict resolution education and training to increase the resiliency skills in youth ages 14 to 18, enabling them to de-escalate situations. Preference is given to proposals that bring existing programs or exciting new ideas to a level of scalability and sustainability on a regional or national basis. Deadline: Jan. 12
The Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant program provides matching grants to nonprofits, municipal and regional arts centers, radio stations, and universities up to $50,000 to support military and veterans through arts programming. Funding is available for programs that 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 experiences of art or artmaking. Deadline: Jan. 17
The Fund for Teachers supports professional development for educators by allowing them to create solutions and growth opportunities aligned with their needs. Individual educators with at least three years of experience and who work full-time as a preK-12 educator may apply for up to $5,000, and teams may apply for up to $10,000. Proposals that prioritize teachers seeking solutions to their own, genuine problems of practice and have the potential to center students as changemakers for problems in their communities are encouraged to apply. Deadline: Jan. 18
ArtsHERE, a new grantmaking initiative from the National Endowment for the Arts will invest $65,000 to $130,000 per project in approximately 95 nonprofit or tribal organizations across a range of projects that increase access to arts programming for underserved groups and communities. Projects must reflect a commitment to meeting the needs of underserved communities such as planning activities that are inclusive of diverse voices and include consistent engagement with communities with inspiring artistic and cultural contributions to share. Grants will be provided for specific projects to strengthen each organization’s capacity to sustain meaningful community engagement and increase arts participation for underserved groups and communities. In addition, grantees have access to peer learning and technical assistance opportunities. Deadline: Jan. 19
The Families and Workers Fund’s Powering Climate and Infrastructure Careers Challenge will provide grants between $150,000 and $1.5 million in direct funding or technical assistance for one to three years for projects that create clean energy and infrastructure jobs. Through grants and technical assistance to nonprofits, state and local governments, training and education providers, and private sector employer groups, the challenge aims to tackle the workforce implementation challenges facing the United States. Funding will be provided in two tracks: the Training and Career Pathways track, focused on scaling models to train, place, support, and retain a diverse workforce that meets the growing labor demand in clean energy, infrastructure, and related industries; and the Government Planning and Implementation track, focused on supporting government agencies and their community partners to plan for and implement good jobs and effective, inclusive workforce development. Deadline: Jan. 19
The Chef Ann Foundation’s Partnerships for Local Agriculture and Nutrition Transformation in Schools (PLANTS) will select eight grantees for awards between $500,000 and $600,000 to bring local partners together to improve school food supply chains. Projects should seek to build and strengthen relationships among community-based food system stakeholders and School Food Authorities (SFAs) as well as expand scratch cooking in schools in order to build more nourishing school meal programs. Deadline: Jan. 22
The National Endowment for the Arts’ “Shakespeare in American Communities” will connect young people across the United States to Shakespeare’s plays by providing grants between $15,000 and $25,000 to nonprofit theater companies. Support can be used for performances and workshops aimed at middle and high schools and children in juvenile justice facilities. Deadline: Jan. 25
The Parkinson’s Foundation provides nonprofits, some for-profits, and health care providers with community grants that further the health, wellness and education of people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) across the U.S. The 2024 community grant cycle focuses on programs that: (1) Educate and deliver exercise programs specifically designed for people with PD; (2) Address the intersection of mental health and PD; and (3) Reach and support care partners of individuals with PD. No funding amount guidance is provided. Deadline: Jan. 31
February Deadlines
The Motorola Solutions Foundations provides grants up to $50,000 to nonprofit organizations in the areas of first responder programming, technology and engineering education, and programs that blend these two focus areas. Programs can provide training for first responders, mental wellness training, prepare youth for careers in public safety, engage students in innovative STEM activities, equip teachers with training in technology, or provide workforce development in science careers. To apply for a 2024 grant, eligible charitable organizations must submit an inquiry form by the deadline. Deadline: Feb. 1
The AARP Purpose Prize® award celebrates people 50 and older who are using their life experiences to make a difference. Through this annual award, AARP celebrates a new story of aging—one full of meaningful impact and limitless possibilities. Winners who have founded a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization will win $50,000 for their organizations. They will also have access to a number of technical supports and resources to help broaden their organizations’ impact. Deadline: Feb. 29
The Environmental Protection Agency’s Community Change grants will award $2 billion in total funding to deploy clean energy, strengthen climate resilience, and build capacity for communities to tackle environmental and climate justice challenges. Applications can be submitted under two separate tracks depending on the project scope and funding requested. Track I, Community-Driven Investments for Change, is expected to award approximately $1.96 billion for 150 projects for between $10 and 20 million each. Track II, Meaningful Engagement for Equitable Governance, is expected to award approximately $40 million for 20 projects for between $1 and 3 million each. Projects can support communities’ climate resilience, address pollution monitoring and remediation, expand low-emission technologies, support workforce development, and community engagement. The entities eligible to apply are a partnership between two community-based non-profit organizations or a partnership between a nonprofit and a federally-recognized tribe, a local government, or an institution of higher education. Deadline: Nov. 24, 2024. but early applications are encouraged for both TA and funding
The Binc Foundation helps bookstore, bookseller, and comic store employees and owners address unforeseen emergency financial needs. A regular full- or part-time bookseller or comic employee/owner at a brick-and-mortar, mobile, or pop-up, bookstore or comic shop who has experienced an emergency financial situation due to a qualifying event such as a funeral, natural disaster, mental health, housing instability, disability, business disruption, or medical expense (among other events) can receive financial assistance (no amount provided in guidance). Deadline: Rolling
The Rural Technology Fund provides grants, commonly between $500 and $2,500 primarily for teacher and student-led projects in public schools and libraries that advance rural technology education projects and assistive technology. Projects that introduce and teach about computer technology, help solve real-world problems using technology, and help establish ongoing student interest in groups like maker spaces, coding, or robotics clubs in rural communities are prioritized. Deadline: Rolling
The Pollock – Krasner Foundation Artist Grant provides funding up to $50,000 to actively exhibiting visual artists who are painters, sculptors, and artists who work on paper, including printmakers. Funding allows artists to create new work, purchase needed materials and pay for studio rent, as well as their personal expenses. Deadline: Rolling
The HerRise Micro-Grant provides financial assistance, with the help of corporate sponsors and donors, to women of color creating innovative solutions that impact their community. Small businesses are eligible to apply if they are primarily owned by women of color and no funding amount guidance is provided. Deadline: Rolling
State-Specific Opportunities
Colorado The Anschutz Family Foundation offers grants between $5,000 and $10,000 to rural and urban nonprofit organizations that support self-sufficiency, community development, children and youth, seniors, and people with disabilities. Funding can support project-specific activities or general operating support in one of the areas of focus. Deadline: Jan. 15
Colorado The VF Foundation provides grants up to $25,000 to 501(c)(3) nonprofits for program-specific work focused on outdoor access, elevating access to career opportunities and work, and creative expression. Projects that protect and increase access to the outdoors, create educational pathways across the apparel, outdoor and skilled trades industries, and foster creativity and self-expression are eligible for funding. Deadline: Jan. 31
Colorado The Colorado Department of Education is offering funding for two programs designed to increase access to out-of-school time academic enrichment opportunities.
- The Colorado Academic Accelerator Grant Program will provide total funding of $24 million over three years to nonprofits, school districts, and local education agencies who implement programs that support student learning in STEM in community learning centers during out-of-school time programs.
- The Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) grant program will provide $50,000 to $180,000 per year to nonprofits, schools, and local education agencies that provide opportunities for academic enrichment to help students meet state and local student performance standards in core academic subjects such as reading, writing, and mathematics. Programs must also offer students a broad array of additional services, programs, and activities, such as youth development activities, service learning, nutrition and health education, drug and violence prevention programs, counseling programs, arts, music, physical fitness and wellness programs, technology education programs, financial literacy programs, environmental literacy programs, mathematics, science, career and technical programs, internship or apprenticeship programs, and other ties to an in-demand industry sector or occupation for high school students that are designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program of participating students
Deadline for both programs: Feb. 15
Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming The Kush Desai Community Support fund offers grants between $500 and $2,000 to nonprofits working in smaller communities to address homelessness, at-risk youth, domestic violence, grief and hospice care, or mental health. Deadline: Rolling with monthly awards
Montana The Montana Advanced Opportunity Act will provide $4 million in total funding to Montana schools and school districts working to expand access to career-connected learning opportunities. Funded programs must expand personalized career and technical education opportunities for middle and high school students, reduce out-of-pocket costs for students and families in support of a student’s post secondary success, and empower students to actively engage in forming post secondary success that aligns with their individual interests, passions, strengths, needs, and culture. Deadline: Jan. 8
New Mexico The New Mexico Outdoor Marking Grant Program provides $15,000 to $30,000 to support communities’ and nonprofits’ investments in their outdoor recreation outreach efforts. The proposed project should expand opportunities for participation in the outdoor recreation industry for all by reaching a greater audience to increase outdoor participation, stewardship of ecosystems, and outdoor access. Eligible expenses include event sponsorships, print brochures, maps, guidebooks, digital and print ads, and other marketing materials to promote the region’s outdoor recreation. Examples include outdoor recreation conferences, acequia walk and talk events, regional outdoor rec branding, local birding guides, mountain biking and running races, trail maps, and more. Deadline: Dec. 31
Resources
The National Preservation Institute has created a free online course “Finding New Sources of Funding in Challenging Times: An Introduction” that provides guidance for how to secure funding for cultural preservation activities.
The Western Governors’ Foundation is now accepting applications for the 2024 Western Governors’ Leadership Institute—a program designed to recognize, reward, and promote the effective exercise of leadership by young adults across the West. The foundation will select young adults to represent western states, territories, and tribes as institute delegates. Delegates will attend the annual meeting of the Western Governors’ Association in Tahoe, California. They will also participate in a one-day leadership development forum featuring governors and other national thought leaders. The foundation will cover expenses associated with delegate participation. Deadline: Feb. 16
The Airport Design Challenge (ADC) is an interactive learning and collaboration opportunity for students in grades K-12. Students have the opportunity to design virtual airports in Minecraft based on guidance from FAA aerospace and engineering experts. Participating students meet aviation professionals, engage with other designers, and learn about the aerospace industry. The challenge offers firsthand experience in an aviation-related application of STEM concepts and helps students apply their academic knowledge and skills to professional simulations. While participants are encouraged to form teams of up to five members, they may also participate individually. Instructional modules cover topics ranging from airport layout, to pavement and lighting, then on to structures, and finally, innovative growth. Module knowledge check assignments and screenshots of students’ designs are used to assess progress and provide feedback.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides local agriculture data and USDA Resources tailored to individual communities using the Farmers.gov Dashboard. This information may be helpful to individual ranchers and farmers as well as organizations working to identify and secure resources to support producers in their community.
Starting in January, the Grant Professionals Association is offering a Next Level Training for Federal Grants. This is a year-long training course to build skills in winning government grants. Monthly live online sessions with the instructors will walk you through key proposal sections, giving you strategies, examples from real life, and models you can follow.
The U.S. Department of Energy Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities has created a community reinvestment guide to promote job creation. The working group seeks to promote job-creating investments in communities already affected by coal mine and power plant closures and will also be proactive, investing now in the communities likely to be impacted by additional, near-term declines in coal production and generation from coal-fired power plants.
The Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design (CIRD) is a leadership initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts. Focusing on communities with populations of 50,000 or less, CIRD empowers local citizens to use their unique artistic and cultural resources to guide local development and shape the future design of their communities.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has compiled a set of grant writing resources that may be helpful to nonprofits seeking public funding.
The Colorado Department of Education’s Office of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education and the Office of Standards and Instructional Support, in collaboration with the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and Colorado educators, have developed lessons for kindergarten and first grade to support teaching about the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe of Colorado: “Nuchiu Strong: A Colorado Resource Guide.”