June 2023 Resources | LOR Foundation

June 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

JUNE DEADLINES

The Lots of Compassion Grant, a new program offered by Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day and KidsGardening, is designed to support nonprofit organizations, school districts, universities, groups, religious organizations, or other tax-exempt organizations looking to transform vacant lots into gardens. In 2023, 10 grantees will receive $20,000 each to transform a vacant lot into a garden.
Deadline: June 2

Bloomberg Philanthropies is inviting cities of any size to apply for up to $25,000 through the Asphalt Art Initiative. The Asphalt Art Initiative supports arts-driven street redesign projects that improve safety, revitalize public spaces, and engage local communities.
Deadline: June 12

USDA Rural Development’s Rural Utility Service’s Community Connect Grant Program provides grants between $100,000 and $5 million to nonprofits, state, local, or tribal governments, or small businesses to expand access to broadband services in rural communities. The program will give priority to rural areas that demonstrate the greatest need for broadband services.
Deadline: June 20

NextFifty Initiative’s Advancing Innovation in Aging grants invest in new and ongoing innovative projects from nonprofits, universities, and governments that seek to rethink how people age and how people think about aging. Grant requests must focus on the aging or the aging-disabled population age 50 and older, or the caregivers of these populations. Priority is given to projects that focus on historically marginalized communities and that demonstrate possibility for scalability and replicability. While there is no maximum request amount (and partial funding may be awarded), organizations planning to request $250,000 or more are required to have a phone call with a program officer before submitting their applications. (Note that NextFifty also offers additional grant programs focused on efforts specifically in Colorado.)
Deadline: June 21

The Brookdale Foundation Group’s Relatives As Parents program supports programs that help grandparents who have taken on the role of surrogate parenting when the biological parents are unable to do so. Nonprofits can apply for grants of $20,000 to offer new or expanded services to relative caregivers and the children they are raising.
Deadline: June 22

The National Endowment for the Humanities’ Public Impact Projects at Smaller Organizations provides grants up to $25,000 for small and midsize museums and cultural organizations in the creation of public humanities programming. Eligible applicants include state, local, or tribal governments, nonprofits, and institutes of higher education that are working to increase access to humanities programming or professional development for staff and volunteers.
Deadline: June 28 (Optional draft due May 24)

The U.S. Department of Energy is accepting applications for its Renew America’s Nonprofits grant program that will allocate $50 million in support of energy efficiency improvements in buildings owned by nonprofit organizations. Grant funds will support the installation of materials to reduce energy or fuel use. The program will provide funds to nonprofit applicants as “prime” recipients of the awards, characterized by their ability to curate a portfolio of “subrecipients”—nonprofits seeking to implement energy efficiency upgrades in buildings they own and operate—and to provide technical assistance, program, and project management for these organizations.
Deadline: June 29 for letter of intent and Aug. 3 for full applications

Through its Fire Prevention Grant Program, FM Global provides fire departments and community organizations with grants up to $2,500 to support an array of fire prevention, preparedness, and control efforts, including pre-incident planning, fire prevention education and training, and arson prevention or fire investigation. Applicants must be a governmental unit or a nonprofit organization.
Deadline: June 30, followed by Sept. 30 and Dec. 31

The Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative supports efforts to increase safe and responsible use of off-highway vehicles, educate the public on recreational land use and wildlife conservation, and protect access to public lands. The initiative is providing grants (no amount provided and will be based on total project budget) for nonprofit organizations, clubs, associations, public riding areas, and communities with an interest in protecting access to outdoor recreational opportunities. This could include train development and maintenance, facility renovations, protecting environmentally sensitive areas, public safety education, and wildlife or land management projects.
Deadlines: June 30, Sept. 30, and Dec. 15

JULY (AND BEYOND) DEADLINES

The Brookdale Foundation Group’s Respite grant programs can help nonprofits establish or expand dementia group respite programs to provide support for people with early memory loss. The Brookdale Foundation Group works to improve the lives of elders in the United States and will provide seed grants of $20,000 for the first year with an opportunity for a second grant of $10,000. Nonprofits seeking to expand or start up a new community-based day program for people with dementia, their families, and care partners are eligible to apply.
Deadline: July 6 

The National Endowment for the Arts provides grants between $10,000 to $150,000 for efforts to increase public engagement with the arts. State, local, and tribal governments, school districts, institutions of higher education, and nonprofits are eligible to apply for the project-based funding, which supports opportunities for public engagement with the arts and arts education, for the integration of the arts with strategies promoting the health and well-being of people and communities, and for the improvement of overall capacity and capabilities within the arts sector.
Deadline July 6

The Community Care Corpos is accepting applications for between $30,000 and $200,000 from nonprofits or local governments interested in establishing, enhancing, or growing model volunteer programs that support older adults or adults with disabilities. Funding for 18-month initiatives that advance the independence of the target population via programs including engagement of new volunteers, support for in-home services, and promoting volunteer assistance for attending appointments.
Deadline: July 7 

The Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All Funding Opportunity provides grants between $100,000 and $25 million to local or tribal governments to support planning and execution of projects that prevent death and serious injury on roads and streets. Eligible activities include developing a safety action plan, planning or executing  activities from an existing action plan including demonstration projects, applying roadway safety treatments, correcting risks, installing pedestrian safety enhancements, or developing bikeway networks. Federal funding is limited to 80 percent of the project costs, requiring at least a 20 percent match.
Deadline: July 10

The Morgan Stanley Alliance for Children’s Mental Health Innovation Awards, which come with a $100,0000 grant, recognize mental healthcare solutions for children and young adults from direct service organizations. New or piloted projects that address stress, anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues in children and reduce stigma, increase access to care, improve equity, and support prevention, early identification, and intervention will be prioritized. Five nonprofit organizations will receive the award (and $100,000 grant) in addition to other support including consultation with industry leaders, fundraising opportunities, and publicity.
Deadline: July 14

USDA’s Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers program provides of to $750,000 in funding to nonprofits, institutes of higher education, and tribal governments that help underserved farmers and ranchers improve their ability to start and maintain a forestry and/or agricultural operation, Activities that reduce barriers to accessing federal USDA funding and improve the availability of support for underserved and military veteran farmers and ranchers will be prioritized for funding.
Deadline: July 25

The Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Grant Program is making $400 million available to fund the replacement of existing school buses with clean and zero-emission (ZE) school buses. Local, state, and tribal governments, school districts, charter school districts, nonprofit transportation associations, and others can apply for funding to replace their current school buses with clean fuel buses and for the infrastructure required to charge and maintain the new buses. Rural school districts are one of the prioritized applicants for this funding.
Deadline: August 22

The ECMC Foundation is providing grants ranging from several hundred thousand to more than $1 million to nonprofits, government entities, and institutes of higher education for efforts that improve access to higher education for underserved populations. Strategies must 1) remove barriers to post-secondary completion, including programs that directly support learner success; 2) build the capacity of higher education organizations, to better support learners; and/or 3) transform the post-secondary ecosystem, including large-scale, cross-sector collaborations in service of more equitable outcomes. The foundation makes grants and investments through an open letter of inquiry process for projects connected to one or more of the strategic priorities.
Deadline: Rolling acceptance of letters of inquiry

USDA Rural Development is offering two new programs that collectively allocate $11 billion for clean energy and carbon capture systems. 

  • Open: June 30; Deadline: Letter of interest must be received no later than Sept. 29, but applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
STATE-SPECIFIC OPPORTUNITIES

Colorado The Greater Colorado Pitch Series accepts ideas from rural Colorado businesses (at any stage) for up to $250,000 in investment to make their innovative idea come to life. This is an opportunity for founders of businesses to highlight their ideas, secure funding, and connect with other entrepreneurs.
Deadline: June 9 

Colorado The Colorado Department of Education is accepting proposals of up to $125,000 (or $900 per student) for its Expanded Learning Opportunities Summer Programming Grant. The program is intended to support school districts and community-based organizations in creating new, or expanding existing, expanded learning opportunities. Summer camps, 9th grade academies, credit recovery, summer library literacy programs, and back to school academies are all eligible strategies.
Deadline: Intent to apply is due June 26; Application is due July 10

Colorado Colorado’s Energy Office is accepting applications from independent owner-operators, electric charging service providers, property owners, and others for its Fleet Zero-Emission Resource Opportunity (Fleet-ZERO) grant program to fund electric vehicle charging equipment and infrastructure for fleets. Funding is between $250,000 and $500,000 per applicant and requires a 20 percent match (reduced to 10 percent for historically underserved entities and nonprofits, school districts, and government agencies).
Deadline: June 30

Colorado The Restore grant program from Zero Foodprint is open to managers and owners of agricultural operations in Colorado with up to $25,000 available to implement carbon sequestration practices on their land. Awardees will implement at least one of several approved soil management practices that address the use of carbon in their agricultural production.
Deadline: July 20

Montana Montana’s Department of Transportation accepts proposals for each year from emergency medical service providers seeking to purchase or lease ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or equipment for training, communicating, or providing medical care. One million dollars in total funding is available and match funding of 10 percent is required and the applying entity must maintain EMS agency licensure.
Deadline: June 30

Montana and Idaho The Northern Tier Shelter Initiative, a program of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), provides grants of $5,000 to $10,000, free consultations, and training to brick-and-mortar shelters, nonprofit veterinary clinics, and Indigenous communities in seven states, including Montana and Idaho, to improve the quality of life for cats and dogs. Funding will support increased access to spay/neuter services, improved shelter operations, increased access to veterinary care and keeping people and pets together. Examples of supported costs include, but are not limited to, veterinary equipment, salary support for new positions, animal housing, sanitation, shelter equipment, technology or software, subsidized veterinary services, and continuing education scholarships.
Deadline: Rolling through Sept. 30

New Mexico Globe Life and the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation provide grants (usually between $5,000 and $10,000) to nonprofit organizations across Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas for youth baseball and softball programs. Funding is provided for field renovations, equipment needs, uniforms, and league development. Nonprofit organizations, schools, cities, municipalities, and other organizations that provide baseball or softball programming are eligible to apply.
Deadline: June 30

New Mexico The Carl C. Anderson Sr. and Marie Jo Anderson Charitable Foundation funds nonprofit organizations in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas with grants between $5,000 and $20,000 for services supporting low-income and vulnerable populations or individuals, including essential needs of children and youth, and programs that improve or enhance the quality of life for seniors and people with disabilities. Examples of funded efforts include supplemental food, emergency and transitional housing and shelter, medical and dental care, therapeutic services, transportation, day services for seniors and people with disabilities, respite care, and early childhood intervention and development. Preference is given to nonprofits serving rural counties.
Deadline: Rolling

RESOURCES

Microsoft is providing donated and discounted software and training for nonprofit organizations. Nonprofits, libraries, and museums can register for various products and utilize Microsoft nonprofit licenses at a discounted or donated level, depending on various characteristics of the organization, need, and anticipated license use.

Classy has put together a Nonprofit’s Guide to Engaging Gen Z that focuses on the donation strategies, preferences, and engagement approaches for Gen Z community members. This free resource will help nonprofits learn data-driven best practices for reaching Gen Z donors including:

  • Gen Z spending and donation behaviors
  • What Gen Z values in causes and nonprofits
  • Current events’ impact on Gen Z
  • What motivates Gen Z to give

Following  Mental Health Awareness Month in May, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is highlighting its Expanding Access to and Use of Behavioral Health Services for People at Risk for or Experiencing Homelessness guide, which highlights strategies for housers and behavioral health providers to conduct outreach to individuals experiencing homelessness. Case studies include both rural and urban places.

The Nova Institute for Health is accepting applications for its 2023 Media Fellowship, which will advance projects from journalists that promote well-being, prevent disease, and contribute to overall well-being. The initiative supports print, broadcast, and digital journalists proposing to immerse themselves in the health field and complete media projects for publication and dissemination.
Deadline: July 5