Search Through Affordable Housing Grants for Nonprofits in the U.S.

Crankstart Foundation Grant

Crankstart is a San Francisco-based family foundation devoted to bolstering the foundations of a just society - wider access to better education, jobs with prospects for advancement, housing security, social welfare and the protection of civil rights. Crankstart also supports the arts, basic science and efforts to mitigate climate change. About 60% of grants go to groups in the San Francisco Bay Area.

While the Bay Area is our home, on occasion we have made commitments elsewhere – particularly in Chicago and the United Kingdom. The bulk of our grants fall between $100k - $1m. Once we have developed confidence in an organization, we lean toward making multi-year commitments for general support.

Crankstart envisions a vibrant, thriving Bay Area, where our region’s prosperity is strengthened and shared more equitably by all who live here.

Programs

• Economic Mobility - Everyone should have choices and opportunities that lead to economic stability and security. Crankstart focuses on root causes of economic disenfranchisement, particularly in low-income communities hurt by generational poverty.
  • We support work that:
    • Provides the tools and training needed for careers and economic security.
    • Strengthens safety net programs that provide food and health services.
    • Increases access to public benefits programs serving low-income people.
    • Mitigates the insidious effects of fines and fees that erode wealth.
• Education: Our public education system should provide every child and adult, regardless of circumstances, an opportunity to shape their lives.
  • We support work that:
    • Expands post-secondary access to academic and vocational studies, to help students develop the tools and resilience needed to pursue upward mobility.
    • Develops more opportunities for early childhood education and out-of-school learning, particularly in historically marginalized communities.
    • Strengthens the teacher pipeline, to recruit and retain excellent educators in public schools.
• Democracy: We envision a robust democracy in which elections are held securely and with integrity, every person has the information they need to fully participate in civic life, and the underlying structure of our electoral system is fair.
  • We support work that:
    • Protects voting rights through mobilization and engagement.
    • Supports immigrants, ensuring they have the opportunities they need to thrive.
    • Works to change harmful and unfair criminal justice policies.
    • Develops robust interventions to mitigate recidivism and provide economic opportunity.
• Housing Security: Housing security means all people have a place to call home. They have choices that promote economic well-being, health and safety.
  • Crankstart supports work in San Francisco and Oakland that:
    • Reduces homelessness through preventive measures and targeted services.
    • Provides affordable housing choices that allow people to live near work and become involved in their communities. We emphasize housing opportunities for those who are most affected by displacement and high housing costs.
    • Uses policy, law, public resources and good governance to promote economically integrated communities.
• Environment: Communities disproportionately affected by climate change should be partners and the primary beneficiaries of mitigation efforts.
  • We support work that:
    • Accelerates the transition to clean energy.
    • Restores and protects ecosystems in ways that benefit local communities.
• Medical Science & Innovation: Basic science is a foundation for knowledge and discovery based on facts, hypotheses and replicable results. This painstaking endeavor enhances our understanding of the world around us, which may translate into breakthroughs that benefit humans and life on earth.
  • We support work that:
    • Gives researchers funding and time to test novel hypotheses.

Global Impact Cash Grants

Cisco welcomes applications for Global Impact Cash Grants from community partners around the world who share our vision and offer an innovative approach to a critical social challenge.

We identify, incubate, and develop innovative solutions with the most impact. Global Impact Cash Grants go to nonprofits and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that address a significant social problem. We’re looking for programs that fit within our investment areas, serve the underserved, and leverage technology to improve the reach and efficiency of services. We accept applications year-round from eligible organizations. An initial information form is used to determine whether your organization will be invited to complete a full application.

Social Investment Areas

At Cisco, we make social investments in three areas where we believe our technology and our people can make the biggest impact—education, economic empowerment, and crisis response, the last of which incorporates shelter, water, food, and disaster relief. Together, these investment areas help people overcome barriers of poverty and inequality, and make a lasting difference by fostering strong global communities.

Education Investments

Our strategy is to inclusively invest in technology-based solutions that increase equitable access to education while improving student performance, engagement, and career exploration. We support K-12 solutions that emphasize science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) as well as literacy. We also consider programs that teach environmental sustainability, eliminate barriers to accessing climate change education, and invite student engagement globally to positively affect the environment.

What we look for:

• Innovative early grade solutions using the internet and technology to bridge the barriers preventing access to education for underserved students globally.
• Solutions that positively affect student attendance, attitudes, and behavior while inspiring action by students to improve learning outcomes, whether they participate in person, online, or in blended learning environments. 
• Solutions with high potential to replicate and scale globally, thereby increasing the availability of evidence-based solutions that support student-centricity, teacher capacity in the classroom, and increased parental participation to help students learn and develop.

Economic Empowerment

Our strategy is to invest in early stage, tech-enabled solutions that provide equitable access to the knowledge, skills, and resources that people need to support themselves and their families toward resilience, independence, and economic security.

Our goal is to support solutions that benefit individuals and families, and that contribute to local community growth and economic development in a sustainable economy.

We target our support in three interconnected areas:

• Skills development to help job seekers secure dignified employment and long-term career pathways in technology or other sectors, including environmental sustainability/green jobs.
• Inclusive entrepreneurship with small businesses as engines of local growth as well as high growth potential start-ups as large-scale job creators nationally and internationally, in technology or other sectors, including environment sustainability/green businesses.
• Banking the unbanked through relevant and affordable financial products and capacity building services.

Cisco Crisis Response

We seek to help overcome the cycle of poverty and dependence and achieve a more sustainable future through strategic investments. We back organizations that successfully address critical needs of underserved communities, because those who have their basic needs met are better equipped to learn and thrive.

What we look for:

• Innovative solutions that increase the capacity of grantees to deliver their products and services more effectively and efficiently
• Design and implementation of web-based tools that increase the availability of, or improve access to, products and services that are necessary for people to survive and thrive
• Programs that increase access to clean water, food, shelter, or disaster relief and promote a more sustainable future for all
  • By policy, relief campaigns respond to significant natural disaster and humanitarian crises as opposed to those caused by human conflict. Also by policy, our investments in this area do not include healthcare solutions.

Climate Impact

Our strategy is to invest US$100 million in Cisco Foundation funds over the next decade to help reverse the impact of climate change, working toward a sustainable and regenerative future for all.

The commitment includes both grant and impact investment funding for early-stage climate innovation. Both categories of support will be focused on bold climate solutions, and the grants side will also concentrate on community education and activation. Grants will go to exceptionally aligned nonprofit organizations, while impact investments will go to highly promising for-profit solutions through the private sector and climate impact funds.

Funding comes from the Cisco Foundation and will focus on:

• Identifying bold and innovative solutions that:
  • Draw down the carbon already in the atmosphere
  • Regenerate depleted ecosystems and broadly support the transition to a regenerative future
• Developing curricular initiatives to spur community engagement that can lead to measurable behavioral change and collective action

We will prioritize organizations that can achieve, measure, and report outcomes such as:

• Reduction, capture, and/or sequestering of greenhouse gas and carbon emissions
• Increased energy efficiency and improved mapping and management of natural resources, such as ecosystem restoration, forest treatments, reforestation, and afforestation that also will help repair our water cycles
• Transition to inclusive, just, coliberatory, and regenerative operating models, ways of being, and ways of organizing economies
• Creation of, and increase in, access to green jobs and job training
• Changes in community and individual behavior that lead to carbon footprint reduction, community climate resilience, and localized roadmaps to a sustainable shared climate future for all

Community Grants

State Farm is committed to helping build safer, stronger and better-educated communities.

• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​We are committed to auto and home safety programs and activities that help people manage the risks of everyday life.
• We invest in education, economic empowerment and community development projects, programs and services that help people realize their dreams.
• We help maintain the vibrancy of our communities by assisting nonprofits that support community revitalization.

Good Neighbor Citizenship company grants focus on safety, community development and education.

Focus Areas

Safety Grants

We strive to keep our customers and communities safe. That's why our funding is directed toward:

• Auto safety — improving driver, passenger, vehicle or roadway safety
• Home safety — shielding homes from fires, crime or natural disasters
• Disaster preparedness and mitigation
• Disaster recovery

Community Development

We support nonprofits that invest and develop stronger neighborhoods. That's why our funding is directed toward:

• Affordable housing — home construction and repair
• Commercial/small business development
• Job training
• Neighborhood revitalization
• Financial literacy
• Sustainable housing and transportation
• Food insecurity

Education

Our education funding is directed toward initiatives that support the following programs:

• Higher education
• K-12 academic performance
• K-12 STEM
• Pathways for college and career success

Fund for Community Good

With our Fund for Community Good (unrestricted) and field of interest fund assets, we seek out and respond to requests for resources from partners who share our commitment to becoming actively anti-racist.

Systemic and institutional racism is present in every issue our community faces. Thanks to the generosity of donor partners, we continue to provide financial support across a broad spectrum including education, the environment, health, the arts and social engagement, neighborhoods and economic prosperity.

In all instances, we continuously assess how we work and with whom we partner, in order to dismantle barriers to equity and justice.

Funding Priorities

Education

We strive for equitable educational attainment when race, ethnicity, and first generation status are not predictive of post-secondary enrollment, persistence, and degree or credential attainment.

Health

We invest in culturally effective solutions that lead to equitable health outcomes and well-being.

Neighborhoods

We seek to create greater access to housing prosperity for all who call Kent County home. We invest in the production and preservation of equitable, stable, quality, affordable housing in historically under-resourced neighborhoods.

Arts + Culture Engagement

We invest in opportunities that seek to sustain arts and cultural opportunities to advance equity and are led by or primarily reach communities of color. We also invest in leaders and networks that inspire, grow and connect movements aimed at advancing equity.

Economic Prosperity

We invest in workforce development that results in sustainable, living wage jobs with competitive benefits. We also seek to increase access to capital and opportunities for historically under-resourced entrepreneurs.

Environment

We invest in efforts led by those most affected by environmental injustice and that ensure equitable environmental benefit.

Mission

The mission of the Hearst Foundations is to identify and fund outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States can build healthy, productive and satisfying lives. Through its grantmaking, the Hearst Foundations support well-established nonprofit organizations that address significant issues within their major areas of focus—culture, education, health and social service—and that primarily serve large demographic and/or geographic constituencies. In each area of funding, the Foundations seek to identify those organizations achieving truly differentiated results relative to other organizations making similar efforts for similar populations. The Foundations also look for evidence of sustainability beyond their support.

Whether providing a scholarship to a deserving student, supporting a rural health clinic or bringing artists into schools so children can see firsthand the beauty of the arts, the Foundations’ focus is consistent: to help those in need, those underserved and those underrepresented in society. Since the Foundations were formed in the 1940s, the scale and capabilities of the grant making have changed, but the mission has not.

Culture Grant

The Hearst Foundations fund cultural institutions that offer meaningful programs in the arts and sciences, prioritizing those that enable engagement by young people and create a lasting and measurable impact. The Foundations also fund select programs nurturing and developing artistic talent. Supported organizations include arts schools, ballets, museums, operas, performing arts centers, symphonies and theaters.

Funding Priorities in Culture

In the recent past, 25% of total funding has been allocated to Culture. Organizations with budgets over $10 million have received 60% of the funding in Culture.

The Hearst Foundations are only able to fund approximately 25% of all grant requests, of which about 80% is directed to prior grantees and about 20% is targeted toward new grantees.

Types of Support

Program, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

Mission

The mission of the Hearst Foundations is to identify and fund outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States can build healthy, productive and satisfying lives. Through its grantmaking, the Hearst Foundations support well-established nonprofit organizations that address significant issues within their major areas of focus—culture, education, health and social service—and that primarily serve large demographic and/or geographic constituencies. In each area of funding, the Foundations seek to identify those organizations achieving truly differentiated results relative to other organizations making similar efforts for similar populations. The Foundations also look for evidence of sustainability beyond their support.

Whether providing a scholarship to a deserving student, supporting a rural health clinic or bringing artists into schools so children can see firsthand the beauty of the arts, the Foundations’ focus is consistent: to help those in need, those underserved and those underrepresented in society. Since the Foundations were formed in the 1940s, the scale and capabilities of the grant making have changed, but the mission has not.

Social Service Grant

The Hearst Foundations fund direct-service organizations that tackle the roots of chronic poverty by applying effective solutions to the most challenging social and economic problems. The Foundations prioritize supporting programs that have proven successful in facilitating economic independence and in strengthening families. Preference is also given to programs with the potential to scale productive practices in order to reach more people in need.

Funding Priorities in Social Service

In the recent past, 15% of total funding has been allocated to Social Service. Organizations with budgets over $5 million have received 60% of funding in Social Service.

The Hearst Foundations are only able to fund approximately 25% of all grant requests, of which about 80% is directed to prior grantees and about 20% is targeted for new grantees.

Types of Support

Program, capital and general support

Funding

Minimum grant size is $100,000.

Michael & Susan Dell Foundation Grants

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation only accepts unsolicited proposals for specific areas within the education, family economic stability and childhood health sectors in select countries where we work, namely the United States, India and South Africa.

As a guideline, the foundation does not fund more than 25% of a project’s budget or more than 10% of an organization’s total annual operating expenses.

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation has always recognized the power of providing grants to partner organizations that we knew were already working hard to improve the lives of urban children living in poverty. By aligning with organizations that are already making a difference, we continue to make an immediate impact on the lives of thousands of children.

Foundation priorities:

We fund social enterprises that directly serve or impact children or youth from urban low-income communities in the areas of education, health, and family economic stability (including livelihoods and financial inclusion). These social enterprises may be structured as for-profit or nonprofit entities.

Partnerships

We collaborate with a range of organizations focused on creating opportunities for children and families living in urban poverty, with a deep emphasis on measuring impact. Our funding advances projects already making an impact in education, health, and family economic stability. Through these enduring and long-standing partnerships, we create lasting change together.

Philanthropy is our commitment to communities in which we operate and broader society. We focus our resources on a limited number of key projects that can deliver valuable benefits from our contributions and those of our partners. We give priority to innovative, high-quality projects that meet the following criteria:

• promote sustainable development
• offer an opportunity for Roche to use its expertise and logistics capabilities
• involve Roche actively at an early stage with local authorities and established partners
• engage Roche employees in cultural (focus on contemporary arts), educational and social activities
• managed by an accredited charity

Our four focus areas

Humanitarian and Social

We direct the majority of our philanthropic donations to humanitarian and social development projects.

Science and education

We are dedicated to programmes that promote scientific interest and provide educational opportunities for young people around the world.

Community and Environment

We are committed to building stronger communities and responding to natural disasters sustainably.

Arts and Culture

We support groundbreaking contemporary art, cultural projects and activities that explore the parallels between innovation in art and in science. 

The Sidney Stern Memorial Trust is devoted solely to the funding of charitable, scientific, medical and educational organizations.

The Board endeavors to support soundly-managed charitable organizations that give service with a broad scope, have a substantial effect on their target populations, and contribute materially to the general welfare. The Board does not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation or religion.

Social Impact Fund

What We Fund

The Social Impact Funds support community-led transformation by strategically deploying capital to social entrepreneurs who are using their lived experience to tackle three vital social drivers of health.

• Health Care Access & Quality - Overcoming barriers to high-quality, affordable, accessible health care that is age, gender and culturally appropriate.
• Food Security - Increasing access to healthy, affordable food via sustainable farming, mobile markets, food hubs, food as medicine and more.
• Economic Empowerment - Promoting economic health through job creation, skill upleveling, banking access, financial literacy, violence prevention, housing support and more.

We’re looking for organizations that are translating evidence-based science research and clinical know-how into solutions that address health care access and quality, food security, economic empowerment or a combination of these three social drivers of health.

The Social Impact Funds support both for-profit and nonprofit organizations that have less than $10M in revenue and can provide evidence their program is making an impact.

Nationwide Grant

We are looking to fund sustainable and scalable solutions to the underlying social and environmental determinants of health challenges – access to healthcare, food security, and economic empowerment.

Funding

Up to $250,000

We have strong partnerships with nonprofit organizations across the country that are working to advance economic mobility and social progress in low- and moderate-income communities. Our focus areas include basic needs like food and housing, workforce development and education, and community development. In addition to our philanthropic investments, we also encourage our employees to make a difference by offering robust employee giving and volunteering programs, including the opportunity to direct funds to organizations they support through volunteer efforts, and a matching gifts program that doubles their individual giving to causes they care about. Last year, we invested $350 million in the communities we serve, and employees contributed more than 1 million volunteer hours and directed $65 million through individual giving and matching gifts to support nonprofits.Through our regional U.S. sponsorships, we support the economic, social and cultural life of the places we live and work. We provide an extensive program of arts and sports sponsorships to help maintain vibrant, healthy communities.Sponsorships supporting communitiesBank of America welcomes your sponsorship proposal for opportunities that make our communities a better place to live and work. We are particularly interested in providing support to address needs vital to the health of our communities through a focus on:

• preserving neighborhoods;
• educating the workforce for 21st century jobs;
• addressing critical needs such as hunger and emergency shelter;
• arts and culture;
• the environment; and
• diversity and inclusion programs.

Grants are made at the Foundation’s discretion based on our current funding strategies focused on housing, jobs and hunger. 

Our Mission

The Tony Robbins Foundation is a nonprofit organization created to empower individuals and organizations to make a significant difference in the quality of life of people often forgotten.

We’re dedicated to creating positive changes in the lives of youth, seniors, the hungry, homeless and the imprisoned population, all who need a boost envisioning a happier and deeply satisfying way of life. Our passionate staff, generous donors and caring group of international volunteers provide the vision, inspiration, and resources needed to empower these important members of our society.

Grants

Dedicated to meeting challenges within the global community, creating solutions and taking action, The Tony Robbins Foundation provides monetary donations to various organizations around the world. Funding requests are evaluated on an ongoing basis. We look for organizations that align with our mission to empower individuals and organizations to make a significant difference in the quality of life of those often forgotten.

Wells Fargo and the Wells Fargo Foundation collaborate with a wide range of nonprofit organizations that align with our strategic funding priorities. We prioritize our funding to activities and programs that have a broad reach and support the needs of underserved communities. We aspire to have a positive impact on the communities we serve by using our financial and volunteer resources and business expertise in collaboration with community organizations to help solve complex societal problems.

• Financial health
• Housing affordability
• Small business growth
• Sustainability

We may also support other local needs in eligible communities such as disaster relief, arts and culture, civic engagement, education, human and social services, and workforce development. However, opportunities are limited as our intent is to direct the majority of our giving within our major focus areas.

About Us

At Alliance Bank of Arizona, striving to help the vibrant and diverse communities we serve sustain a high quality of life and long-term economic growth is an integral part of our business culture.

To advance economic growth, we believe every community should have access to quality education, safe and affordable housing, job opportunities, transportation and health care. Alliance Bank of Arizona takes great pride in our proactive and consistent lending and investments, grants and  donations to underserved communities, low- and moderate-income individuals, and the nonprofits that serve them.

Nonprofit Assistance

Our commitment to growing the not-for-profit base in our markets is an essential value for our banking divisions. Members of the teams actively support local not-for-profit organizations often serving on multiple boards and committees. Our Community Alliance Program, which features competitive banking products, including checking, Money Market and Analysis accounts, reflects this strong commitment.

In addition to strong lending and investment programs, we make charitable contributions to help 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organizations that provide services and support in low- or moderate-income areas. Among other efforts, our banking divisions work with organizations and programs that provide:

• Affordable housing for low- or moderate-income individuals
• Community services targeted to low- or moderate-income individuals
• Education for low-income and at-risk students
• Economic Development
• Revitalization or stabilization of low- or moderate-income areas
• Cultural and Artistic Enrichment in underserved communities

Background

Established through the Daniel and Barbara Chapman Trust, the Chapman Prize recognizes and honors each year the efforts and achievements of individuals and organizations in the U.S. who make significant contributions to American society.

The award will focus on a different theme each year, selected from the following: Health & Wellness, Arts & Culture, Economic Prosperity, or Educational Success.

2025 Theme: Economic Prosperity

Awarded to a charitable individual or organization that has contributed most significantly to the improvement of economic prosperity in the United States. By way of example, contributions may include creating safe and affordable housing, effective workforce development, social entrepreneurship programs, and/or financial literacy programs to build thriving, sustainable communities.

FundingApproximately $100,000 will be awarded each year.

The Impact Fund awards recoverable grants to legal services nonprofits, private attorneys, and small law firms who seek to confront economic, environmental, racial, and social injustice. Since our founding in 1992, the Impact Fund has made more than 800 recoverable grants totaling more than $10 million for impact litigation. We award grants four times per year, most within the range of US$10,000 to US$50,000.

Social Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants and legal support to assist in human and civil rights cases. We have helped to change dozens of laws and win cases to improve the rights of thousands. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Texas and North Carolina, incarcerated people with mental health disabilities are forced to remain in jail despite being found not guilty and unable to proceed with a criminal trial.
• In Orange County, California there are currently 13 gang injunctions under effect, which disproportionately affect young men of color.
• In Chicago, Illinois, the city’s homeless shelter program is inaccessible to people with disabilities.
• In Springfield, Oregon, the city and its police department used excessive force against Black Lives Matter protesters.
• In West Virginia, the state fails to protect children in foster care from abuse and neglect. 
• In Montana, voter suppression laws disadvantage young adults and give priority to gun owners.
• In Gary, Indiana, a gun manufacturer negligently marketed and distributed its guns, leading to an epidemic of gun violence in the city. 
• In Vancouver, British Columbia, the police perpetuate systemic discrimination against Indigenous people through bureaucratic measures.

Environmental Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants to support local litigation for environmental justice. These grants are for cases aiming to help people or communities who are affected by environmental harm or who lack access to basic environmental needs, such as clean water, clean air, adequate waste treatment, and green spaces. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Centreville, Illinois, the city’s failure to maintain its sewer system has caused raw sewage to flood peoples’ homes, endangering the property and health of a predominantly Black community.
• In Fresno County, California, the California Department of Transportation approved a highway expansion project that would increase air pollution and traffic in one of the state’s most environmentally burdened communities.
• In downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the proposed expansion of a highway would divide the region's Black, Asian, and Latine neighborhoods and cause pollution and ill health.
• In North Dakota, the five-month closure of a highway in response to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests disproportionately affected the livelihoods and health of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe members.
• In Ontario, Canada, mercury contamination of the English-Wabigoon river system causes catastrophic environmental and health impacts for the Grassy Narrows First Nation.
• In Sacramento, California, the county government and Sacramento Area Sewer District violated the Clean Water Act by discharging raw sewage into nearby rivers.
• In the Eastern Coachella Valley in California, 1,900 residents of the Oasis Mobile Home Park suffer from arsenic-laced drinking water, wastewater contamination, and overcharging for utilities.

Economic Justice

The Impact Fund provides financial and other forms of support to cases fighting for economic justice. From workers' rights to consumer protection for vulnerable populations, impact litigation is a powerful tool to hold corporationss and the government accountable. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Brooklyn, New York, a prominent mortgage lender engaged in predatory practices, leaving homeowners of color at risk of losing their homes. 
• In Washington, live-in caregivers are unconstitutionally excluded from the state’s wage-and-hour protections.
• In Ravalli County, Montana, the county has created a “modern-day debtors’ prison” by incarcerating people unable to afford pre-trial fees. 
• In San Diego, California, vehicle ordinances target unhoused vehicle owners even when no adequate housing alternative exists.
• In New York, a federal immigration detention facility is violating minimum wage and forced labor laws by forcing detainees to work for just a dollar a day. 
• In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the city and county destroy the property of unhoused individuals and conduct forced evictions from public spaces. 
• In Miami, Florida, insurance companies discriminate against a nonprofit community development corporation renting to tenants with Section 8 rental subsidies.

Gupta Family Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, USA. Our mission is to support organizations that provide focused intervention in the lives of people who have been disadvantaged in some way to help them become self-reliant. We take a very broad view of “disadvantage” to include anything that holds a person back from realizing their potential, such as poverty, physical or mental disability, social alienation, etc. The foundation also supports relief agencies that serve people affected by emergencies such as natural disasters.

The foundation evaluates and awards annual and multi-year grants ranging from $5,000 to over $250,000 (USD). Our focus is on funding smaller organizations all around the world that are led by individuals with a deep personal commitment to their missions. 

Our selection criteria include:

• Mission alignment
• The organization is run by the founder or, if not, by a successor who embodies the original inspiration, passion and commitment of the founder.
• At least 90% of grant monies reaches the intended beneficiaries.
• The organization is non-sectarian, i.e.,
  • It does not, directly or indirectly, support or condone the proselytization of any religion,
  • It is not supported by or affiliated to a religious organization.

Who We Are

Based in Portland, Oregon and created in 2019 by Dr. Ron Naito, the Ronald W. Naito MD Foundation continues his legacy of healing by supporting nonprofit organizations that strengthen, protect, and transform our communities and our planet.

Our grants support organizations working all over the world to mitigate the climate crisis, reduce health disparities, and build communities that are socially equitable and environmentally sustainable. We also support Oregon-based arts and education initiatives, particularly those focused on under-resourced communities.

Our grants are trust-based. Because we respect the expertise of our nonprofit partners and understand that they know best how to spend their funds, all of our grants are unrestricted.

Current Funding Trends

• Under-represented areas:
  • If you work in these areas and are eligible within our funding priorities and restrictions, please consider applying.
    • Nonprofits that work internationally or domestically outside of Oregon, including regional and national organizations
    • Climate crisis mitigation, especially aggressive efforts to curtail or prevent new greenhouse gas emissions
    • International long-term health equity initiatives and health equity initiatives addressing aging and supporting elders
    • Systemic initiatives and advocacy/policy work in any of our funding priorities
• Over-represented areas:
  • We value these types of work and still seek applications from these categories, but applicants may find these categories slightly more competitive if current trends continue.
    • Arts initiatives
    • Oregon frontline nonprofits across all sectors
    • Frontline services, especially organizations supporting people with mental health or substance use needs and organizations supporting survivors of child abuse and domestic and sexual violence

Funding Area: Sustainable Communities

In Sustainable Communities, we seek to fund organizations that address pressing social issues and support equitable models of infrastructure so that communities can thrive socially, environmentally, and economically.

Sustainable Communities grants often intersect with our Climate and/or Health Equity funding areas, incorporating social justice advocacy, economic initiatives, climate adaptation, and other human rights and environmental justice initiatives that impact health outcomes, lead to healing, and increase communities’ capacity to thrive.

This includes (but isn’t limited to):

• Social justice, civil rights, and anti-hate initiatives that build power, sovereignty, community, and resources for people whose wellness and success are threatened by systemic prejudice or injustice.
• Triple-bottom-line initiatives that help historically-marginalized communities gain access to sustainable economic power and lasting health benefits.
• Environmental justice work that impacts the health and success of historically marginalized communities, and that help communities adapt to the impacts of the climate crisis.

All of these are united by healing — of prejudice and hate, of inequities, and of the many social, economic, and environmental factors that adversely impact people’s health and well-being.

Funding Areas

There is urgent need in our world for healing: healing our planet, healing our communities, and healing ourselves, in body, mind and spirit. Our grants focus on four key areas of healing. 

• Climate
• Health Equity
• Oregon Arts & Culture
• Sustainable Communities

Current Funding Trends

Under-represented areas:

• Nonprofits that work internationally or domestically outside of Oregon, including regional and national organizations
• Climate crisis mitigation, especially aggressive efforts to curtail or prevent new greenhouse gas emissions
• International long-term health equity initiatives
• Health equity initiatives addressing aging and supporting elders
• Systemic initiatives and advocacy/policy work in any of our funding priorities 
• If you work in these areas and are eligible within our funding priorities and restrictions, please consider applying.

Over-represented areas:

• Arts initiatives
• Oregon frontline nonprofits across all sectors
• Frontline services, especially organizations supporting people with mental health or substance use needs and organizations supporting survivors of child abuse and domestic and sexual violence

We value these types of work and still seek applications from these categories, but applicants may find these categories slightly more competitive if current trends continue.

Centene Charitable Foundation

Successful corporate citizenship happens when companies invest in the local organizations that know their communities best. The Centene Foundation works with our local partners on initiatives that focus on inclusion, the whole person and community development.

Vision

Centene’s purpose is transforming the health of the community, one person at a time. The Centene Foundation is an essential part of how we pursue this purpose. We achieve measurable impact for the communities we serve through partnerships and philanthropy efforts that invest in initiatives with holistic approaches to dismantling barriers to health.

Areas of Focus

Reflecting Centene’s commitment to the needs of those who rely on government-sponsored health care and to addressing social determinants of health and health equity, preference will be given to initiatives in three distinct areas of focus.

• Healthcare Access
• Social Services
• Education

Our Mission

Our mission is to continue and further the philanthropic legacy of Gardner Cowles, Jr. and the Cowles family, which includes promotion of education, social justice, health, and the arts.

The Founder

The Cowles Charitable Trust was first established in 1948 by Gardner “Mike” Cowles, Jr. (1903-1985). Born into the Cowles publishing family of Des Moines, Iowa, Mike was the youngest of Gardner Cowles and Florence Call Cowles’ six children. A newspaper editor and publisher by trade, he was committed to his family’s traditions of responsible, public-spirited, and innovative journalism as well as philanthropy. 

The Cowles Charitable Trust supports the arts, education, the advancement of ethical journalism, medical and climate research.

The Foundation is dedicated to providing financial assistance to organizations committed to improving our world. Solutions to the problems of today's world still lie in the values of innovation, practicality, hard work, and compassion.

The Foundation considers applications for grants in the following areas:

• Education
• Social Service
• Health care
• Civic and cultural
• Environmental

The categories above are not intended to limit the interest of the Foundation from considering other worthwhile projects. In general, the Foundation guidelines are broad to give us flexibility in providing grants.

The majority of our grants are made in the U.S. However, like Dr. Scholl, we recognize the need for a global outlook. Non-U.S. grants are given to organizations where directors have knowledge of the grantee.

AARP Community Challenge

The AARP Community Challenge grant program is part of the nationwide AARP Livable Communities initiative that helps communities become great places to live for residents of all ages. The program is intended to help communities make immediate improvements and jump-start long-term progress.

Since the program's debut in 2017, AARP has awarded $20.1 million through over 1,700 grants. Projects have been completed across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Flagship Grant

Flagship AARP Community Challenge grants have ranged from several hundred dollars for smaller, short-term activities to tens of thousands of dollars for larger projects. Since 2017, AARP has funded projects with an average grant amount of $10,000 to $12,000. Nine out of 10 grants (or 92 percent) are for $20,000 or less.

This year, grants will not exceed $25,000. AARP also reserves the right to award compelling projects of any dollar amount.

We are accepting applications for projects that benefit residents — especially those age 50 and older — in the following categories:

• Creating vibrant public places that improve open spaces, parks and access to other amenities.
• Delivering a range of transportation and mobility options that increase connectivity, walkability, bikeability and access to public and private transit
• Supporting a range of housing options that increases the availability of accessible and affordable choices
• Increasing digital connections and enhancing digital literacy skills of residents
• Supporting community resilience through investments that improve disaster management, preparedness and mitigation for residents

Introduction & Purpose

As part of its commitment to building a national Culture of Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) seeks ideas that advance health, equity, and wellbeing. Healthy Eating Research (HER) supports this goal through improving diet quality and nutrition for all Americans, addressing nutrition disparities, and reducing food and nutrition insecurity. HER’s mission is to support and disseminate research on policy, systems, and environmental strategies that promote healthy eating among children and families and advance nutrition security and health equity.

The purpose of this call for proposals (CFP) is to generate evidence on supportive family policies and programs that have strong potential to impact equitable access to nutritious food in communities, nutrition security, diet quality, and improved nutrition and health outcomes. We are especially interested in strategies to improve health outcomes for families with lower incomes and/or racially and ethnically diverse populations experiencing higher rates of diet related chronic disease and/or health disparities. Findings will be used to guide and inform decisionmaking about policy and system changes that can advance nutrition equity and improve health.

Through this CFP, we seek to learn what works (or not) and why; who benefits the most from these policies and programs; and whether disparities are reduced. We are interested in solution oriented research that focuses on policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change at the national, state, local, and tribal levels. The CFP provides opportunities to develop and test innovative approaches to increasing access to healthy foods, such as through child nutrition programs; innovations in technologies; expanding program outreach and eligibility; simplifying program enrollment processes; identifying ways to improve equity within nutrition assistance programs; building the evidence base for these programs’ impacts on diet quality, food insecurity, nutrition, weight, and health; and areas for improvements and scalability.

HER issues CFPs to solicit scientifically rigorous, solution-oriented proposals from investigators representing diverse disciplines and backgrounds.

Targeted Age Groups; Priority Populations

The target population is children (ages birth to 18) and families in the United States, with high priority on those who are at highest risk for poor nutrition, specifically lower income families and racially and ethnically diverse populations (e.g., Black, Latino/a, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander).

Priority Topic Areas

This CFP focuses on five priority topic areas related to supportive family policies and programs to improve nutrition and health:

• Child nutrition programs
  • Child nutrition programs help ensure that children receive nutritious food, including meals and snacks that promote their health, growth, and school success.
  • Through this CFP, there is an opportunity to examine strategies to expand the reach and impact of these programs.
  • Strategies may include:
    • innovations in technologies;
    • expanding program outreach and eligibility;
    • simplifying program enrollment processes;
    • identifying ways to improve equity within nutrition assistance programs;
    • building the evidence base for these programs’ impacts on diet quality, food insecurity, nutrition, weight, and health; and
    • areas for improvements and scalability.
• Food access and hunger relief programs
  • Equitable access to healthy and affordable food in the U.S. is a major public health concern
  • Efforts to promote healthy choices in food banks and food pantries include:
    • the creation and adoption of formal nutrition policies,
    • cultivation of relationships with food donors who can donate healthier products, and
    • investment in capacity to store and display healthier food items
  • This CFP provides opportunities to develop and test innovative approaches to increasing access to healthy foods (including via improving the food retailenvironment); to conduct natural experiments and/or test interventions; and evaluate programs aimed at improving nutrition security and diet quality for children and families, especially among understudied populations.
• Structural inequities impacting access to healthy and affordable foods
  • Structural barriers, such as racism and classism, involve processes by which interconnected political, economic, social, and ideological systems generate and maintain unequal access to opportunities and resources.
  • This CFP would allow community academic partnerships to evaluate community powered initiatives, develop interventions to address root causes of food insecurity or obesity, and co design and test innovative models.
  • There is also a need to better understand the structural inequities and forces that have shaped contemporary food access and food insecurity in low income areas and communities of color and approaches to mitigate these forces.
• Social and economic programs (nonfood policies)
  • Social and economic inequities drive child nutrition disparities.
  • To date, little research has been conducted on the relationships and interconnections between nutrition, weight, and food and nutrition security in families and policies related to poverty reduction, family income supports, economic resources, housing assistance, or other family supportive policies.
  • Some examples of these policies and programs include:
    • financial payments to families;
    • income assistance and support programs;
    • housing assistance or housing security programs; and
    • increased access to social services
  • We are also interested in exploring other supportive family policies (e.g., paid family leave, flexible work schedules, home visiting programs, breastfeeding support) that impact parental and child health and nutrition outcomes.
• Emerging topics
  • This category is intended to allow for exploration of new and emerging public health topics impacting nutrition security, food security, and/or health equity and innovative policies, systems, and environmental strategies to support the optimal health of children and families.
  • Examples of potential topics could include:
    • applying a prevention (rather than clinical) lens to food in medicine initiatives;
    • identifying novel ways to utilize Medicaid or CHIP programs to optimize families’ nutrition and food security;
    • examining the impacts of climate change on food systems and access to healthy foods;
    • examining the implications of new obesity/weight loss drugs for public health and prevention initiatives, especially related to prevention work with adolescents and young children;
    • addressing unique issues impacting the health and wellbeing of rural communities;
    • examining issues related to public health datasets;
    • development of new measures and metrics for measuring progress, and others.

Total Awards

Each award will be up to a maximum of $275,000 with a total of up to $2.5 million to be funded through this CFP. We encourage proposals that request lower budget amounts. Awards will be a maximum of 24 months in duration. We encourage proposals that request shorter periods (e.g., 12-18 months)

Community Partnership Award

The Mutual of America Foundation Community Partnership Award recognizes outstanding nonprofit organizations in the United States that have shown exemplary leadership by facilitating partnerships with public, private or social sector leaders who are working together as equal partners, not as donors and recipients, to build a cohesive community that serves as a model for collaborating with others for the greater good.

Each year, the Mutual of America Foundation sponsors a national competition in which hundreds of organizations demonstrate the value of their partnership to the communities they serve, their ability to be replicated by others and their capacity to stimulate new approaches to addressing significant social issues.

Six organizations are selected by an independent committee to receive the Community Partnership Award.

• The Thomas J. Moran Award is given to the national award-winning program and includes $100,000 and a documentary video about the program.
• The Frances R. Hesselbein Award is given to a partnership that is addressing social challenges in more than one community, or which demonstrates the potential to be replicated in other communities. This recipient receives $75,000.
• Four other organizations are named Honorable Mention recipients for their programs, and each receives $50,000.

Since its inception in 1996, the Community Partnership Award has recognized 262 partnerships from cities and towns across America. Like so many of our clients working in the nonprofit community, Mutual of America is dedicated to having a direct, positive impact on society.

About Cigna

Our Mission

To improve the health and vitality of those we serve.

Our Vision

A better future built on the vitality of every individual and every community.

Improving Veteran Mental Health

Across the United States, veterans face an elevated risk of homelessness relative to the general population. On any given night, an estimated 40,000 veterans go without shelter, and another 1.5 million veterans are considered at-risk of homelessness.1 Research shows that veterans experiencing housing instability are at an increased risk of mental distress disorders.

We seek to collaborate with and support nonprofit organizations that leverage evidence-informed programs and services to help local veterans feel stable where they live and ultimately create positive impact on their mental health. Nonprofit partners must align to at least one of these grant program goals:

• Increase permanent housing available for veterans.
• Improve affordability for housing for veterans through rental or mortgage assistance.
• Enhance the offering of wraparound services for veterans transitioning from shelters.

Our Mission

The Hansen Family Foundation provides opportunities to domestic, international, secular, and non-secular organizations that support the American way of life, which is defined by the principles of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” 

Causes

Children

The Hansen Family Foundation supports causes dedicated to helping children both home as well as abroad. Learn More

Education

The Hansen Family Foundation believes that a decent education should be made available to everyone, young or old, the world over. Learn More

Animals

The Hansen Family Foundation believes in helping those who cannot speak on their own behalf. Learn More

Environmental

The Hansen Family Foundation is dedicated to preserving the world we all share. Learn More

Humanitarian

The Hansen Family Foundation views the plight of our fellow man as an opportunity to actively engage and effect change. Learn More

Arts & Culture

The Hansen Family Foundation supports all forms of artistic and cultural endeavors. Learn More

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Housing Assistance Council (HAC), with To Be Done Studio, are excited to announce the Request for Applications to the Citizens' Institute on Rural Design (CIRD). Rural communities are invited to submit applications to receive design support and technical assistance to host a virtual and on-site local Design Workshop (if local public health guidelines allow) or participate in the Design Learning Cohort.

About CIRD

The Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design (CIRD) is a leadership initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Housing Assistance Council. Focusing on communities with populations of 50,000 or less, CIRD’s goal is to enhance the quality of life and economic viability of rural America through planning, design, and creative placemaking.

CIRD is intended to empower local citizens to capitalize on unique local and regional assets in order to guide the civic development and future design of their own communities. The CIRD program goals include:

• Building design capacity in rural communities to plan comprehensive revitalization strategies;
• Introducing creative placemaking, arts, culture, and design strategies as drivers of economic development in rural America;
• Facilitating a network of rural communities for design idea exchanges and peer learning; and
• Preparing communities to be ready and competitive for arts- and design-related state and federal funding opportunities.

Since 1991, the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design (CIRD) has provided design assistance to more than 100 rural communities in all regions of the United States, empowering residents to leverage local and regional assets in order to guide the civic development and future design of their own communities. 

The CIRD program consists of two different opportunities via a single application:

Opportunity 1) Local Design Workshops

Up to four (4) communities will be selected to participate in an on-site rural Design Workshop. (Based on timing and in accordance with local health guidance, this workshop may be a hybrid virtual and in-person program.) With support from a wide range of design, planning, and creative placemaking professionals, the workshops bring together local residents and local leaders from non-profits, community organizations, and government to develop actionable solutions to a specific design challenge. Examples of potential design challenges include but are not limited to:

• Historic preservation and adaptive reuse of community buildings
• Designing quality affordable housing that supports livable and equitable communities; including housing and other amenities that support young people, families, and/or the elderly and aging in place
• Creating public or civic spaces that support and integrate cultural expression and local identity and/or play and active recreation
• Developing recreational trails for mobility, active transportation, and economic development
• Redesigning Main Street as a local street versus state highway/thruway
• Designing spaces and places that improve access to healthy food and local food systems
• Leveraging Main Street or local businesses for economic development, including branding, wayfinding, façade improvements, and streetscape design
• Integrating cultural identity into the built environment to drive heritage tourism.

Selected communities will receive additional support including customized follow-up support leading up to and after the workshop as well as access to and web-based resources, webinars, and peer learning through the Design Learning Cohort.

Opportunity 2) Design Learning Cohort

Up to fifteen (15) rural communities will be selected to participate in a Design Learning Cohort. Rural community leaders from government, non-profits, local business, and civic organizations are invited to:

• Participate in virtual trainings and sessions on design, planning, community engagement, facilitation and fundraising techniques;
• Connect and exchange design ideas with peers from other rural communities in the cohort
• Receive technical assistance and coaching from experienced design professionals tailored to their particular community design challenge; and
• Receive support in navigating funding opportunities to make their community’s vision a reality;
• Applicant organizations can indicate on their application if they only want to participate in the Design Learning Cohort (and not be considered for the hybrid local Design Workshop opportunity).

Both opportunities within the CIRD program connect rural residents and community leaders with resources and ideas for developing locally driven solutions to community design challenges.

PARTICIPATION BENEFITS 

Local Design Workshop Communities

• Four(4) communities will be selected to do a deep dive into a pressing design challenge that is impacting their community. Each workshop includes:
  • $6,000 stipend to the host community for workshop staff time and related expenses
  • A tailored virtual design process working with a dedicated resource team, including goal setting, and online sessions with design experts to assist with project visioning and advancement toward implementation
  • Potential site visit from a local/regional designer, if local public health guidelines allow.
  • A Design Book and action plan following the workshop, with project-specific design and planning recommendations, created by the CIRD resource team
  • Ongoing technical assistance related to project 
  • Design Workshop communities will have access to all events and opportunities offered to the Design Learning Cohort.

Design Learning Cohort

Up to 15 communities from the applicant pool will be invited to participate in the Design Learning Cohort. The opportunity allows up to four (4) leaders from each selected community to participate in virtual training in design, planning, community engagement, and facilitation techniques; engage with peers from rural communities; and receive support in navigating funding opportunities to make their vision a reality. The Design Learning Cohort opportunity includes roughly a dozen engagements, specifically:

• A series of online learning sessions led by nationally recognized field experts, tailored to engage cohort members and activate peer learning
• A series of public webinars and private breakout sessions that connect cohort members to design experts
• Technical assistance through office hours, one-on-one coaching, optional in-person convenings, and online resources
• Additional opportunities to socialize and share best practices and experiences with rural peers from around the country.