Best Benson County Grants for Nonprofits in North Dakota

North Dakota Council on the Arts

North Dakota Council on the Arts (NDCA) is a service and program agency of the state, established in 1967 by State Legislature “to ensure that the role of the arts in the life of our communities will continue to grow and will play an evermore significant part in the welfare and educational experience of our citizens.” Our purpose is to bring that commitment to life. NDCA operates with an annual budget of over $2 million through the support of the National Endowment for the Arts and an appropriation from the North Dakota State Legislature. The majority of NDCA’s budget is awarded to organizations and individuals through various grant programs.

We strengthen the creative capacity of North Dakota for all who live and visit here, honoring our cultural traditions, empowering excellence and innovation, inspiring arts and culture opportunities for all.

Institutional Support Grant Program

Institutional Support (IS) is a three-year grant program that provides general operating support for arts nonprofits with an established record of high-quality programmatic service and administrative stability. This includes arts organizations that produce, present, or exhibit works of art, artist service organizations, art councils, and community art schools, as well as cultural arts organizations.

Grand Traverse Regional Community FoundationThe Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation began in 1992 when a group of community champions came together around a vision to give back to our region then, now, and forever.

This vision lives on within our organization today as we support the people and places of Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau Counties and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians.

Together with our partners, we spark positive change for a variety of local causes, including youth, arts and culture, education, environment, and health and human services, across our region.Home Builders' Association of the GT Area Scholarship Endowment (Regional)Available to residents from Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska or Leelanau Counties who are pursuing continuing education related to the home building industry.

The Benzie Central Legacy Scholarship Endowment, established by the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation, supports graduating seniors from Benzie County Central Schools pursuing postsecondary education. This scholarship emphasizes character, citizenship, and community service, while financial need and academic achievement are considered secondary. It aims to empower students to achieve their educational goals, fostering a spirit of giving back to the community that nurtured them.

The AAUW- TC Minnie Votruba Moore Scholarship Endowment, managed by the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation, supports women in the Grand Traverse Region seeking to enhance their educational credentials. Eligible applicants must have completed at least two years of college and be enrolled in a minimum of nine credit hours per term in an accredited program. This scholarship empowers local women to achieve their personal and career goals through education.

Brad Keselowskis Checkered Flag Foundation (BKCFF)

Brad Keselowski is a co-owner of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, where he drives the #6 Ford Mustang full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. Off-track, Brad is the sole owner and founder of Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing as well as Brad Keselowskis Checkered Flag Foundation's president and founder. 

In 2009, Brad visited Walter Reed Medical Center, where he became inspired to give back to the men and women that answered the call to serve our country and were injured in the line of duty. Consequently, he founded BKCFF in 2010 with the mission to honor and assist those who serve. Since its founding, BKCFF has raised upright of $3.8 million to serve this mission.  

Brad Keselowskis Checkered Flag Foundation Grant Program

BKCFF was established to support those who are suffering financial, medical, or other hardship resulting from service to the United States or communities within. Funding decisions are made through an equitable and comprehensive application process, with financial support directed to 501(c)(3) public charities that provide services to our target constituents.

The purpose of the grant program is to empower and give hope to our nation’s heroes: military professionals, veterans, first responders, and others who provide courageous service and sacrifice. BKCFF requires all organizations seeking a grant to complete a comprehensive application, which is available on the Foundation’s website or can be requested by contacting the Foundation directly.  

Grand Traverse Regional Community FoundationThe Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation began in 1992 when a group of community champions came together around a vision to give back to our region then, now, and forever.

This vision lives on within our organization today as we support the people and places of Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau Counties and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians.

Together with our partners, we spark positive change for a variety of local causes, including youth, arts and culture, education, environment, and health and human services, across our region.Giving JAR Scholarship FundAvailable to graduating seniors from Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska or Leelanau Counties that are planning to attend college with a goal of becoming teachers, coaches or other vocations ultimately giving back to youth within the communities they choose to live in. Financial need, academic performance, and community service involvement will be considered.

Michael L. Hamaker Memorial Scholarship

A scholarship awarded to a graduating senior or previous graduate from Marshall, Olivet or the surrounding area seeking a career in engineering, manufacturing or industrial technologies with programs such as, but not limited to, architecture, construction, drafting, electronics, welding and/or other related technologies. Applicants must demonstrate financial need. GPA is not a qualifying factor; however, transcripts and test scores are requested. Students who receive this scholarship are encouraged to apply for further support in subsequent years.

Merrily Jane Lloyd Memorial Scholarship

A scholarship awarded to a graduating senior residing in the greater Albion area with plans to attend a two- or four-year institution as a full-time student. Concord, Homer, Marshall, Marshall Opportunity, Marshall Academy, and Springport High Schools may each nominate one student whom demonstrates the characteristics that Merrily embodied: dignity, class, grace, compassion and selflessness. The committee will then select a recipient from this pool of nominees. Financial need and involvement in co- and extra-curricular activities such as, but not limited to, employment and student organizations, may be determining factors. Personal interview with the committee may be requested.

Mission: To continually improve the Marion Area community through philanthropy, leadership and civic engagement. Marion Elks Lodge No. 32 ScholarshipThe Benevolent & Protective Order of the Elks is a fraternal service organization with more than 600 members in Marion. The Marion Lodge, the second in Ohio, was instituted in 1885 and recognizes former U.S. President Warren G. Harding as a member.

The Elks Scholarship at Marion Community Foundation was established in 2004 and grows annually with regular contributions from Lodge members. It makes awards to students from Marion and contiguous counties who are in the upper 40th percentile of their graduating class and maintain a GPA of 2.5 or better. Recipients are determined based on an essay which demonstrates their understanding of the ideals and mission of the Benevolent & Protective Order of the Elks and a commitment to the social values embodied by members of the Elks.

Marion Community FoundationMarion Community Foundation is the area’s leading philanthropic organization, providing charitable donors the opportunity to easily create endowment funds to benefit and support our community through grants and scholarships. We serve communities throughout Marion County through philanthropy, leadership, and civic engagement.

Mission: To continually improve the Marion Area community through philanthropy, leadership and civic engagement. Tasha Jones Memorial ScholarshipThe Tasha Jones Memorial Scholarship Fund was created in 2020 to honor the young life of Tasha Jones (1985-2020), a long-time and faithful employee of Edgefield Animal Care Center in Marion. The Tasha Jones Memorial Scholarship, created by her colleagues at Edgefield Animal Care Center, supports students pursuing a career in animal science, veterinary medicine, veterinary technician, or veterinary technology, who will be grateful, happy, and hardworking and pursue a goal of making life better for the animals and people they meet every day.

Mission: To continually improve the Marion Area community through philanthropy, leadership and civic engagement. Kannan Family ScholarshipThe Kannan Family Scholarship is open to students from any high school in Marion County, with preference to seniors or graduates of Pleasant High School where the Kannan’s children attended. Their scholarship supports students pursuing a career in a STEM field – science, technology, engineering, or mathematics – or health care and special consideration will be given to those with demonstrated financial need.

Marion Community Foundation is the area’s leading philanthropic organization, providing charitable donors the opportunity to easily create endowment funds to benefit and support our community through grants and scholarships. We serve communities throughout Marion County through philanthropy, leadership, and civic engagement.

Mission: To continually improve the Marion Area community through philanthropy, leadership and civic engagement. Kaufman Family Memorial ScholarshipThe Kaufman Family Memorial Scholarship Fund was created in 2019 to honor the adventurous spirit of Martin T. Kaufman II. 

Mission: To continually improve the Marion Area community through philanthropy, leadership and civic engagement. Harris ScholarshipThe Harris Scholarship Fund was created in 2017 by the LaRue United Methodist Church to honor the generosity of the late Everett and Elvida Harris and to support students active with the church.In addition to being a current and active member of the LaRue Methodist Church, recipients of the Harris Scholarship will be a high school senior, graduate, or candidate for graduation from any high school in Marion County with a GPA of 2.0 or greater.

About Us

Overview

The Alaska Community Foundation connects people who care to the causes that make a difference and matter most to them. We encourage and nurture philanthropy through building and managing permanent endowments, convening stakeholders, working with partners to strengthen Alaskan communities, and providing donors with flexible giving options that are strategic to their philanthropic objectives.

Mission

Inspiring the spirit of giving and connecting people, organizations, and causes to strengthen Alaska’s communities now and forever.

Vision

ACF envisions an Alaska where communities come together and have resources to thrive.

Holly Dick Scholarship Fund for California Students

A scholarship fund in support of post-high school education including vocational training that will provide a future career. This scholarship fund was created by Holly Dick who learned from her own life experiences how education can change lives.

Holly WaiHung Dick left mainland China with her family in 1947 for a better life in Hong Kong. Her life experiences taught her that education changes lives. After completing school in China, Holly was hired by Japan Airlines, where she met her future husband, an American, Mike Dick. Holly and Mike lived in Anchorage, where they loved to fish and enjoy friends, family, and their Alaskan life. Holly loved to help others along their path in life. She volunteered as a translator for immigrants and helped children in daycare settings.

Mission: To continually improve the Marion Area community through philanthropy, leadership and civic engagement. Gladys & Everett Granger Memorial ScholarshipThe Granger Scholarship is a faith-based award and is given annually to college students from the Marion area. Special consideration is given to applicants who are members of Trinity Baptist Church, St. Mary Catholic Church, or employees of an assisted living facility located in Marion County. The Granger Fund was created in 2012 by the couple’s children, B.J. Granger, Margaret Vogel and Judith Granger. 

Mission: To continually improve the Marion Area community through philanthropy, leadership and civic engagement. Eula M. Rhoads ScholarshipThe Eula M. Rhoads Scholarship Fund makes awards to Marion area high school seniors in the top 25 percent of their graduating class and graduates who maintain a college GPA of 3.0 or better. Special consideration is given to those pursuing a degree in pharmacy or veterinary medicine at an Ohio college.

Mission: To continually improve the Marion Area community through philanthropy, leadership and civic engagement. Eugene & Cecilia Reszczynski ScholarshipThe Reszczynski Scholarship, created in 2002, is one of the oldest at Marion Community Foundation. It makes awards each year to students who score in the top 50th percentile of the ACT or SAT and have attended a high school in Marion County for two or more years. This scholarship honors the late Eugene and Cecilia Reszczynski and their passion for helping others. 

The Cushing Scholarship was created in 2014. According to Marsha, “We are not as interested in a student’s financial status as we are on how they look at life.”

Mission: To continually improve the Marion Area community through philanthropy, leadership and civic engagement. Rocco Nicolosi Memorial ScholarshipIndividuals selected for the Nicolosi Scholarship must have attended a high school located in Marion County throughout his or her entire high school experience and have ranked in the upper 25th percentile of his or her high school senior class.To preserve Rocco’s memory and discourage future tragedies, applicants must write an essay on the topic of “Why Young People in Marion Need to be Drug, Alcohol, and Substance Free.”

Marion Community Foundation

Since 1998, area residents have been turning to Marion Community Foundation to make their philanthropic giving as effective as possible. We are a public charity serving thousands of people who share a common concern … improving the quality of life in Marion County. We use distributions from the more than 500 charitable funds — created by generous, local donors — to award more than $2.5 million in grants and scholarships each year to many of the humanitarian, educational and cultural organizations in this remarkable community we call home.

Marion Community Foundation is the area’s leading philanthropic organization, providing charitable donors the opportunity to easily create endowment funds to benefit and support our community through grants and scholarships. We serve communities throughout Marion County through philanthropy, leadership, and civic engagement.

Collier Scholarship

The Collier Scholarship Fund was established in 2016 by Dr. Wayne Collier to honor the memory of his parents, Herbert & Freida Collier. He is an optometrist and noted community philanthropist in Bucyrus, Ohio, having been named the community’s 2015 Citizen of the Year.

The Collier Scholarship supports promising students and graduates of high schools in Crawford County—Bucyrus, Wynford, Colonel Crawford, and Buckeye Central—where he now lives, as well as his alma mater, Bellevue Senior High in Bellevue, Ohio. Special consideration is given to applicants who participated in music programs in high school or college.

About Marion Community Foundation

Since 1998, area residents have been turning to Marion Community Foundation to make their philanthropic giving as effective as possible. We are a public charity serving thousands of people who share a common concern … improving the quality of life in Marion County.

Individuals, families, businesses and organizations create permanent charitable funds that help our community meet its needs and challenges. The Foundation invests and administers these funds.

Marion Academy of Medicine Scholarship

The Marion Academy of Medicine Scholarship was created by physicians of the local medical community in 2008. While the Academy dissolved in 2014, it had existed for decades as an educational organization comprised of physicians in Marion County. Through this fund, its support of future medical students will continue in perpetuity.

Assets from this former organization were donated to create this scholarship at Marion Community Foundation and support the education of local students pursuing degrees and careers in osteopathic medicine. Recipients will be graduates of any high school in Marion County and maintain a college GPA of 3.0 or greater.

Kids’ Chance of Nevada

Kids’ Chance of Nevada, in collaboration with Kids’ Chance of America, was established for the purpose of creating, assisting, and supporting programs that provide educational opportunities and scholarships for the children of injured workers in Nevada who have been seriously injured or who have suffered from a fatality as a result of an on-the-job incident.

Kids' Chance of Nevada Scholarship

Kids’ Chance of Nevada scholarships are for children of workers who have been killed, seriously injured, or experienced a debilitating illness in a work-related incident. Scholarships are awarded once a year and students may apply every year for which they are eligible. Current annual scholarships are determined based on the student’s financial need.

Students between the ages of 16-25 whose parent’s on-the-job death or injury resulted in a substantial decline in family income are eligible to apply. The applicant must meet adequate academic standards set by the selection committee. Scholarships may be used to pay for technical school or undergraduate college tuition, books, housing, meals or transportation.