Upcoming Webinar
Instrumentl Fall Launch: Grant Work, Leveled Up.
Thu, Oct 29
or
Wed, Nov 4
@ 2PM ET
Looking for grants for 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations working in Columbus County? Find the perfect grant for your nonprofit on Instrumentl.
9,000+
Available grants
$3.85B
Total funding
$5K
Median grant
Skip the search. Get matched with grants that fit your non-profit.
Smart recommendations based on your profile — in minutes.
About
Founded in 1971, the Mensa Foundation was established by members of American Mensa to extend the organization’s impact. While connected by a shared purpose, the Foundation operates independently, guided by its own Board of Trustees, strategic plan, and initiatives.
Grants & Fellowships
Early Career Mini-Grant
The Mensa Foundation empowers emerging researchers through its Early Career Mini-Grant program.
Designed to support post-doctoral researchers and early career faculty, this grant funds innovative studies that advance our understanding of intelligence, creativity, gifted education, and related fields.
Details
The Early Career Mini-Grant provides $2,500 to support post-doctoral researchers and faculty within five years of completing their doctoral degree. This grant is intended to promote groundbreaking studies that advance our understanding of intelligence and its applications in education and beyond.
Grant Components
About
Founded in 1971, the Mensa Foundation was established by members of American Mensa to extend the organization’s impact. While connected by a shared purpose, the Foundation operates independently, guided by its own Board of Trustees, strategic plan, and initiatives.
Awards
Cooper Black Award for Creativity
The Copper Black Award for Creative Achievement honors Mensa members whose innovative solutions and practical creativity have brought meaningful benefits to the world.
Details
The Copper Black Award annually recognizes Mensa International members who have demonstrated a specific creative achievement with practical value. This award honors innovations that have been implemented, at least in part, to benefit others.
Award Components
PetSmart Charities
We’re proud to celebrate over 30 years of being the leading funder of animal welfare in communities across North America. Since 1994, we’ve granted over $600 million to change-making organizations that help transform the lives of pets and those who love them.
Our Mission: We make the world a better place for pets by investing in community partners that advocate and care for the well-being of pets and all who love them.
Adoption Growth Grants
Purpose
Adoption Growth grants drive lifesaving outcomes by supporting successful, sustainable in-store adoption programs, events, and results in partnership with PetSmart stores.
Funding Support
Funding may be used for costs associated with building or enhancing your organization’s adoption program in partnership with PetSmart stores, including:
There are two Cohorts under this funding: Cohort 1- Accelerating in-store adoptions; and Cohort 2: Capacity Building.
Cohort 1- Accelerating in-store Adoptions
Applicants must have completed 500 or more adoptions in a PetSmart store in the U.S. within the last 12 months.
Preference will be given to organizations that demonstrate a clear plan to expand an existing in-store adoption program or introduce new in-store adoption models that will increase adoptions.
Four Required Steps
Applicants must complete all four required steps below before submitting a grant application:
Friends of NRA
Friends of NRA is the National Rifle Association’s premier fundraising program, supporting the future of shooting sports. Since day one, Friends of NRA has been a 100% grassroots effort fueled by a united front to secure the Second Amendment and raise money for the shooting sports.
Committee volunteers are appointed to State Fund Committees to make recommendations for local grant funding in areas such as youth education, women-focused clinics, law enforcement training, hunter safety, range improvement, firearms and marksmanship training and safety. Recognizing the impact American youth has on the future of the shooting sports, State Fund Committees frequently recommend grants for youth programs, allocating the most significant portion of monies to this vital area.
Grant awards fund activities and support programs in the United States to promote firearms and hunting safety, to enhance marksmanship skills of those in the shooting sports, and to educate the public about firearms in their historic, technological and artistic context.
Friends of NRA: Capital Improvement Grants
Any request to support a project that seeks to improve a facility is considered a capital improvement. This includes, but is not limited to:
The Grant Program considers requests for certain trap machines to be a capital improvement to the facility. Specifically, requests for commercial grade trap machines that have a capacity of 300 clays and up.
PetSmart Charities
We’re proud to celebrate over 30 years of being the leading funder of animal welfare in communities across North America. Since 1994, we’ve granted over $600 million to change-making organizations that help transform the lives of pets and those who love them.
Our Mission: We make the world a better place for pets by investing in community partners that advocate and care for the well-being of pets and all who love them.
Adoption Growth Grants
Purpose
Adoption Growth grants drive lifesaving outcomes by supporting successful, sustainable in-store adoption programs, events, and results in partnership with PetSmart stores.
Funding Support
Funding may be used for costs associated with building or enhancing your organization’s adoption program in partnership with PetSmart stores, including:
There are two Cohorts under this funding: Cohort 1- Accelerating in-store adoptions; and Cohort 2: Capacity Building.
Cohort 2: Capacity Building
Applicants must have completed at least one adoption in a PetSmart store within the last 12 months.
Preference will be given to organizations seeking to build a consistent, sustainable in-store adoption program. Applications should include a clear plan, with examples, for sustaining the program over time.
Four Required Steps
Applicants must complete all four required steps below before submitting a grant application:
About Us
For over three decades, the Hamilton Education Foundation (HEF) has been sparking innovation and expanding horizons within our classrooms. Since 1991, this community-powered non-profit has channeled more than $2.5 million from passionate individuals, local businesses, and forward-thinking organizations directly into the hands of Hamilton’s students and teachers.
By funding transformative workshops, creative projects, and classroom grants, HEF doesn't just support education—it inspires students to dream bigger, rewards academic excellence, and builds a stronger, more vibrant community.
Our Vision
The vision of the Hamilton Education Foundation is to assist in achieving creative and academic excellence for the 21st Century through funding activities and projects for students and educators in the Hamilton School District.
Our Mission
Our mission, in partnership with the community, is to fund, Enhanced, Extended, and Enriched learning opportunities for students and educators in the Hamilton School District.
Teacher Grants
Educator Enrichment Grant
The Educator Enrichment Grant funds teacher participation in off-campus professional development, including seminars, workshops, conferences, and externships.
About Us
For over three decades, the Hamilton Education Foundation (HEF) has been sparking innovation and expanding horizons within our classrooms. Since 1991, this community-powered non-profit has channeled more than $2.5 million from passionate individuals, local businesses, and forward-thinking organizations directly into the hands of Hamilton’s students and teachers.
By funding transformative workshops, creative projects, and classroom grants, HEF doesn't just support education—it inspires students to dream bigger, rewards academic excellence, and builds a stronger, more vibrant community.
Our Vision
The vision of the Hamilton Education Foundation is to assist in achieving creative and academic excellence for the 21st Century through funding activities and projects for students and educators in the Hamilton School District.
Our Mission
Our mission, in partnership with the community, is to fund, Enhanced, Extended, and Enriched learning opportunities for students and educators in the Hamilton School District.
Student Grants
Evaluation Factors
Applications are reviewed based on:
The AACR June L. Biedler Prize for Cancer Journalism
Prize Summary
The AACR June L. Biedler Prize for Cancer Journalism was established by the AACR in 2015 to raise awareness of the critical role that the media play in educating the public about cancer and cancer research.
Funded by a major bequest to the AACR from cancer research pioneer Dr. June L. Biedler, a scientist, mentor, and former member of the AACR Board of Directors, this prize showcases outstanding examples of cancer journalism and recognizes individual professional journalists who have produced accurate, informative, and compelling stories that enhance the public’s understanding of cancer, cancer research, cancer advocacy, or cancer policy.
The prize provides an unrestricted cash award of $5,000 and a commemorative award.
Categories
Each submission may be considered for only one category, as selected by the candidate on the application form.
Applicants may submit in any of the following categories:
Prize Acceptance
Awardees will be able to accept the prize during the AACR Annual Meeting 2027 in Orlando, April 2-7, 2027.
Edward E. Ford Foundation
The Edward E. Ford Foundation seeks to improve secondary education by supporting U.S. independent schools and encouraging promising practices.
Traditional Grant for Associations
These grants are made in response to requests that can range from $25,000 to $100,000 and that must be matched by additional funds raised by the association at least 1:1.
Associations seeking placement on a Traditional Grant Agenda should be prepared to specify the anticipated dollar value of their proposal when they request placement. This can be months in advance of the date the final version of the proposal will be due, depending on the length of the queue.
Traditional Grants are awarded based on the quality of the proposal and other considerations in terms of the association’s operation, but it does not identify certain areas of independent school work as favored. That is, you can seek guidance as to what sort of proposals have been funded in the past but association should identify their own greatest institutional need that they think the Foundation can help address.
Step-by-Step Process
American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation
The AAFP Foundation focuses on improving health for everyone, and your support makes an immediate impact on the good work we do—from leadership development and education scholarships to funding social and health care services.
The AAFP Foundation strives to create a sense of belonging through an inclusive environment that embraces the family medicine community by recognizing individual uniqueness and contributions to family medicine.
Richard D. Feldman, M.D. Student and Resident Essay Contest
Each year, the Center for the History of Family Medicine (CHFM) sponsors a contest to encourage medical students and family medicine residents to write scholarly essays relevant to the history of family medicine in the United States. The first-place winner will receive $2,000 and the second-place winner will receive a $1,000 award.
We encourage all to apply and are committed to developing scholarly essays relevant to the history of Family Medicine in the United States by medical students and residents who reflect the rich diversity of the specialty and the patients served.
American Brain Foundation
The American Brain Foundation funds research across the spectrum of the brain and nervous system, because it is our best hope for improving treatments, advancing prevention strategies, and discovering cures. Brain diseases, disorders, and injuries are interconnected. When we cure one, we will cure many.
Next Generation Research Grants
The American Brain Foundation’s Next Generation Research Grants (NGRGs) support early career investigators conducting high-quality research aimed at better understanding, treating, and curing brain diseases. These grants are offered in collaboration with disease-focused partner organizations and reflect ABF’s Cure One, Cure Many research philosophy: the belief that breakthroughs in one area of research accelerate progress across many others.
McKnight Clinical Translational Research Scholarship in Cognitive Aging and Age-Related Memory Loss
This award aims to support young investigators in clinical studies relevant to age-related cognitive decline and memory loss. The award also recognizes the importance of rigorous training in clinical research and encourages young investigators to seek opportunities to establish future careers in the area of human cognitive aging.
Please Note: The focus should NOT be on a neurodegenerative dementia (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease); however, proposals that focus on the combined study of cognitive aging and neurodegenerative cognitive changes may be considered.
For the purpose of this scholarship, research is defined as patient-oriented research conducted with human participants, or translational research specifically designed to develop treatments or enhance identification of age-related cognitive decline and memory changes. These may include epidemiologic or behavioral studies, clinical trials, studies of disease mechanisms, the development of new technologies, and health outcomes research. Disease-related studies not directly involving humans are also encouraged if the primary goal is the development of therapies, diagnostic tests, or tools to mitigate age-related cognitive decline and memory loss.
American Brain Foundation
The American Brain Foundation funds research across the spectrum of the brain and nervous system, because it is our best hope for improving treatments, advancing prevention strategies, and discovering cures. Brain diseases, disorders, and injuries are interconnected. When we cure one, we will cure many.
Next Generation Research Grants
The American Brain Foundation’s Next Generation Research Grants (NGRGs) support early career investigators conducting high-quality research aimed at better understanding, treating, and curing brain diseases. These grants are offered in collaboration with disease-focused partner organizations and reflect ABF’s Cure One, Cure Many research philosophy: the belief that breakthroughs in one area of research accelerate progress across many others.
Lawrence M. Brass, MD Clinical Research Training Scholarship in Stroke
This award aims to recognize the importance of good clinical research and to encourage early career investigators in clinical studies related to stroke, vascular neurology, and neurocritical care.
For the purpose of this scholarship, research is defined as “patient-oriented research conducted with human participants, or translational research specifically designed to develop treatments or enhance diagnosis of neurological disease. These areas of research include epidemiologic or behavioral studies, clinical trials, studies of disease mechanisms, the development of new technologies, and health services and outcomes research.” Disease-related studies not directly involving humans or human tissue are also encouraged if the primary goal is the development of therapies, diagnostic tests, or other tools to prevent or mitigate neurological diseases.
About
Building a community of journalists committed to better health care reporting.
We believe accurate, contextual and balanced health care reporting is more important than ever.
People depend on health care stories to make life-altering decisions every day.
AHCJ International Health Study Fellowships
A fellowship for experienced journalists with a focus on international health.
In comparing the U.S. health care system to its global counterparts, journalists traveling to different countries as part of the AHCJ International Fellowship program can produce projects that provide valuable insights that can help inform policy decisions, improve health care outcomes and contribute to the ongoing evolution of health care systems worldwide.
Through the AHCJ International Health Study Fellowships, supported by The Commonwealth Fund, you can pursue a story or project comparing a facet of the U.S. health care system to that of another country.
For 2027, the focus will be on the U.K. and France in comparison with the U.S. health care system. You’ll pursue the projects with the support of your newsrooms or arranged outlets, which commit to publish or air the work.
This fellowship allows highly experienced journalists to maintain their regular employment while working to evaluate a key component of the health care system, a health outcome, access, performance, providers, efficiency or other focal point over a six-month period.
That period allows for preparatory time, a site visit to the chosen European country, interviews and information gathering, as well as follow-up and writing time. Guidance is provided through seminars, conference calls and consultations with AHCJ fellowship leaders, a mentor and exposure to various topic experts.
About
Building a community of journalists committed to better health care reporting.
We believe accurate, contextual and balanced health care reporting is more important than ever.
People depend on health care stories to make life-altering decisions every day.
AHCJ U.S. Health System Reporting Fellowship
This opportunity is for U.S.-based journalists.
Issues with the U.S. health care system are often obvious — from large swaths of uninsured residents and junk insurance plans, to high maternal mortality rates and preventable medical errors. But what is at the root of issues like these? What could an equitable health care system look like?
Through the U.S. Health System Reporting Fellowship, supported by The Commonwealth Fund, you can pursue a significant reporting project related to the U.S. health care system at the local, regional and/or national level.
This fellowship allows mid-career journalists to maintain their regular employment while working on a major project over a 12-month calendar year. You’ll pursue the projects with the support of your newsrooms or arranged outlets, which commit to publish or air the work.
We believe that issues of health equity impact every facet of the health care system, which is why we’re specifically interested in projects focused on health equity. This might include racial disparities within a community, gaps in public health inclusion, unstable housing, insurance access, food insecurity, violence as a health issue, how health care institutions or systems are applying a racial equity lens to their policies and practices or otherwise addressing inequities or disparities, or other examinations of systemic problems that have become so apparent over the last few years.
Guidance is provided by AHCJ mentors through customized seminars on health care systems, conference calls and email consultations. The fellowship covers the cost of attending the seminars and the annual AHCJ conference, as well as a $2,500 project allowance to defray the cost of field reporting, health data analysis and other project-related research. In addition, you will receive a $5,000 fellowship award upon the successful completion of the project.
Looking for Columbus County grants for nonprofits?
Read more about each grant below or start your 14-day free trial to see all Columbus County grants recommended for your specific programs.
What's the typical amount funded for North Carolina?
Grants are most commonly $131,121.
What's the total number of grants in Columbus County Grants for Nonprofits year over year?
In 2024, funders in North Carolina awarded a total of 70,602 grants.
Among all the Columbus County Grants for Nonprofits given out in North Carolina, the most popular focus areas that receive funding are Education, Human Services, and Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations.
1. Education
2. Human Services
3. Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations
How is funding for Columbus County Grants for Nonprofits changing over time?
Funding has increased by 15.49%.
How does grant funding vary by county?
Durham County, Orange County, and Mecklenburg County receive the most funding.
| County | Total Grant Funding in 2024 |
|---|---|
| Durham County | $2,942,551,198 |
| Orange County | $2,549,339,233 |
| Mecklenburg County | $1,468,677,341 |
| Wake County | $1,122,908,782 |
| Buncombe County | $444,853,701 |