Search Through Community Development Grants in Indiana in the U.S.

Mission Statement

Alphawood Foundation is a Chicago-based, grant-making private foundation working for an equitable, just, and humane society. Each year we award grants to organizations, primarily in the areas of advocacy, architecture and preservation, the arts and arts education, promotion and protection of the rights of LGBT persons and people living with HIV/AIDS, and other human and civil rights.

Areas of Interest

Funding is focused in the following areas:

Arts Empowerment

Alphawood Foundation Chicago funds organizations using the arts as a way of overcoming barriers to access and advancement; and those empowering communities through artistic development and expression.     

LGBTQ+ Health and HIV Prevention

Alphawood Foundation Chicago funds organizations expanding and improving LGBTQ+ affirming health care and those working to treat and prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDS.

LGBTQ+ Rights and Education

Alphawood Foundation Chicago funds organizations working to secure the rights and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities; and organizations enhancing the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community.  

Empowering Communities of Color

Alphawood Foundation Chicago funds organizations founded by, for, and with communities of color using effective mechanisms—including advocacy, organizing, and the arts—to lift up and empower traditionally marginalized groups.  

Legal Services & Advocacy 

Alphawood Foundation Chicago funds legal services organizations working to provide access to justice, alleviate poverty, expand the rights of immigrants, and promote social change; and organizations whose advocacy activities advance responsive and accountable policies and institutions.

Preserving the Built Environment

Alphawood Foundation Chicago funds organizations whose primary mission honors, promotes, and sustains the built environment, including those promoting the preservation and protection of historic resources through advocacy, education, fund raising, and/or stewardship.  

General Interest

Alphawood Foundation Chicago values a safe, just, and equitable society; equal access and opportunity; healthy and sustainable communities; and a vibrant creative arts sector. Our funding supports organizations furthering these values.  

Our General Interest funding includes support for an extensive Southeast Asian art history program at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, including scholarship funding for over 100 students from Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia to pursue diploma studies and masters degrees at SOAS.    

Archaeology 

Alphawood Foundation Chicago supports Maya archeological research with a primary focus on fieldwork in Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico.

About Us

Our Mission

The mission of The Auto Club Group Foundation is to work on behalf of our members and the communities we serve to create lasting solutions, inspire learning and provide funding in the areas of traffic safety, driver education and financial literacy.

Our History

In 1902, nine motor clubs across the country joined together to form the American Automobile Association (AAA) to protect the rights and interests of automobile users and promote better highway and traffic safety. Today, The Auto Club Group Foundation continues to support those interests by investing in traffic safety, driver education and financial literacy initiatives. The Auto Club Group Foundation which is a private Foundation, represents 14 states and 2 U.S territories, and is an integral part of AAA's evolution and success.

How We Work

Our approach to grant funding comes from a very basic principle which is to have an understanding of the goals and objectives of local communities. Our relationships, which have developed from years of community service, allow us to offer support in a more impactful and meaningful way.

The Auto Club Group Foundation, which is a private foundation, is funded by our sponsoring organization, AAA – The Auto Club Group. We award grants to organizations and initiatives that enhance our mission in the areas of Traffic Safety, Driver Education and Financial Literacy throughout our 14 U.S. states and two U.S. territories.

Priority Areas

Traffic Safety

The Auto Club Group Foundation is dedicated to supporting traffic safety programs and initiatives that make our roadways safer for all users. The ACG Foundation strives to be responsive to emerging traffic safety issues by considering grant applications that are forward thinking and address new technology.

Financial Literacy

The Auto Club Group Foundation supports financial literacy programming in grades K – 12, empowering students with the tools they need to make sound financial decisions.

Driver Education 

The Auto Club Group Foundation wants to ensure everyone has access to quality driver education by supporting scholarships and programming needs in underserved communities.

Background

The Foundation was established in 1985 by fourth-generation Cincinnati businessman and philanthropist Charles H. Dater (1912-1993) to ensure that funding for worthwhile community programs that enrich the lives of children would continue after his death as well as to preserve the memory of the Dater family name.

Charles Dater was the great-grandson of Adam Dater and the grandson of Gilbert Dater. His father Charles Henry Dater died when Charles was only 17 years old, and he was thrust into helping his mother with management of the family's holdings at an early age. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati and earned his M.B.A. at Harvard University. When his mother died, his full-time focus became the family's investments and residential land development in Western Hills. He lived modestly throughout his lifetime and wanted no recognition for his philanthropy.

Grantmaking Focus

The Foundation makes grants for programs that benefit children in the region in the areas of:

• arts/culture,
• education,
• healthcare,
• social services, and
• other community needs.

Grants are usually made for one year and subsequent grants for an extended or ongoing program are based on an evaluation of annual results. Multiple grants to an organization in the Foundation's same fiscal year (September through August) are possible, but rare. The Foundation's directors/officers regularly evaluate the grantmaking focus and priorities based on an assessment of current community needs and available resources.

The Minneapolis Foundation

The Minneapolis Foundation drives collective action to realize strong, vibrant communities. We cultivate generosity by taking action on the greatest civic, social, and economic needs—partnering with nonprofits, facilitating grantmaking, driving research and advocacy, and providing services to donors seeking to make a difference in their communities.

Great Lakes Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program

In partnership with the Midwest Environmental Justice Network, NDN Collective, and RE-AMP Network, the Minneapolis Foundation will award environmental justice grants to organizations working in and for underserved communities throughout the Great Lakes region.

Grants will be awarded to community-based nonprofits and other eligible organizations in the following three tiers:

• Tier 1: Assessment and Engagement
• Tier 2: Community Education and Planning
• Tier 3: Project Development and Implementation

We aim to distribute 30% of grant funding to federally recognized tribes and Native American organizations, 25% to rural communities, and 45% to urban communities. The partnership anticipates making 206 grants: 83 in Year 1, 85 in Year 2, and 38 in Year 3.

You may submit an application for multiple tiers at the same time, in any order.

Program Goal

The Great Lakes TCGM Partnership will distribute grants to organizations working in and for underserved communities throughout the Great Lakes region. The partnership was selected by the EPA as one of 11 grantmakers around the nation in its new Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking program.

The program’s goal is to lift up community-led innovation and strengthen community-based groups by breaking down barriers to federal funding. All grants will be given to environmental and public health efforts in underserved communities as defined by the EPA.

Issue Areas

Grants will support projects that focus on issues including, but not limited to:

• Environmental health
• Air, soil, and water quality
• Healthy homes
• Access to healthy food
• Stormwater and green infrastructure
• Emergency preparedness
• Disaster resilience
• Environmental job training

Tier 3: Project Development and Implementation

Tier 3 awards are one- to two-year grants of up to $350,000 to pilot or implement project plans. Projects may have educational and outreach components, but must focus on developing tangible community assets or providing environmental or public health benefits to one or more disadvantaged communities. Up to 50% of the grant can be used for relevant property acquisition or purchase. Grants will be paid on a reimbursement basis, with a small number of grantees eligible for one advance payment of up to 10% of the total grant.

Eligible activities include, but are not limited to:

• Strengthening cumulative impact, public health, or environmental protections
• Increasing access to healthy food
• Reducing the use of pesticides or toxic substances
• Cleaning up contaminated sites
• Conducting healthy home assessments
• Increasing energy or water efficiency in homes or buildings
• Launching community energy or water efficiency programs
• Installing water filters; developing community gardens
• Creating community resilience hubs
• Installing green infrastructure projects
• Creating internships or implementing workforce development programs

You need not develop a new project to receive a grant. These one-time grants are well suited to support existing work that is currently not funded by another source or to complement other projects for which you already have funding. We also welcome proposals for high-priority new projects. 

Lilly Endowment Inc. was founded in 1937 by J.K. Lilly, Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. for the “promotion and support of religious, educational or charitable purposes.” Throughout its history, the Endowment has sought to nurture the human spirit, intellect and character. When once asked what the main purpose of the Endowment should be, Eli Lilly said, “I hope we could help improve the character of the American people.”

Our Work: Community Development

In community development, we support efforts that enhance the quality of life in Indianapolis and Indiana. We also provide funding for compelling causes throughout the country that are consistent with the values and interests of our founders. This support is rooted in our founders’ commitment to their hometown. “All of us Lillys put together have never done as much for Indianapolis as Indianapolis has done for us,” Eli Lilly wrote in 1974. That commitment has extended across the state through grantmaking that supports Indiana’s community foundations and its United Ways.

Strengthening Indianapolis

We make grants to a wide range of organizations that improve the overall quality of life in Indianapolis and expand the city’s economic, cultural and recreational opportunities. We support programs that contribute to strong neighborhoods, provide services to at-risk residents, and encourage the creation and expansion of amenities that attract and retain individuals, families and businesses.

Areas of Grantmaking

• Strong neighborhoods help ensure that Indianapolis is a safe, livable community for all of its residents.
• Intellectual capital and community economic development resources are essential to Indianapolis’ efforts to be a place where people want to live, work and contribute to their community.
• Effective and sustainable human service organizations are critical to helping Indianapolis be a caring community, where all residents are supported in overcoming challenges, such as food insecurity, homelessness, unemployment and underemployment, domestic violence and various disabilities.
• Arts and culture organizations strengthen Indianapolis by fostering a creative and energized community and a quality of life that is appealing to individuals and families. 

Strengthening Indiana

Through helping to strengthen and supporting the efforts of community foundations and United Ways, and by encouraging and funding select strategic collaborations, we aim to enhance the quality of life and future prosperity of Indiana’s communities. Recognizing the diversity of our state’s people and their range of needs, we help local communities identify the issues that matter most to their residents and find solutions to the challenges they face.

Compelling other causes

Through helping to strengthen and supporting the efforts of community foundations and United Ways, and by encouraging and funding select strategic collaborations, we aim to enhance the quality of life and future prosperity of Indiana’s communities. Recognizing the diversity of our state’s people and their range of needs, we help local communities identify the issues that matter most to their residents and find solutions to the challenges they face.

Grant Guidelines: Community Development

Our community development grantmaking focuses primarily on enhancing the quality of life in Indianapolis and Indiana. We grant funds for human and social needs, city and neighborhood revitalization, low- and moderate-income housing, and arts and culture in Indianapolis.  On a statewide level, we routinely offer initiatives to support community foundations and United Ways.

Nationally, the Endowment provides support on an invitational basis for compelling other causes that are consistent with our areas of interest, such as disaster relief and recovery efforts, programs for veterans’ affairs and their families, and selective research projects and educational programs focused on efforts to promote the effectiveness of charitable organizations and enhance and increase charitable giving.

Our Work: Religion

A primary aim in religion is to deepen and enrich the religious lives of Christians in the United States, principally by supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations. We value the broad diversity of Christian traditions and congregations today and endeavor to support them in a wide variety of contexts. We seek to ensure that all types of congregations have a steady stream of wise, faithful, diverse and well-prepared leaders. We work to strengthen theological schools as well as religious institutions and networks that nurture pastors and support the ministries of congregations. We support efforts that help Christians draw on the wisdom of their theological traditions as they strive to understand and respond to contemporary challenges and live their faith more fully. We are especially interested in efforts that nurture the religious lives of children, youth and young adults and share the beauty and vibrancy of Christian faith with a new generation.We also work to foster public understanding about religion. While we seek to lift up the contributions that people of all religious faiths make to our greater civic well-being, we also encourage fair and accurate portrayals of both the negative and positive effects of religion on the world.

Areas of Interest

We consider proposals in three main program areas: community development, education and youth, and religion. Detailed descriptions of these area of interest can be found here.

About

Robert Mapplethorpe established the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation on May 27, 1988, the year before his death, to protect his work, to advance his creative vision and to promote the causes he cared about. Serving as the first president of its board of trustees, he established two mandates: to promote photography as an art form in order to achieve its recognition and respect at the same level as painting and sculpture; and to support HIV/AIDS medical research. In keeping with Mapplethorpe's wishes, The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation continues to support photography programming at both major museums as well as small institutions for exhibitions, acquisitions, and publications.

In 1993, the Foundation provided an historic gift to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation to create the named Robert Mapplethorpe Gallery and to inaugurate the Guggenheim Museum's photography program. In addition to its financial component, the Foundation made a gift of more than 200 of the artist’s works, selected by the Museum.

The Foundation subsequently awarded three major gifts supporting photography programs which resulted in galleries or facilities permanently named for Robert Mapplethorpe—at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Hessel Museum of Art at Bard College, in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY, and the National Portrait Gallery, part of the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh. In addition to the Guggenheim Museum, significant public collections of Mapplethorpe’s work may be found in the Artist Rooms Collection jointly owned by the Tate Modern, London and the National Galleries of Scotland; at the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Hessel Museum of Art; and the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University.

In 2011, the Mapplethorpe Foundation donated its archive to the Getty Research Institute and gave an encyclopedic collection of artworks to the J. Paul Getty Museum in partnership with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. This gift established a comprehensive archive and collection available to scholars.

In its early years, the Foundation prioritized its focus on HIV and AIDS medical research. It created important medical facilities and programs, including the Robert Mapplethorpe Laboratory for AIDS Research at Harvard Medical School in Boston, the Robert Mapplethorpe Residential Treatment Facility at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, and the Robert Mapplethorpe Center for HIV Research at St. Vincent's Hospital, New York. The Foundation provided substantial financial support to the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR). The Foundation continues to support research initiatives and has provided funds to amfAR, distinguished institutions such as the Rockefeller University, and community-based experimental treatment organizations, including the AIDS Community Research Initiative of America (ACRIA).

The Foundation is dedicated to protecting and expanding Mapplethorpe’s artistic legacy by encouraging museum exhibitions internationally. It publishes books and places his artworks from its considerable inventory in important public and private collections around the world.

Photography Grant

The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation provides support for museums and other public institutions to expand photography programming, including acquisitions, exhibitions, and publications. As the beneficiary of Robert Mapplethorpe’s Estate, the Foundation has made contributions in the form of artworks or gifts of money to qualifying applicants. In the appropriate circumstance, the Foundation will also assist independent curators in developing interesting photography exhibitions.

Our Mission

The Old National Bank Foundation believes that social responsibility is essential to fostering vibrant, sustainable communities. We realize this belief through strategic partnerships with charitable organizations addressing defined community needs.

Old National Bank Foundation

The Old National Bank Foundation makes contributions to nonprofit organizations to fund widespread community impact programs and/or projects. The Foundation is part of Old National's overall charitable giving initiative, which enables us to support programs that improve quality of life in areas of Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin where our clients, associates and shareholders live and work.

Invested in our communities

Caring for our clients means being an active and dynamic partner in the cities and towns we serve. Through sponsorships, Old National helps organizations improve the quality of life in the areas where our clients, associates and shareholders live and work.

Old National Bank Foundation Sponsorships

Old National sponsorships provide monetary support for events or activities, while enabling us to partner with many community organizations. Typically such sponsorships are in exchange for advertising and/or publicity that directly benefits Old National. Our goal is to make meaningful contributions, measure the results of our sponsorships, and work closely with the organizations we support.

Here are examples of the types of activities we sponsor:

• One-time events
• Fundraisers
• Golf tournaments/scrambles
• Corporate tables at galas
• Sporting events
• Special events (telethons, marathons, races or benefits)

Our community commitment

From our corporate headquarters in Indianapolis, we’ve grown into a national provider of insurance and financial services with offices in California, Maine and beyond. We’re committed to making a difference in people’s lives and the communities we serve.

Helping others is at our core. Making commitments that matter. Our vision to improve the quality of life in our communities, which are stronger because of our support and volunteer efforts. Here are some of the ways we are making an impact:

• Education & workforce development
  • Being there for our community means leading education efforts and workforce development for future success. OneAmerica Financial invests in both education and workforce development because we understand how critical it is to have both.
• Safety, wellness & success
  • Being there for you means working to keep our communities healthy and safe. We support our neighbors and those in need through disaster relief, feeding the hungry, the homeless and by providing essential needs and services through United Way agencies.
• Community vibrancy & civic causes
  • Being there for our vibrant communities can be seen through our efforts to support arts & culture, such as our long-standing involvement with the Broadripple Art Fair, 500 Festival Mini Marathon and the Indiana Repertory Theatre (IRT).

Community grants

The OneAmerica Financial Foundation is a nonprofit, private foundation dedicated to investing in the well-being of communities through strategic philanthropy. Rooted in a long-standing tradition of service, the Foundation’s charitable reach begins in the heart of Indianapolis and extends to communities across the country.

By investing in meaningful change, the Foundation aims to transform lives and create shared success—supporting those who build stronger, more resilient communities for generations to come.

• Education (primarily K-12, early childhood and at-risk populations)
• Workforce development efforts to increase employment and develop talent locally
• Community safety, wellness and success that provide support for basic community needs
• Arts and cultural experiences that add to the vibrancy of the community
• Civic initiatives that strengthen our communities

Valero Energy Foundation 

Valero, its employees and the Valero Energy Foundation are committed to improving the quality of life in communities where we work and live, fulfilling a mission that was set from the beginning. We set the standard for corporate citizenship and promotes prosperity in our communities. 

The Valero Energy Foundation -- a public charity and Valero's philanthropic arm -- funds nonprofit agencies that serve predominantly disadvantaged children and families. In 2019, the Foundation contributed appoximately $40 million in assistance in the communities where Valero has major operations.

Four Pillars of Support

Our funding focuses on our four pillars of giving in communities where we have major operations.

• Basic Needs:  Valero gives assistance to agencies that provide basic needs of life, including shelter, food and clothing necessary for the development of a strong and safe community. 
• Health Care: We invest in the development of strategic community health resources and facilities that will support the needs of all members of our nearby communities, with major gifts going to children’s hospitals, university medical centers and service providers that offer specialized health care services and programs.
• Education: Valero is a strong advocate of education as it creates a necessary foundation for all children to thrive and for adults to lead productive lives. 
• Civic: We support civic and environmental initiatives directly related to the success of the communities where we live and work.

Community

Wolverine Worldwide has a heritage of engaging with and serving the communities in which we live and work. As champions for positive change, it is our responsibility to enrich our global communities by giving our time and resources to make the world a better place.

As a company providing innovative footwear, apparel and accessories to consumers around the world, Wolverine Worldwide takes seriously its commitment to make the world a better place.

Founded in 1959, the Wolverine Worldwide Foundation represents our commitment to societal betterment, based on the idea that intentional support fosters stronger communities and more inclusive futures. We believe it’s our responsibility to improve our worldwide communities through dedicated time and contributions.

The Foundation stands on three pillars reflecting our brands, consumers, and employees.

Healthy Lives & Outdoors

Promoting healthy lifestyles and fostering a deep connection with nature. We do this through community programs and outdoor activities, we empower individuals to lead healthier, more active lives while appreciating and experiencing life outside.

Diversifying Trades & Talent

Committed to fostering diversity in skilled trades and industry talent by providing opportunities and resources to cultivate belonging in the workforce. We do this through education, mentorship, and community partnerships, we aim to create a more inclusive workplace.

Industry & Community Giving

Advancing industry causes through community programs, we ensure access to proper footwear, promote dignity, and foster long-term positive change and development. While focusing on the communities and regions we are in, we achieve this through planned giving, sustaining and growing community programs, and engagement opportunities.

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.

Old National Bank Foundation

The Old National Bank Foundation makes contributions to nonprofit organizations to fund widespread community impact programs and/or projects. The Foundation is part of Old National's overall charitable giving initiative, which enables us to support programs that improve quality of life in areas of Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. We believe in supporting where our clients, team members and shareholders live and work.

Funding Priorities

Our funding targets innovative programs that enhance the quality of life within our communities in support of the following four strategic initiatives: Affordable Housing, Workforce Development, Economic Development, and Financial Empowerment. We prioritize programs that serve underrepresented communities and low- to moderate-income people. 

Examples of funding priorities with measurable outcome focus areas include:

Affordable Housing

• Increase Homeownership Opportunities: We seek initiatives that enable individuals and families to purchase homes through accessible financing, down payment assistance, and homeowner education.
• Support Critical Home Repairs and Revitalization: We fund programs that ensure safe, habitable housing by assisting with essential repairs for homes
• Promote Multi-Family Housing Developments: We prioritize programs that develop or sustain affordable rental units

Economic Development

• Small Business Development and Growth: We aim to support programs that help small businesses scale, access resources, and build sustainable growth plans.
• Capacity Building for Technical Support: We encourage projects that enhance the capability of organizations offering technical support to small businesses and nonprofits.
• Entrepreneurship and Business Coaching: We support programs that offer entrepreneurship education, business coaching, and professional development for new or aspiring business owners.

Financial Education

• Old National Bank’s Real-Life Finance e-learning curriculum provides robust financial education training for community partners

Workforce Development

• Access to Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning: We support workforce readiness through initiatives offering hands-on training, particularly in trades and high-demand fields.
• Job Creation, Employment Entry, and Retention: We support projects that connect individuals to stable employment and increasing levels of income. This can include higher education with dual credentialing, leadership and professional development

Financial Empowerment

• Financial Wellness: We fund long-term initiatives that reduce barriers to banking and credit access, especially for underbanked groups. This can include culturally relevant and multilingual outreach, foreclosure prevention, and credit counseling with the goal of financial independence
• Community Lending Access: We support organizations that provide access to affordable microloans, emergency loans, and community cooperative lending as safe and sustainable alternatives to predatory loans

Who We Are

The CenterPoint Energy Foundation (“Foundation”) strives to be a catalyst in our communities by leveraging everyday opportunities and resources to achieve extraordinary outcomes. That’s why we invest in initiatives that not only improve our stakeholders’ lives today, but also build a strong foundation for tomorrow. Our corporate giving focuses on fostering a high quality of life in the communities we serve.

CenterPoint Energy recognizes that our success – and the success of our neighbors – is inextricably linked to the vibrancy of our communities. We seek to improve the communities we serve by supporting programs encouraging community connections, improving the quality of life and promoting inclusion to help communities thrive. We recognize an educated and engaged community is critical to the future of our business and our communities. We are committed to ensuring all students have the opportunities and tools they need to succeed academically, explore potential careers and be equipped to enter the workforce.

Funding Priorities

Our funding targets innovative, effective and measurable programs enhancing the quality of life within our communities and support the following giving pillars: Community Vitality and Education. Priority consideration is given to programs serving low- to moderate income populations. Key focus areas within the giving pillars include:

Community Vitality

• Affordable Housing:
  • Initiatives leading to increased access to quality, affordable and energy efficient housing
• Environment:
  • Energy Efficiency and conservation efforts as well as environmental education programs
• Thriving Communities:
  • Quality of Place and resident-led initiatives leading to vibrant neighborhoods

Education

• Literacy:
  • Literacy and tutoring programs focused on early childhood through adult learners
• STEM Programs:
  • STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education programs targeted to under resourced areas; Digital device access
• Workforce Development:
  • Programs addressing needs of our communities; credentialing programs providing skills for living wage jobs

Gun Violence Prevention & Justice Reform Program

The mission of the Gun Violence Prevention & Justice Reform Program is building safe and just communities in the Great Lakes region. Our grant making approach encompasses three focus areas: (1) reducing gun violence in the Great Lakes region; (2) reducing the harms and racial disparities in the criminal justice system’s response to gun violence; and 3) advancing violence intervention policy and practice as a gun violence prevention strategy, and an alternative to arrest and incarceration.

Reducing Gun Violence in the Great Lakes Region

Gun violence remains one of the central health and safety challenges of our time, with more than 110,000 Americans injured or killed by guns every year. Gun violence in all its forms—community violence, domestic violence, mass shootings, suicide, and accidental gun deaths and injuries— undermines the ability of the next generation to thrive. The evidence is clear that reducing gun violence requires reducing the easy availability of guns. To reduce deaths and injuries from gun violence, the Foundation supports projects to: (a) strengthen gun violence prevention policies in the Great Lakes region; (b) conduct research and improve data collection to inform policy development, implementation, and advocacy; (c) educate young people about the risks of guns; (d) use the courts to advance and defend gun violence prevention policies; and (e) engage funders in supporting gun violence prevention.

Reforming the Justice System

Racial equity is at the core of the Foundation’s focus on justice system reform, where police violence and mass incarceration disproportionately impact young Black and Hispanic males. We take an intersectional approach which seeks to reduce racial disparities in policing and incarceration by rethinking the standard response to gun crime of aggressive policing, arrests, and incarceration of young gun possessors. Our funding supports projects that: (a) reform policing through building police-community trust and legitimacy, reducing the use of force by police officers, and increasing police accountability; (b) develop alternatives to arrest and incarceration for young people who commit non-violent gun offenses; and (c) reimagine the future of public safety.

Violence Intervention

Community-based gun violence disproportionately impacts young Black and Brown people and is highly concentrated within neighborhoods and social networks. Victimization increases the likelihood that an individual will be victimized again or become a perpetrator of gun violence themselves. A growing body of evidence supports community-based violence intervention strategies as a way to break this cycle and contribute to individual and neighborhood safety and reduce reliance on the criminal justice system. The GVPJR Program will support violence intervention through: (a) research to identify best practices for design, delivery and funding of violence intervention programs; (b) professional development and technical assistance for the community of public and private sector violence intervention practitioners; and (c) support for policies to secure public sector support for violence intervention.

In the areas of policing, alternatives to arrest and incarceration for young people who commit non-violent gun offenses, and reimagining public safety, we are interested in funding projects including:

• research, including evaluations of promising models,
• pilot initiatives in the Great Lakes region,
• policy development,
• federal, state or local policy advocacy,
• law enforcement-researcher partnerships,
• communications and narrative change, and
• public and stakeholder education and engagement, including grassroots organizing and convenings.

Program Area: Democracy

"Building a more equitable democracy by striving for participation and representation by all people who call the Great Lakes home."

Our democracy has faced numerous threats in recent years, from voter suppression and gerrymandering to targeted disinformation and related efforts to undermine public confidence in elections and government. Election administration is inconsistently funded, and voter experiences vary widely from zip code to zip code. In addition, a long-overdue national reckoning with systemic racism compels us to examine the ways in which government processes exclude rather than include all residents.

The results of these and many other such actions are unequal and unfair representation, disenfranchisement predominantly of communities of color and young voters, reduced voter participation in local or mid-term elections, increasingly toxic levels of partisanship, and crippling mistrust of government. Through a combination of research, policy development, litigation and public engagement efforts, the Joyce Foundation will invest in policy change to protect and expand voting rights, fair representation, and ensuring census data accurately reflects all of our communities.

Strategy

Voting Rights & Elections

Protecting voting rights and well-run elections are the very heart of a functioning democracy. Elections should be free, fair, accessible, and trusted. Yet, far too often, our elections fall short of that aspiration.

Policies related to the ease or difficulty of registering to vote and accessible options for casting a ballot impact turnout. Voters’ experiences vary widely by zip code—some communities face polling place closures and long lines, while others have new top-of-the-line technology and an abundance of voting options. Voter suppression and disinformation efforts erode trust that elections are fair and accurate. This focus area seeks to increase participation in our democracy by all voters - especially voters of color and young voters.

Census Data Accuracy

The 2020 decennial census experienced multiple complex problems that impacted census operations and, ultimately, appear to have impacted the quality of census data. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Census Bureau operations and timeline, displacement or limited access to certain populations, cancellation of quality control tests, reports of inadequate staffing, first-time use of online and phone response options, and controversial executive policy decisions resulting in litigation all disrupted a process that is typically planned and tested down to the smallest detail.

Following 2020, census experts will need to conduct a data quality assessment to determine how flawed the final census data is and where it is flawed, law and policy experts will need to determine possible options for remedial action, and the field will need to learn from this experience to avoid (or at least better plan for) such problems in the future.

Fair Representation

A true representative democracy will not be realized until the rules and structures for determining representation are reconfigured to redistribute power to the entire electorate, so that communities choose who represents them. As such, the Foundation invests in redistricting reform to remedy the severe gerrymandering prevalent in Great Lakes states and to identify solutions to other laws that undermine voters’ ability to determine who represents them.

About

Through its grantmaking and other policy-focused efforts, the Foundation seeks to:

• Racial Equity: Incorporate the voices of, and achieve more equitable outcomes for, Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities in the Great Lakes region.
• Economic Mobility: Improve the ability of individuals in the Great Lakes region to move up the economic ladder within a lifetime or from one generation to the next.
• Next Generation: Incorporate the voices of, and improve outcomes for, the next generation of Great Lakes residents, defined as young people born after 2000.

Education & Economic Mobility Grants

The mission of the Education & Economic Mobility Program is to close income and race disparities in college and career success through equitable access to high-quality education. We invest in local, state and federal policies that aim to ensure historically underserved young people 1) have effective educators; 2) graduate high school with academic and career momentum; and 3) attain affordable college credentials with economic value. In the short term, we will invest in research, policy development, and advocacy to help young people recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effective Educators

Evidence is clear that teachers and principals are the main in-school driver of student success. Yet, young people of color and those from underserved communities often have inexperienced, unqualified, or ineffective educators. To ensure historically marginalized students have top-notch and diverse educators, the Foundation invests in research, policy development, advocacy, and technical assistance to: 1) use data to better align educator supply and demand; 2) diversify the educator pipeline; 3) build strong pathways from high school into teaching; and 4) spread innovative school staffing models that attract educators, boost retention, and improve student outcomes. Our investments focus on Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and national efforts.

College and Career Readiness

There is overwhelming evidence that a college degree significantly improves life outcomes. Yet not enough high school students—especially young people of color and those from underserved communities—are prepared to succeed in post-secondary. To help students get on the right path, the Foundation supports federal and state policies to: 1) align K-12, higher education, and workforce systems; 2) increase access and success in rigorous courses; and 3) increase access to high-quality work-based learning activities connected to careers with family-sustaining wages.

Post-Secondary Success

A post-secondary degree remains the surest path to social and economic mobility. Yet colleges fail to enroll and graduate students of color and students from low-income households at the same rate as White and wealthier students. This contributes to racial and socioeconomic disparities in education and career outcomes. To address these disparities, the Joyce Foundation supports federal and state policies that: 1) scale proven student support models to improve community college outcomes; 2) preserve access for students of color and rural students to affordable, high- quality public college options and labor markets that require college degrees; 3) seek racial and family income representativeness at selective public universities; and 4) narrow gaps in post-graduate financial outcomes for students of color and low-income students.

Program Area: Environment

For more than two decades, the Joyce Foundation has been a leading foundation funder of policy work related to the Great Lakes. We are working to address three of the region’s critical long-term environmental challenges: climate change, the safety and accessibility of the water we drink and the health of the Great Lakes.

Climate change is the largest intergenerational environmental threat in our region. Great Lakes states are at a pivotal moment to dramatically reduce the emissions that drive climate change, while also creating economic opportunity and improving people’s health. Moreover, this region emits nearly 20 percent of all US climate pollution, so gains here are essential to national progress.

More than 40 million people rely on the Great Lakes for drinking water, and protecting the Lakes is central to the region’s environmental health, economic vitality, and very identity. In our region, climate change is causing more intense storms and increasing the variability of Great Lakes’ water levels. These patterns increase polluted runoff and stress aging water systems. While all communities face water challenges, the most severe impacts fall on people from communities that have lacked investment because of structural racism or other barriers.

To respond to these challenges, Joyce will support efforts to put Great Lakes states on a path to achieve just, equitable, carbon-free electric power systems by 2040. We will also seek to ensure all people in the Great Lakes region have clean water from lake to tap by supporting policy to address threats, improve infrastructure, and remedy water disparities in communities of color. In all our grants, we will prioritize projects that are guided by the perspectives of people impacted by the environmental issues being addressed.

The program has two focus areas: Climate Solutions and Great Lakes & Drinking Water.

Climate Solutions

Shifting to non-carbon sources of electric power is essential to eliminating global warming pollution – both directly by reducing the burning of fossil fuels in power plants, and indirectly as the transportation, industrial, building heating, and other sectors switch to electricity. There is positive technological, economic, and—in some Great Lakes states—policy momentum behind transitioning to carbon-free electric power. Yet, no states in our region are more than about halfway to achieving complete electric sector decarbonization, and some still get 80 or 90 percent of their electricity from fossil fuels. Joyce will support work on clean energy policy in Great Lakes states to secure long-term commitments to 100 percent carbon-free electricity.

Goal: To put Great Lakes states on a path to achieve just, equitable, carbon-free electric power systems by 2040.

• Secure long-term commitments to transition to carbon-free electricity, including states establishing 100 percent carbon-free electricity goals and strategies, and states, utilities and their stakeholders embracing racial equity and energy justice as core elements of decarbonization plans
• Achieve full implementation of near-term state energy efficiency and renewable energy policies, with strategies tailored to fit the unique needs and opportunities in each state— focusing mostly on Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota, with smaller investments in Ohio and Wisconsin
• Support policy innovation to achieve complete, equitable decarbonization, closing the gap between the cumulative reductions that can be driven by the current generation of clean energy policies and 100 percent decarbonization

Great Lakes & Drinking Water

One of every five gallons of fresh water on the surface of the planet is found in the Great Lakes, which provide clean, abundant drinking water for 40 million people in our region. Yet the future health of the lakes is far from assured, given major threats to their physical, chemical, and biological integrity. Public and private decisions made in the next decade will likely determine whether the Great Lakes will be healthy enough to provide for the next generation as they have provided for us.

Protecting the health of our region depends on protecting the health of the Great Lakes and the water systems that serve our communities. The Great Lakes and Drinking Water focus area will accelerate actions to protect the region’s freshwater, upgrade our water infrastructure, and improve access to safe, affordable drinking water. We will pursue two initiatives, with most efforts focused in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Goal: To ensure all people in the Great Lakes region have clean water from lake to tap by supporting policy to address threats, improve infrastructure, and remedy water disparities in communities of color.

To help ensure that the Great Lakes remain healthy enough to provide for the next generation as they have provided for us, we will address major threats to their physical, chemical, and biological integrity, with a focus on efforts to:

• Improve water infrastructure performance, management, and funding, with a focus on remedying water system disparities in communities of color
• Prevent unsustainable diversions from the Great Lakes by enforcing the Great Lakes Compact
• Prevent groundwater depletion (proposals currently by invitation only)
• Reduce the risk of oil spills from oil transport by continuing to support closure of the Enbridge Line 5 oil pipeline
• Reduce polluted runoff in rural and urban areas
• Prevent the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species

To help make certain that the next generation in our region has access to safe, affordable drinking water, Joyce will support equitable water policy that ensures that water systems and infrastructure provide safe, affordable water services for everyone. We will focus on efforts to develop and support utility, municipal, state, and federal policies that:

• Reduce the risk of lead exposure in drinking water
• Ensure high quality, affordable water services

Areas of Interest and Primary Focus

The Foundation seeks to enhance the quality of life by providing funds through a grant making process for education, economic development, health, youth sports, community organizations meeting the needs of the underserved, and humanitarian projects. Focusing on disadvantaged youth, education, youth sports, poverty and hunger prevention, medical and health care programs, community development, the environment, building strong families, the advancement of human rights & social needs, and the arts.

Mission

The mission of the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) is to advance the progress of medicine and improve the public's health by providing U.S. researchers, health professionals, the public health workforce, educators, and the public with equal access to biomedical and health information resources and data. NNLM’s main goals are to work through libraries and other members to support a highly trained workforce for biomedical and health information resources and data, improve health literacy, and increase health equity through information.

Purpose

The NNLM Regional Medical Libraries (RMLs) and Offices rely upon partnerships. The award’s primary aims are to widen access to and awareness of health information resources, with a focus on those resources provided by the NLM. The programs are intended to help a variety of users:

• With a focus on minority and other underrepresented populations and the healthcare professionals who serve them
• Make the most effective use of information and decision-support resources to promote healthy behaviors
• Prevent costly and debilitating illness
• Improve health outcomes when disease occurs

Potential Project Ideas

Potential projects might include but are not limited to this list:

• Training underrepresented healthcare professionals or professionals that work with underrepresented populations in the effective use of electronic health information resources for evidence-based practice with an emphasis on NLM databases and NNLM resources.
• Placing web-accessible devices in locations where they can be used to research health information needs by unaffiliated healthcare professionals such as free clinics, community health centers, etc.
• Improving access to health information and technology for those groups without adequate access to information services.
• Exhibiting or presenting at local meetings or organizational events to share completed outreach projects and promote NLM products and services.
• Evaluating health information and training needs of a target audience and implementing a training plan for that audience.
• Programs on locating and evaluating authoritative consumer health information.
• Incorporating NLM health and science information resources into new or existing health programs. See National Health Observances for some ideas.
• Development of supplemental educational materials using NLM resources.  
• Train-the-Trainer projects that enhance the skills of the service-providing staff and other consumer health information intermediaries to train participants on locating and evaluating health information.

The Boston Scientific Foundation’s mission is to improve health and open up educational opportunities for economically disadvantaged persons, with an emphasis on communities where Boston Scientific employees live and work in the United States.

Education

The Foundation supports programs focused on improving STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) educational opportunities and academic development for K-12 students who are economically disadvantaged.

Grants to benefit economically disadvantaged in education programs is defined as programs with:

• Minimum of 50% of program participants at 185% of poverty or lower OR
• Funding directed to participants at 185% of poverty or lower
• We do not fund dollars towards stipends for program participation

How do you select applicants?

We support programs that improve health and STEM education for economically disadvantaged persons. Applications are initially pre-screened, with qualified submissions then vetted by regional grant review committees. We are particularity interested in proposals that contain these elements:

Evidence based approaches that include a methodology for tracking and measuring improvements in STEM learning or specific health outcomes related to our focus areas.

Clear identification of the target audience and data used to determine the majority of grant beneficiaries (participants) are economically disadvantaged (e.g., household income, enrollment in Medicaid or SNAP benefits, census data for the neighborhood or community, etc.)

Cost-effective and results-oriented programs, where our contributions can make a long-term measurable difference in the quality of people’s lives and serve as a catalyst for positive change.

We are Stronger Together

2020 was a year like no other. It offered us a unique opportunity to demonstrate the strength of H.B. Fuller’s values, particularly the power of collaboration and courage. Our focus on taking care of employees, solving customers’ challenges in new ways, and supporting our communities when they need us most never faltered.

Our commitment to STEM education and youth leadership development did not waver, and we created a new funding focus to address racial inequities in the areas of employment, education and safety. Additionally, employees around the world took part in company-sponsored matching programs and a variety of virtual or socially-distanced volunteer opportunities to amplify their impact on issues they care about.

Overall, the gifts of time, talent and financial resources provided by H.B. Fuller and its employees in 2020 had an immeasurable effect on communities around the world.

STEM and Youth Leadership Grant

H.B. Fuller’s philanthropic vision is to help young people grow into productive, successful adults.

H.B. Fuller Company Foundation grants are strategically focused in two areas:

• STEM education – youth education initiatives in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)
• Leadership development for youth – organizations and programs that help young people become successful, productive adults

Our Mission...

The mission of The Needmor Fund for Social Justice is to work with others to bring about social justice. We support groups of people who come together to organize their community, build power, and challenge the social, economic, or political conditions that bar their access to participation in a democratic society.

Our Vision...

Our work is informed by a vision of democracy and justice:

• We strive to engage those whose participation in our democratic society has been systemically denied, because we believe our nation will operate most equitably when all of its people are actively involved in crafting the vision, values, and policies that affect their lives. This includes, but is not limited to, those who have traditionally been excluded — i.e., low- and moderate-income communities, BIPOC communities, the disabled, immigrants, and members of the LGBTQ community.
• We seek a just society in which all persons are treated with dignity and assured their fundamental rights, including equal access to the basic necessities of life: food, shelter, safety, healthcare, education, livable wages, and a clean environment.
• We work to build a nation in which all people are free to exercise their rights regardless of race, ethnic origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, economic status, or faith.
• We believe in the power of community and its ability to collectively determine the best strategies for improving the lives of its members.

Our Values...

Our work together is guided by the following beliefs:

• Every individual has inherent worth and has the right to have his or her voice heard.
• Community organizing is one of the most effective means to engage and lift the voices of those whose participation in our democratic society has been systematically denied.
• Equality, equity, and inclusion of the diverse voices of our society are central to responsible deliberation and decision-making, within both our institutions and society-at-large.

Core Grants

The Needmor Fund for Social Justice’s Core Grants Program provides general operating support to groups engaged in the work of community organizing. Grantees funded through this program are eligible to receive funding for up to three years, after which an organization may not apply for at least two years.

Needmor’s Core Grants Program will focus on supporting community organizing in the Midwest — specifically an eight state region that includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Basic Criteria

While Needmor embraces the opportunity to fund emerging organizations, our commitment remains to funding strong, effective community organizing. We thus seek to support groups that:

• Organize primarily low- and moderate-income people, as evidenced by demographic/ statistical data indicating social and economic distress.
• Have a multi-issue agenda that reflects an intersectional approach to addressing issues associated with race, economic justice and equality.
• Demonstrate a commitment to long-term base building and effectively link issue work to building organizational power.
• Are democratically run and consist of a dues-paying membership base, with deep member engagement and a process for both developing and regenerating a strong cadre of leaders over time.
• Have developed a power analysis and a clearly defined plan for challenging/altering the dynamics of power within their communities.
• Engage in direct action and have demonstrated the ability to win concrete victories of increasingly larger scale.
• Have a vision to continually build and aggregate power, enabling them to take on bigger policy issues and expand its base of allies to increase its impact over time.
• Are well managed, engage in strategic planning, and have a sound budget and diversified fundraising plan.

Additional Screens

In addition to meeting the above basic criteria, Needmor is interested in funding groups that:

• Organize across lines of race, class, and gender; and, promote the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Are linked to and leverage the power of faith, labor, and community into powerful organizations.
• Demonstrate a willingness to work collaboratively for the purpose of building collective power to achieve systematic change at the regional, state, and national level. 
• Are connected to larger organizing networks that are working to implement new, broad, and creative public policies that address systemic issues facing low- and moderate-income communities.
• Integrate voter engagement strategies and the expansion of democracy into the building of powerful community organizations.
• Demonstrate the ability to develop an agenda that frames issues of relevance to both urban and rural constituencies.
• Recognize and address the impact of global corporatization as it relates to issues of economic and environmental justice.
• Have potential for attracting the interest and support of other funders.

Our Vision

The Heart of Cook will be a leader in furthering education, supporting human services, and protecting the environment through a continued commitment to local communities in the AEP service area (Southwest Michigan and Northwest Indiana (La Porte, St. Joseph, and Elkhart Counties)).

Guidelines & Funding Emphasis

Our three primary funding areas are:

• Furthering Education
• Supporting Human Services
• Preserving and Protecting the Environment

We take special pride in supporting organizations and projects in which our employees participate or take a leadership role. The partnership of corporate contributions and employee initiatives typically results in improved outcomes. 

Furthering education

To promote economic development and provide for a well-trained and available work force in the area, we will provide grants to programs that build work skills and to educational organizations and projects that supplement professional development for educators and volunteers. Projects that specifically target science and mathematical disciplines, as well as development in impoverished communities are given priority.

Human services

Strong families are the building blocks for successful communities and businesses. We will provide grants to programs and organizations that nurture children and youth, help foster independence for those in need, ensure safety and support of older individuals, and teach parenting skills.

Protecting the environment

As an energy provider located in a particularly beautiful and unique ecosystem, we recognize the importance of protecting, restoring and enhancing our natural surroundings. We provide grants to organizations and projects supporting these types of environmental activities. 

Community Mini-Grants

Each year, the DDF provides financial support through its Community Mini-Grants program to various community organizations and programs that promote or provide oral health care and initiatives in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana.

The Delta Dental Foundation's (DDF) Mini-Grants Program is evolving to better meet the needs of our community partners. This year, the DDF will offer grants up to $10,000 to community organizations and programs that promote or provide oral health care and initiatives that align with our strategic aims in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana.

ABOUT ROOTED IN JUSTICE

“Rooted in Justice” is a funding program designed to help amplify youth voices and actions in the environmental and food justice movements.  Rooted in Justice supports community-based organizations and groups that manage established, youth-led, urban greening programs within a justice framework as a core part of their work, with two-year grants of $25,000/year.  

Rooted in Justice recognizes the importance and undeniable right of every young person to have the ability to develop their own relationship with the environment, be it through growing food, spending time with nature, creating community green spaces, or becoming environmental stewards. Rooted in Justice also honors the power and possibilities that arise when young people collectively work to be change-makers in their communities.

Rooted in Justice supports organizations, groups, collectives, and programs that work with young people between the ages of 12 to 20 in youth-led programming for communities or cultures which have historically or currently experience:

• A lack of access to land or nature;
• Agricultural oppression and/or neglect;
• Food apartheid; and/or
• Other forms of injustice based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics and disability.

Rooted in Justice awards a small number of grants each year with applications due in the fall and decisions made the following spring. Final grant decisions are recommended to the Cedar Tree board via a participatory grantmaking process with outside reviewers who have experience in youth-led urban greening, as well as food or climate justice programming. So far the program has awarded multi-year grants to 21 organizations and one-time grants to 10 additional organizations since 2021. 

Definitions

Rooted in Justice grants support organizations or programs that include all four of the elements described below: social justice, youth-led, urban greening, and cohort-based youth work. We articulate our understanding of those terms below in an effort to provide a guide for prospective organizations to use in determining whether their program is a good fit. However as we continue our work towards questioning and dismantling some of our preconceived notions, we recognize that these are not finite definitions and encourage prospective applicants who still feel their work may be a good fit to describe in their proposals why this is the case.  

Social Justice-Based Programs

Programs dedicated to creating equitable outcomes for communities directly affected by different aspects of injustice by:

• Sharing and redistributing power and resources;
• Amplifying voices and leadership;
• Tackling root problems through ongoing engagement and collaboration to find solutions, organize against oppression of all kinds and create mechanisms for change; and
• Developing a critical analysis with youth and community members.

Youth-Led

The development of youth leadership skills is a core part of programs funded by Rooted in Justice. Young people have the opportunity to play a role in the planning and decision-making for their program and may help shape the internal workings of the organization. Examples of youth-led programs include programs where participants: 

• Managing a portion of their programming budget;
• Co-facilitating program activities, meetings and gatherings;
• Shape their own programming and/or organizational strategic planning;
• Have regular and end-of-program opportunities to provide program feedback and evaluation; and
• Have opportunities for personal and/or professional growth within the program and organization.

Urban Greening

For the purpose of this grant we define “urban greening” as any activity that creates a mutually beneficial relationship between city dwellers and their environments. Programs that are a strong fit for Rooted in Justice will have many opportunities for youth to be outdoors.  Project settings can include, but are not limited to: 

• Urban and aquaponic farms
• Greenhouses and rooftop gardens
• Community gardens, green spaces, and rain gardens
• Composting sites
• Land conservation efforts
• Urban forests
• River or other water restoration  

Cohort-Based Youth Works

Rooted in Justice looks to fund organizations that build community with cohorts of youth through intentional, recurring programming. This grant is intended to support programs that offer youth significant learning and leadership opportunities as a group and as individuals. Priority will be given to organizations that have program infrastructure that supports a cohort of youth over time.  Drop-in programming, one-time conferences, or individual internships are not a good fit for Rooted in Justice.  

Youth Budgeting

As part of grant proposal, all Rooted in Justice grantees must share a plan to allocate a portion of the grant funds for youth participants to manage. What do we mean by this? We ask applicants to specifically set aside some amount of grant funds for youth to allocate to priorities of their choosing.  For example, youth participants can use their allocated funding to:

• Fund an entrepreneurial endeavor;
• Design the brand or swag for their group;
• Hire a speaker or outside expert to teach a new skill;
• Purchase supplies for a community-based art project;
• Host a celebration for their families, friends and neighbors;
• Pay for transportation to programming, special events, or conferences; and/or
• Any other youth-led activity the group may find beneficial.

Use of Funds

Rooted in Justice funding must be used for project support of existing youth led, urban greening, social justice work and associated general operating expenses. Operating expenses can include anything from program costs like staff salaries and youth stipends to organizational sustainability needs like major equipment purchases and leadership/staff training. If your organization’s entire mission is youth led, urban greening, social justice work, the Rooted in Justice grant can be general support. 

Funding

Two Year Grant

• Rooted in Justice Grant awards are two-year grants of $25,000 per year.
• After the initial two year grant, grantees may be eligible for a third year of funding at the same or lower level through a simple renewal process.
• In the 2025-2026 grant cycle, the Cedar Tree Foundation expects to support 4 organizations with multi-year grant awards.

Funding for Professional Development

• Each Rooted in Justice grantee organization also has access to an additional $6,000 to support professional development opportunities identified by each organization.  Half of these funds must be used to directly support the professional development of youth. 
• Rooted in Justice grantees can request reimbursement from this professional development fund to attend conferences, hire consultants, purchase equipment or software that increases organizational capacity, or participate in any activities that strengthen youth programming or justice practice of program providers in support of their youth development programming. The funds set aside for youth professional development can be used for youth exchanges or youth participation in conferences and other professional development opportunities directly for youth.  

Community Professional Development Calls

• Cedar Tree works with grantee partners to assess their professional development interests and facilitates on-line gatherings of staff or youth for skill shares, trainings, and networking opportunities.
• These network calls will likely happen 2-3 times per year. 

Honda Corporate Funding

Honda’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) vision is to help people fulfill their life’s potential. We do this by supporting the communities where we live and work through financial contributions and the volunteer efforts of Honda associates.

Honda offers funding opportunities for programmatic support and community event sponsorships.

Programmatic Support

Honda and the Honda USA Foundation provide funding to nonprofit organizations and schools to support programs that align with our pillar award categories.

Year-over-year certain pillar award categories may not always be open for funding, are subject to change, and in some cases, Honda may extend invitation-only opportunities to select community partners.

Education Pillar Award:

As Honda strives to cultivate a future-ready workforce, we are seeking to support hands-on programs that provide manufacturing industry-relevant workforce pipeline initiatives focused on design, software/data analytics and artificial intelligence/machine learning/automation.

Our overarching goal is to inspire the next generation, fostering a resilient and innovative workforce that will drive our future success and contribute to economic prosperity within our communities where we live and work.

Only programs that strengthen the manufacturing workforce pipeline by preparing individuals for current operations and future innovations will be considered.