Best Large Grants for Nonprofit Organizations in Connecticut

John J. Murphy Family Scholarship

Named in honor of John J. "Jack" Murphy, Olean native and former CEO and Chairman of Dresser Industries, this scholarship was established initially through a grant from the Communities Foundation of Texas and is continued with donations from generous donors. Selection criteria includes scholastic achievement, school and community participation, demonstrated leadership potential and financial need.

The BC Ricci Institute–Harvard-Yenching Institute Joint Visiting Researcher Fellowship offers a unique opportunity for full-time faculty from Asia-based institutions to conduct research at two prestigious institutes in Boston during the 2026-2027 academic year. This six-month fellowship emphasizes the study of East Asian culture and provides access to extensive library resources. Eligible applicants must hold a doctoral degree and focus on interdisciplinary approaches within the humanities and social sciences.

The Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) Phase II aims to enhance technological innovation in the private sector, focusing on improving the lives of individuals with disabilities through research and development. Administered by the US HHS Administration for Community Living, this program supports small businesses in addressing the needs of these individuals. Grants are available for a 24-month project period, allowing projects to expand upon Phase I results to achieve greater commercial application and societal impact.

The Lisa Walder Scholarship Fund, managed by the San Antonio Area Foundation, supports female students pursuing degrees in fields such as Foreign Language, Liberal Arts, and Business. Eligible applicants include high school seniors and current college students enrolled in accredited institutions. With a focus on financial need, this renewable scholarship offers funding for up to three years, emphasizing academic achievement with a required GPA of 2.5. This program aims to empower women through education and community growth.

The Museums for America (MFA) program, funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), supports museums across the nation in enhancing their educational programs, community partnerships, and collection stewardship. This initiative aims to serve diverse audiences through experiential learning, address community needs, and ensure the proper management of collections. By investing in museums of all sizes, the MFA program plays a vital role in preserving America's cultural heritage for future generations.

The Scott A. Flahive Memorial Scholarship, established by the Grand Haven Area Community Foundation, honors a dedicated law enforcement officer who tragically lost his life in the line of duty. This scholarship supports local high school graduates pursuing degrees in criminal justice or law enforcement, with eligibility based on residency, academic performance, and intent to serve in the field. Applicants must submit transcripts and relevant documentation to be considered for this meaningful opportunity.

The Air Dominance Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) invites proposals for research aimed at enhancing national security through scientific study and experimentation. Managed by the Air Force Research Laboratory, this unrestricted acquisition encourages small businesses to participate. Proposals must demonstrate substantive research results and comply with federal regulations, ensuring a competitive selection process. The BAA supports exploratory and advanced development programs, with a focus on practical applications and potential experimental testing.

About

Created by the community for the good of the community, the GLCCF is here to turn problems into opportunities through strategic grant making and initiatives created to address our region’s most pressing needs. We work with you to identify your charitable goals, and we ensure that they are carried out efficiently.

Work with us to make the kind of impact you want to see in your community. Let us take on the financial complexities and paperwork, while you focus on the important things like fostering good works throughout our community.

When you give to the Greater Lake City Community Foundation, you are making an investment that will benefit the community, now and in the future.

GLCCF Personal Services Scholarship

To award annually a scholarship to a qualified applicant who intends to further his/her education toward obtaining training to work in the Personal Services area.

FCA Foundation Scholarship

Award:

• One time award of $5,000. 

About Us

A Vibrant Region with Opportunity for All

Who We Are

The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties is a community-based social impact investor whose mission is to engage, invest, and lead—working toward a vision of community vibrancy with opportunity for all. Our team of experienced staff and dedicated trustees is committed to boldly leading and supporting transformational community investments. We channel charitable contributions from donors through nonprofit partners that are meeting current community needs and steward community resources responsibly to ensure greater capacity for the future.

No organization has all the answers, but together, with our partners and donors, we have the means and the will to chart a new course—one that will build upon generations of philanthropy and strengthen the fabric of Herkimer and Oneida counties.

Scholarship Opportunities

We help those seeking educational opportunities that will enrich their lives—and enhance our community.

Please note that scholarships administered by the Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties are awarded through a variety of different mechanisms, including by school district selection, public application, or through our community partners, such as Utica Dollars for Scholars.

Wallace S. and Janis J. Sweet/Westminster Presbyterian Church Memorial Scholarship

Awarded by Wallace S. and Janis J. Sweet/Westminster Presbyterian Church Memorial Scholarship Fund

A scholarship fund established through the generosity of many friends of the Sweet Family to help deserving students pay for expenses of an education beyond the high school level.

Candidates are identified by Utica Dollars for Scholars.

The Resilient Student Scholarship, established in 2023 by AIAA and Club for the Future, aims to support high school seniors pursuing STEM degrees at U.S. institutions. This $10,000 scholarship is designed for students facing unique challenges, including disabilities or socioeconomic hardships. Recipients will receive mentorship from AIAA professionals to guide them toward successful careers in aerospace, fostering a new generation of innovators in the field.

The AccessLex Bar Success Research Grant Program aims to fund innovative and rigorous studies focused on the bar examination, including predictors of performance and effective preparation methodologies. By encouraging collaborations among educational institutions and stakeholders, the program seeks to enhance bar passage rates for at-risk students. Grants ranging from $150,000 to $300,000 are available for projects lasting 12 to 24 months, promoting well-designed research that addresses critical issues in legal education.

The Equity in Mathematics Grant (PK-6) aims to enhance mathematics education for underrepresented student groups, addressing disparities linked to race, gender, and culture. Funded by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, this grant supports innovative classroom materials and lesson plans that focus on improving student achievement. Eligible applicants include classroom teachers and collaborative groups. The initiative seeks proposals that reflect best practices in mathematics education while fostering equity and inclusivity in learning environments.

The Promoting Cancer Surveillance Workforce initiative aims to enhance the capacity of cancer registrars through educational activities and collaborations with cancer partners. It focuses on improving data quality and completeness, ultimately strengthening NPCR registries' compliance with the Cancer Registries Amendment Act. By bolstering the workforce, the program seeks to promote effective cancer surveillance and ensure timely, accurate cancer data reporting. This strategic effort will contribute significantly to public health and cancer management.

Local Data for Equitable Communities CFP

This call for proposals (CFP) invites eligible nonprofit organizations in the U.S. to apply for a grant to collect, analyze, and use data to address inequities in the physical, economic, and social conditions of a place. Improving these conditions is key to achieving health equity where health is no longer a privilege, but a right. Structural racism is one of the leading barriers that results in inequities in conditions within and across communities. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) expects to award up to 30 grants of $50,000 each, with a period of performance of nine months. The Urban Institute, as the national coordinating center for this program, is collaborating with RWJF on program design, grantee support, and communications.

Local data can be valuable tools to make progress on building places that offer everyone the chance to be as healthy as possible. Community organizations and residents can use data to understand challenges, set priorities, advocate for what is important to them, and hold others accountable for promised changes.

The goals of the Local Data for Equitable Communities grant program are to:

• Inform public policy and improve the physical, social, and economic conditions of places
• Build local capacity to use data for action
• Strengthen the use of equitable data practices
• Document successful practices for more communities to learn from and adapt

Funding

• Type of Award: Awards funded under this opportunity will be structured as grants.
• Number of Awards: Up to 30 awards will be funded.
• Amount of Award: Each award will be up to and including $50,000.
• Award Duration: Awards will be nine months.

The John Lewis NIMHD Research Endowment Program aims to enhance research infrastructure and training at higher education institutions to address health disparities. Key objectives include improving physical infrastructure, acquiring research equipment, developing technical expertise, expanding academic science programs, and recruiting accomplished researchers. This limited competition invites applications from eligible organizations, with a rigorous peer-review process to ensure only high-quality proposals receive funding.

Stephen J. Roy Memorial Scholarship

The Stephen J. Roy Memorial Scholarship is available to high school seniors who reside in Larimer County and are interested in law, government, debate, or similar law-related educational activities.

Scholarship amount:

• $3,000

Number of awards:

• 1

Scholarship awards are one-time awards. The amount awarded to a selected recipient may be used for the cost of attendance. All scholarships will be paid directly to the recipient’s school and must be used for the upcoming academic year. Award disbursement is contingent upon the outside scholarship policies of a recipient’s college or university.

About Us

Marshfield Area Community Foundation, Inc. is a public, 501-C-3 charity. There are 30 community foundations in Wisconsin and more than 750 in the nation. The purpose of all community foundations is to accumulate charitable dollars that impact a specific geographic region in areas such as education, the arts, economic development, recreation, environmental protection, health care, and social services. They may be relatively small, as we are (assets of $14 million), or very large, as is the Greater Milwaukee Foundation (assets over $400 million).

Most people are familiar with private foundations, established by individuals, families, or corporations. Typically, in order to establish a private foundation, one has to have considerable wealth. You could say Community Foundations are much more democratic. We are, in a sense, an umbrella foundation containing many small foundations. We call those small foundations “funds.”

Marshfield Area Community Foundation Scholarships

The mission of the Marshfield Area Community Foundation is “Connecting people who care with causes that matter to enrich the quality of life in the Marshfield area”. Education is a valuable tool and a cause that matters to all of us. Through assisting students with financial support to receive an education, not only do students and the families of those students benefit, but also our community benefits, which further allows us to achieve our mission of enriching the quality of life in the Marshfield area.

Marc & Undine Cross Memorial Scholarship (2025)

The Level 2 Rural Outreach Grant, offered by the National Association of Realtors, supports initiatives aimed at addressing rural issues through collaboration with public and private stakeholders. Grants up to $7,500 are available for studies, events, and outreach efforts. Each association can receive one grant annually, and funds are distributed via reimbursement. Recipients must complete an evaluation form for their project, promoting effective advocacy and community engagement.

Grants for Research About Urban Communication Issues

Since our launch in 2005, the Urban Communication Foundation has provided awards and grants to dozens of distinguished scholars, researchers, and journalists to recognize and support provocative work that contributes in significant ways to the discourse around urban communication issues.

While most of our recipients hail from academia and journalism, we also encourage submissions from other practitioners whose work will lend new insights into the discipline, raise broader awareness of related socio-political, economic, and cultural concerns, or influence public policy.

The Michael Brill Research Award in Urban Communication

Sponsored by the Urban Communication Foundation and the Environmental Design Research Association

The Michael Brill Award for Urban Communication, Design, and Human Behavior supports innovative research that seeks to enhance the quality of community life by examining human communicative behavior in the context of the technologies and the physical environments in which those interactions occur. This research should address and connect theoretical perspectives from the fields of communication, design and the social sciences. Research supported by the Brill Grant may focus on how physical community places influence the mode, nature, and content of human communicative behavior OR use a communication lens for examining community places and human activity.

The Paul Lawson Memorial Aviation Scholarship is dedicated to supporting deserving students aged 15-25 from Maryland and West Virginia who are pursuing aviation lessons. Established in memory of Paul Lawson, this scholarship aims to empower young individuals to achieve their dreams in aviation. Offered by the Community Foundation of Washington County MD, it reflects the commitment of local families and organizations to enhance educational opportunities in the community.

The National Fellowship Program, offered by the Jefferson Scholars Foundation, invites Ph.D. candidates across various disciplines to apply. The program emphasizes the importance of scholarly leadership and aims to foster intellectual collaboration. Eligible candidates must be nearing completion of their dissertation or have a detailed two-year plan. The fellowship includes mentorship, networking opportunities, and participation in conferences, encouraging interdisciplinary dialogue and professional growth.

The Philip W. Sheridan-Tighe and Bond Scholarship Fund, administered by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, supports graduating high school seniors from Hampden and Hampshire Counties pursuing civil engineering at a four-year college. Applicants can receive up to $3,000 in scholarships, which may influence college financial aid. Eligibility extends to students enrolling in accredited post-secondary schools in the U.S., including those from diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Invest in Others

The Invest in Others 501(c)(3) Charitable Foundation amplifies, celebrates, and inspires the charitable work of the financial services community.

We provide a platform for financial professionals to make an impact on the causes they care about, channeling the philanthropy and volunteerism of the finance industry to make a difference where it’s needed most. We provide critical grant funding for nonprofits nationwide, helping fill gaps left by shrinking budgets and growing need.

Invest in Others Awards

About the Awards

The Invest in Others Awards recognize the charitable work of financial advisors and honors recipients at an annual awards gala in Boston.

Nominations are evaluated based on an advisor’s leadership, dedication, contribution, inspiration and impact on a nonprofit and the community it serves. Three finalists will be selected in each of the five categories with one recipient being chosen for each award.

Award finalists and recipients will receive grants from Invest in Others for their designated charities:

• Honorable mentions will receive $2,000
• Finalists in all five categories will receive $25,000
• Recipients in the Catalyst, Community Service, Emerging Impact, and Volunteer of the Year categories will receive $60,000
• The Lifetime Achievement Award recipient will receive $100,000

Community Service Award

Presented to an advisor who has made an outstanding impact on a community through leadership contributions to a nonprofit organization for at least 3 years. He or she has not only contributed to the long-term sustainability of the nonprofit, but also has an established record of motivating and inspiring others. This includes serving with distinction as a fundraiser, board member, or other executive position.

The Agnes and Margaret Macmillan Scholarship, established by the Saint Andrew's Society in New York, offers five annual scholarships worth $45,000 each. Aimed at fostering academic exchange, it supports US students studying in Scotland and Scottish students in the US. Candidates must demonstrate Scottish descent and reside in specific Northeastern states. This scholarship honors the legacy of Margaret 'Peggy' Macmillan, who significantly contributed to the fund in memory of her sister Agnes.

Invest in Others

The Invest in Others 501(c)(3) Charitable Foundation amplifies, celebrates, and inspires the charitable work of the financial services community.

We provide a platform for financial professionals to make an impact on the causes they care about, channeling the philanthropy and volunteerism of the finance industry to make a difference where it’s needed most. We provide critical grant funding for nonprofits nationwide, helping fill gaps left by shrinking budgets and growing need.

Invest in Others Awards

About the Awards

The Invest in Others Awards recognize the charitable work of financial advisors and honors recipients at an annual awards gala in Boston.

Nominations are evaluated based on an advisor’s leadership, dedication, contribution, inspiration and impact on a nonprofit and the community it serves. Three finalists will be selected in each of the five categories with one recipient being chosen for each award.

Award finalists and recipients will receive grants from Invest in Others for their designated charities:

• Honorable mentions will receive $2,000
• Finalists in all five categories will receive $25,000
• Recipients in the Catalyst, Community Service, Emerging Impact, and Volunteer of the Year categories will receive $60,000
• The Lifetime Achievement Award recipient will receive $100,000

Emerging Impact Award

Presented to an advisor 45 years of age or younger who is making a mark in their community through their outstanding commitment of time, talent, and resources to a nonprofit over a period of at least 3 years, demonstrating exceptional promise in what they have already contributed and paving the way for the future.

The Mary E. Wilsberg Scholarship, established in 1988 by Mary E. Wilsberg, supports Grand Haven or Spring Lake High School graduates pursuing graduate education, including PhD programs. The scholarship emphasizes academic excellence and community service, requiring a minimum GPA of 3.0. Financial need is not a priority for applicants, who must demonstrate involvement in their school and community. This scholarship simplifies the application process by allowing candidates to apply for multiple foundation scholarships with a single submission.