Best Craven County Grants for Nonprofits in North Carolina

T7 Social Impact GrantsThe T.D. Jakes Foundation (TDJF), in partnership with Wells Fargo, is proud to launch the Social Impact Grant Challenge, a transformative funding opportunity designed to identify, support, and amplify nonprofit organizations creating meaningful change in communities across the United States.

Designed around the T.D. Jakes Foundation's pillars of service (Educational Access & Workforce Readiness, financial inclusion, and community transformation and well-being), the Challenge seeks innovative nonprofit organizations that are addressing critical social issues through impactful, scalable, and sustainable solutions.

Finalists selected through this process will have the opportunity to showcase their organization through a live presentation at the inaugural Thriving Seven (T7) Summit, taking place November 12 –14 in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to competing for grant funding, finalists will gain national visibility for their work and connect with nonprofit leaders, funders, and changemakers from across the country.Grant Funding: A total of $1,500,000 in grant funding is anticipated to be awarded: 

• One (1) - $500,000 grant
• One (1) - $250,000 grant
• Two (2) - $100,000 grant
• Eleven (11) - $50,000 grant

PetSmart Charities

We’re proud to celebrate over 30 years of being the leading funder of animal welfare in communities across North America. Since 1994, we’ve granted over $600 million to change-making organizations that help transform the lives of pets and those who love them.

Our Mission: We make the world a better place for pets by investing in community partners that advocate and care for the well-being of pets and all who love them.

Adoption Growth Grants 

Purpose

Adoption Growth grants drive lifesaving outcomes by supporting successful, sustainable in-store adoption programs, events, and results in partnership with PetSmart stores.

Funding Support

Funding may be used for costs associated with building or enhancing your organization’s adoption program in partnership with PetSmart stores, including:

• Staff positions supporting in-store adoption programs and events.
• Marketing and advertising for in-store adoption programs.
• Volunteer or foster support, incentives, and recruitment related to in-store adoption events.
• Event supplies, including containment and enrichment materials.
• Shelter software and technology needs.
• Vehicle repairs or transportation to adoption events.
• Innovative in-store adoption ideas and pilot programs.
• Other costs directly associated with facilitating PetSmart adoptions and in-store events.

There are two Cohorts under this funding: Cohort 1-  Accelerating in-store adoptions; and Cohort 2: Capacity Building.

Cohort 1- Accelerating in-store Adoptions

Applicants must have completed 500 or more adoptions in a PetSmart store in the U.S. within the last 12 months.

Preference will be given to organizations that demonstrate a clear plan to expand an existing in-store adoption program or introduce new in-store adoption models that will increase adoptions.

Four Required Steps

Applicants must complete all four required steps below before submitting a grant application:

• Step 1 - Watch the kick-off video and complete the Adoption Accessibility Questionnaire
• Step 2 - Confirm eligibility and connect with your Adoptions Grant Manager: After completing the questionnaire, you will receive an email confirming your eligibility. Eligible partners will be invited to a call with their Adoptions Grant Manager to discuss the grant opportunity, expectations, and potential fit.
• Step 3 - Engage your PetSmart store partners: Discuss your intent to apply, align on goals, and gain their commitment to support the success of your in-store adoption program.
• Step 4-  Submit your application.

About Panorama GlobalPanorama Global is a social impact nonprofit that empowers changemakers through radical collaboration. We help our partners navigate the winding path from vision to impact. 

What We Do

• Collaboratives - Hosting and supporting collaborative efforts to achieve common goals.
• Fiscal Sponsorship - Financial and administrative support providing lean operating models to jumpstart projects.
• Funds - Philanthropic vehicles to manage and distribute funds that fuel global initiatives.

About  Innovative Postsecondary Models Fund

The Innovative Postsecondary Models (IPM) Fund supports innovative postsecondary education models that are rethinking how education is designed, delivered, financed, and assessed for learners in the United States.

The Fund is interested in innovations that benefit all learners, but especially learners whom the data show encounter the greatest obstacles to opportunity. The goal of this Fund is not only to provide funding to innovative models, but also to learn from selected grantees on how to reduce barriers to postsecondary access and increase student success outcomes to help inform the role philanthropy can play in supporting higher education innovation.

What We're Funding

We are seeking innovative postsecondary education models that demonstrate, or have the potential to demonstrate, meaningful improvements in how learners access, experience, and benefit from postsecondary education. We seek approaches with the potential to scale, influence the field, and inform how postsecondary education evolves nationally.

To help illustrate the types of innovations we hope to support, we have organized this opportunity around four broad themes. These themes reflect key dimensions of postsecondary innovation that have the potential to improve learner outcomes and inform broader systems change.

All four themes are grounded in a shared principle: student-centeredness. Truly innovative postsecondary models must be designed around learner needs, especially the needs of learners whom the data show face the greatest barriers to access and success in traditional postsecondary education.

Applicants are not expected to address all four themes, but should demonstrate strong alignment with at least one of the following:

Reimagining Instructional Design, Delivery, Assessment, and Student Support

• What success might look like:
  • Innovative instructional models improve student persistence, completion, and post-completion success, particularly for historically underserved learners, while maintaining or reducing costs.
  • Learners benefit from personalized, adaptive instruction and competency-based assessments that enable them to demonstrate and document skills in ways that are recognized by employers and other educational institutions.

Advancing Affordability and Financial Sustainability

• What success might look like:
  • Learners spend less overall, face reduced financial risk, and access high-quality education pathways that lead to credentials supporting economic mobility.
  • Successful models demonstrate affordability not only through reducing costs for learners, but also by maintaining or reducing the cost of delivering high-quality education through sustainable, efficient approaches.

Career and Workforce Alignment

• What success might look like:
  • Work and learning are more demonstrably connected and flexible, with evidence that skills are more directly tied to credentials and real career opportunities.

Removing Barriers for Underserved Learners

• What success might look like:
  • More learners from backgrounds and communities who the data show have faced the greatest barriers to accessing postsecondary education are able to access, complete, and benefit from high-quality credentials.