Search Through Cycling Grants in Ohio in the U.S.

Welcome

The McDonough Foundation started with one goal in mind…to improve the communities within West Virginia.

We strive to find creative ways to achieve our goal by supporting the nonprofits who need it most — those in rural WV with limited resources and challenges in finding networking opportunities that result in grant funding.

What We Fund

Grants will be made primarily in the area of social welfare and shall be tax-exempt organizations as designated under IRS Code, primarily 501(c)(3). Our main focus is basic human needs.

Social Welfare shall be those organizations whose primary function is to serve the general welfare requirements of people whose circumstances in life require that they receive financial or social aid to improve their quality of life. 

When We Fund

We fund grant applications on a rolling cycle and do not have a specific grant deadline. Applicants may only receive funding one time during a calendar year. 

Our Story

Serving our communities has always been an important piece of GPD Group’s culture. From volunteer relationships with local organizations around our offices to holiday giving programs, we have always believed that it is our responsibility to give back to the communities that have given us so much.

In 2014, GPD Group took our desire to give back to the next level and created “The GPD Employees’ Foundation,” a 501©(3) that focused on bettering the lives of children in our communities. Our Foundation awards grants to K-12 public schools that enrich the educational experience of all students and to local non-profit organizations that support children who are at-risk or who live with special and medical needs.

We believe that by focusing our efforts on improving the lives of children, we are, in turn, making a long-term commitment to the future of the communities we serve.

Due to our strong family values, we place a high value involving ourselves within the communities we live in and serve.

Mission

To encourage the enrichment of the public education experience for K-12 students and to support at-risk children or those with medical and special needs in the communities we serve.

Background

We are constantly inspired by the sheer number of great organizations and hard-working educators out there working hard to make a difference. While we wish we could give to everyone, it is important that we allocate our money to causes and people who align with our mission and who match the interests of our employees. Additionally, we know that our applicants are busy, and we don’t want anyone to waste time applying for a grant that does not align. 

Types of Programs We Fund

• Learning technology
• Special needs day camps
• STEAM programs
• Literacy programs
• Animal assisted therapy
• Hospital therapy programs
• Classroom supplies
• Art programs
• At-risk youth programs
• Field trips
• Foster care support
• Robotics
• Hygiene closets
• ADA assistance
• Music therapy
• Food programs
• Life skills programs
• …and more!

Funding Focus For the 2022-2026 Open/Unsolicited Grant Cycle we look to support organizations which use Nature to Strengthen, Nurture, and Heal the Soul. Starting with the 2025 funding cycle, we will focus on applicants providing programming within the following 3 counties: Santa Barbara County and Los Angeles County in California and Franklin County in Ohio.Additionally, we are interested in supporting collaborative efforts in the Los Angeles and Long Beach areas, focused on increasing residents access to green spaces.Our History In 2006, upon the sale of the family business (Adams Rite Manufacturing Co.), Peter Adams and his wife Rebecca funded the Adams Legacy Foundation to share with others the gifts with which they had been blessed. The original goal of the foundation was twofold; to foster a commitment to philanthropy in their heirs and succeeding generations and to support organizations important to family members’ communities. As the Foundation developed, it started to fund in 5-year cycles to specific funding areas. As the next generation, and then the third, joined in the work, a common focus developed. Because of collective and individual experiences in nature - away from school, work, and the din of 21st-century life; the power of Nature and how it impacts people’s lives for the better has become our focus. The founders of the foundation and their families understand how critical being in nature is for personal development and inner peace. The Foundation continues to be inspired by organizations who work to provide the healing benefits of nature to different populations. 

Trust Overview

The Trust for Civic Life is a cross-ideological team of philanthropy and private sector funders making critical investments in the communities that will define the future of the country.

The Trust runs two grantmaking cycles every year:

• Civic Hub Grants and Civic Experiment Grants.

Through a community-led nomination process, local leaders help us identify and direct resources where they are needed most. This process leads to faster, more effective investments that can drive meaningful progress in our local communities.

Civic Experiment Grant

Civic Experiment Grant grants are for individuals and small organizations leading experimental new programs that get their community actively participating in shaping a community vision, identifying challenges, and working together to solve them.

Civic Experiment grant funding goes toward specific programs.

What we look for

The Trust for Civic Life funds a wide range of non-partisan entrepreneurs, programs, organizations and innovative digital leaders who play a key role in their local and regional civic ecosystems. Selection is informed by these key characteristics:

• Embedded in Community: Lives within the communities they serve.
• Rural Focus: Focuses on rural communities specifically in the Black Belt, Central Appalachia, Tribal Lands, Southwest Border, and communities in transition in the rural U.S.
• Community-Led Action: Leads or supports community members to identify problems and work toward solutions.
• Inclusive: Brings together the voices, views, experiences, and participation of the entire community.
• Community Champions: Identifies and celebrates the solutions, innovations, and programs doing great work.
• Bridge Builders: Builds and strengthens community networks by regranting, connecting people to resources, supporting new ideas, leveraging digital tools, and working across sectors.
• Long Lasting: Focuses on programs that create long-lasting civic infrastructure and a thriving community that all residents feel welcome to participate in.

Funding

• Grants Available: ~100
• Grant Amount: Up to $25,000

Conservation Stewardship Program

The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) helps you build on your existing conservation efforts while strengthening your operation.

Whether you are looking to improve grazing conditions, increase crop resiliency, or develop wildlife habitat, we can custom design a CSP plan to help you meet those goals. We can help you identify natural resource problems in your operation and provide technical and financial assistance to solve those problems or attain higher stewardship levels in an environmentally beneficial and cost-effective manner.

How It Works

If you are already taking steps to improve the condition of the land, chances are, CSP can help you find new ways to meet your goals.

NRCS works one-on-one with producers to develop a conservation plan that outlines and enhances existing efforts, using new conservation practices or activities, based on management objectives for your operation. Producers implement practices and activities in their conservation plan that expands on the benefits of cleaner water and air, healthier soil and better wildlife habitat, all while improving their agricultural operations.

For example, if you have been planting a cover crop, you may decide to try an enhancement for a multi species cover crop or implement a deep-rooted cover crop to break up soil compaction and further improve the health of your soil.

CSP offers annual payments for implementing these practices on your land and operating and maintaining existing conservation efforts. Want to take it a step further? CSP also offers bundles where you can select a suite of enhancements and receive a higher payment rate.

Benefits

CSP is for working lands and is the largest conservation program in the United States. Thousands of people voluntarily enroll in the program because it helps them enhance natural resources and improve their business operation.

CSP participants are seeing real results.  Some of these benefits include:

• Enhanced resiliency to weather and market volatility
• Decreased need for agricultural inputs
• Improved wildlife habitat conditions

CSP Contracts

The program represents a genuine commitment to conservation – CSP contracts are for five years, with the opportunity to compete for a contract renewal if you successfully fulfill the initial contract and agree to achieve additional conservation objectives. An NRCS conservation planner will work closely with you, throughout the entire contract process.

Contract payments are based on two components:

• Payments to maintain the existing level of conservation, based on the land uses included in the contract and an NRCS assessment of existing stewardship at the time of enrollment, and
• Payments to implement additional conservation activities.

NRCS may provide a minimum annual payment of $1,500 in any year the Chief determines the total contract payment amount is below a base level.

Ohio Priority Resource Concern Categories

• Ag land ranking pools
  • Wind and Water Erosion
  • Soil Quality Limitations
  • Degraded Plant Condition
  • Terrestrial Habitat
  • Concentrated Erosion
  • Field Pesticide Loss
  • Livestock Production Limitation
  • Field Sediment, Nutrient and Pathogen Loss
• NIPF ranking pools
  • Wind and Water Erosion
  • Soil Quality Limitations
  • Degraded Plant Condition
  • Terrestrial Habitat
  • Concentrated Erosion
  • Aquatic Habitat
  • Fire Management
  • Pest Pressure

EQIP

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is NRCS’ flagship conservation program that helps farmers, ranchers and forest landowners integrate conservation into working lands.

EQIP provides technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers and forest landowners to address natural resource concerns, such as:

• Improved water and air quality;
• Conserved ground and surface water;
• Increased soil health;
• Reduced soil erosion and sedimentation;
• Improved or created wildlife habitat; and
• Mitigation against drought and increasing weather volatility.

How It Works

NRCS works one-on-one with producers to develop a conservation plan that outlines conservation practices and activities to help solve on-farm resource issues. Producers implement practices and activities in their conservation plan that can lead to cleaner water and air, healthier soil and better wildlife habitat, all while improving their agricultural operations. EQIP helps producers make conservation work for them. Financial assistance for practices may be available through EQIP.  Some producers may also qualify for advance payment.

Benefits

Some of these benefits include:

• Reduced contamination from agricultural sources, such as animal feeding operations.
• Efficient use of nutrients, reducing input costs and reduction in nonpoint source pollution.
• Improved soil health, which mitigates against increasing weather volatility, improves drought resiliency and can positively affect climate change.
• Implementation of climate-smart practices that improve carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions while building resilient landscapes.

Ohio Funding Opportunities

Cropland: This category addresses soil erosion and water quality resource concerns on cropland and adjacent incidental areas and managed on a regional basis.

Forestry: This category assists producers with non-industrial private forest land address resource concerns on land used for producing forest-related products.

Grazing: This category assists producers that have a pasture operation to address natural resource concerns related to the growing, raising, or reproducing of livestock.

Animal Feeding Operation: This category assists producers with confined livestock to address resource concerns related to the storage, treatment, and management of animal waste.

Wildlife Habitat Conservation: This category promotes habitat conservation for at-risk wildlife species, including restoring, developing, or enhancing wildlife habitat.

High Tunnels: This category assists producers to extend the growing season, improve plant and soil quality, reduce nutrient and pesticide transportation, improve air quality through reduced transportation inputs, and reduce energy use by providing consumers with a local source of fresh produce.

Historically Underserved: This fund category is for applicants meeting the definition of Beginning Farmer/Rancher or Veteran Farmer/Ranchers who also meet the Beginning Farmer/Rancher definition. This category also assists limited resource producers and socially disadvantaged producers address resource concerns.

Conservation Practice (CPA): A Conservation Practice Activity (CPA) developed by a non-NRCS individual or entity identifies conservation practices needed to address a specific natural resource need, typically for land transitioning to organic production, grazing land, or forest land, or for specific resource needs such as nutrient management.

On-Farm Energy: This category assists producers identify ways to reduce energy use on their farms and to implement various recommended measures using conservation practices that address inefficient use of on-farm energy. A screening tool is required to be ranked in this category. This initiative only offers assistance for 128 Conservation Activity Plans-Ag Energy Management Plans (AgEMPs) and certain energy conservation practices.

Organic Initiative: This category assists organic producers implement a broad set of conservation practices to address resource concerns. A screening tool is required to be ranked in this category. This initiative is further divided to rank certified organic operations and transitioning to organic operations separately. Producers exempt from certification are considered under the transitioning category.

Working Lands for Wildlife: This category targets conservation efforts to improve agricultural and forest productivity which enhance wildlife habitat on working landscapes. Target species are used as barometers for success because their habitat needs are representative of healthy, functioning ecosystems where conservation efforts benefit a much broader suite of species.

Statewide Urban Agriculture Initiative: This category assists people in urban areas across Ohio establish urban agriculture practices to give people an opportunity to grow fresh vegetables longer while managing water and pests effectively.

Cleveland/Akron Urban Agriculture Initiative: This category assists people in the Greater Cleveland area establish urban agriculture practices to give people an opportunity to grow fresh vegetables longer while managing water and pests effectively.

Cincinnati Urban Agriculture Initiative: This category assists people in the Greater Cincinnati area establish urban agriculture practices to give people an opportunity to grow fresh vegetables longer while managing water and pests effectively.

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI): GLRI protects and restores watersheds to combat invasive species, protect watersheds and shorelines, reduce non-point source pollution, and restore wetlands and other habitat areas. This GLRI project is for producers in Ohio’s Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB) in the following sub watershed: Blanchard, Lower Maumee, Upper Auglaize, Cedar-Portage, Sandusky, St. Marys, Ottawa, St. Joseph, Tiffin, and Upper Maumee.

Northern Bobwhite In Grasslands: This category assists eligible producers implement conservation practices to address habitat loss without taking land out of production. 

WLEB Tri-State Initiative Special Project: This category assists WLEB producers implement a broad set of conservation practices to address water quality concerns. A screening worksheet is required in this category. To be eligible for this initiative, you must be located in Ohio WLEB counties identified on the project map.

Oak Management Special Project: The project will assist woodland owners implement conservation measures recommended by foresters. The project area includes the Wayne National Forest and Ohio State Forests, as well as privately held forest land in Adams, Athens, Gallia, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Scioto, Vinton, Morgan, Monroe, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pike, Ross and Washington Counties.

Conservation Enhancement and Outreach Special Project: The project is designed to assist landowners implement conservation practices to protect natural resources while enhancing pasture, crop, and forestland through targeted funding in Morgan and Guernsey Counties.

Pasture Improvement Special Project: The project is designed to assist landowners implement conservation practices through progressive planning on pasture land in Adams, Athens, Fayette, Gallia, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Pike, Scioto, and Vinton Counties.

Southern Ohio Appalachian Outreach Special Project: The project will promote best management practices in Adams, Athens, Coshocton, Gallia, Guernsey, Harrison, Highland, Jackson, Jefferson, Lawrence, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pike, Scioto, Vinton, and Washington Counties.  Special emphasis will be placed on grassland management, planned grazing systems, nutrient management and winter-feeding management to address water quality and soil erosion concerns. 

Mississippi River Basin Initiative (MRBI): This project will assist agricultural producers to protect and improve water quality in the Headwaters of Loramie Creek Watershed(s).

National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI): This project will assist agricultural producers to protect and improve water quality in the Gladys, Solomon, and Five Mile Watersheds.

The Encova Foundations

We support local causes that are strategically managed and mirror the values and interests of our associates, agents and policyholders. We commit to causes greater than ourselves and partner with organizations that truly transform lives.The Encova foundations focus on improving communities and families, promoting education and encouraging wellness. Embedded in our focus is a commitment to helping children succeed, improving our communities and supporting industry initiatives.

Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR)

The history of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is rich and varied, beginning with its creation by the Ohio Legislature in 1949.

At that time, the department was charged with the responsibility of formulating and putting into execution a long-term comprehensive plan for the development and wise use of the natural resources of the state, to the end that the health, happiness and wholesome enjoyment of life of the people of Ohio may be further encouraged.

A department of incredible diversity, ODNR owns and manages more than 800,000 acres of land, including 75 state parks, 24 state forests, 140 state nature preserves and 150 wildlife areas. The department also has jurisdiction over more than 120,000 acres of inland waters; 7,000 miles of streams; 481 miles of Ohio River; and 2.25 million acres of Lake Erie. In addition, ODNR licenses all hunting, fishing and watercraft in the state and the department is responsible for overseeing and permitting all mineral extraction, monitoring dam safety, managing water resources, mapping the state's major geologic structures and mineral resources and providing multiple outdoor grant programs to local communities.

Each division and office is unique in how they operate to fulfill the main mission of ODNR. The ODNR Division of Wildlife receives more than 97% of its funding through the sale of licenses, permits, federal reimbursements and donations. With the increase in oil and gas production since 2012, the ODNR Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management has grown from a staff of 44 to more than 130, including inspectors, engineers, geologists and hydrogeologists. Divisions and offices also change over time to improve efficiency. For example, in 2016 the Division of Parks and Recreation merged with the Division of Watercraft since they had overlapping responsibilities.

Natural Areas Research Grant - Allison Cusick and Daniel Rice Research Grant Program

The mission of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Natural Areas and Preserves (DNAP) is to preserve Ohio’s unique natural heritage by protecting and restoring our finest land and water resources for future generations.

The Allison Cusick and Daniel Rice Research Grant Program is named in honor of the Division’s first Chief Zoologist Daniel Rice and first Chief Botanist Allison Cusick, who have greatly contributed to the knowledge of Ohio’s flora and fauna.

The Research Grant Program funds research that will increase our understanding of Ohio’s aquatic and terrestrial biological resources and aid in their conservation. These resources include animals, plants, and fungi, and processes related to Ohio’s ecological systems.

Grant Objectives

• To obtain scientific information on Ohio’s habitats, geology and ecosystems.
• To learn more about the occurrence, distribution, and ecology of the plants, fungi and animals in Ohio for education, conservation and science.

Examples of Projects

• Habitat use and reproduction of the spotted turtle in southwestern Ohio.
• A dendrological and successional analysis of the three major vegetation types of the Davey Woods State Nature Preserve, Champaign County, Ohio, with implications for management and preservation.
• Inventory of Carolina willow (Salix caroliniana) in southwestern Ohio.
• Mapping non-native invasive plants for setting management priorities at Hueston Woods State Nature Preserve, Butler County, Ohio.
• A survey of Unionid mussel species of the Grand River’s Wild and Scenic sections.

Evaluation Criteria

• Project supports mission and objectives of DNAP.
• Methods, timeline and budget are reasonable.
• Proposal is well written and concise.

Funding

Grant requests may be made for up to $5,000.

About Us

Angela and Scott Crabill founded the Crabill Family Foundation in late 2018. We have focused much of our giving in our hometowns of Springfield, Ohio, and San Francisco, CA. We have supported organizations whose work aims to ensure access to healthcare, education, housing, and to enriching arts opportunities.

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

What is the Mission of the Joyce Foundation?

The Joyce Foundation invests in policies to advance racial equity and economic mobility for the next generation in the Great Lakes region.

Journalism Grants

The brief description below explains our approaches to supporting journalism and the types of projects we seek to fund as part of our current strategy.

Our Approach

The Joyce Foundation’s Journalism program invests in independent, nonpartisan reporting to help illuminate what Joyce identifies as the most important issues shaping the future of the Great Lakes region, and to inform fact-based policies and other measures needed to solve them. A strong and inclusive news and information system is a pillar of our democracy, smart decision-making, accountability for our leadership, and cohesion in our communities. We define the Great Lakes region as Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Community Grants 

The Foundation’s Board of Trustees seeks to respond to current community needs through this Community Grant process. Since the Foundation’s mission is broad, it enjoys supporting a variety of projects the improve the quality of life in the Tri-State. Special priority shall be placed on projects that:

• Enhance a non-profit’s capacity. Examples include improving internal management, reducing operating costs, etc.
• Test or demonstrate new approaches and techniques to solve important community problems.

Organizations may submit only one application per funding cycle for a Foundation Community Grant. Awards will be made twice a year, in the spring and fall. 

Trust Overview

The Trust for Civic Life is a cross-ideological team of philanthropy and private sector funders making critical investments in the communities that will define the future of the country.

The Trust runs two grantmaking cycles every year:

• Civic Hub Grants and Civic Experiment Grants.

Through a community-led nomination process, local leaders help us identify and direct resources where they are needed most. This process leads to faster, more effective investments that can drive meaningful progress in our local communities.

Civic Hub Grant

Civic Hub grants are for organizations that play an important role in bringing people together across different communities and sectors to create shared vision, solutions and distribute resources. We welcome you to nominate organizations that align with our Civic Hub grant focus and criteria. Civic Hubs are locally embedded groups that rally community members together around a shared vision, create the capacity and opportunities for people to gather and collaborate, and distribute resources where they are needed most.

​​Our Civic Hub grants will focus strongly on our priority regions (Black Belt, Central Appalachia, Southern Border, and Tribal Lands), with a portfolio target of ~75% from these regions and ~25% from other rural communities in transition

What we look for

The Trust for Civic Life funds a wide range of non-partisan entrepreneurs, programs, organizations and innovative digital leaders who play a key role in their local and regional civic ecosystems. Selection is informed by these key characteristics:

• Embedded in Community: Lives within the communities they serve.
• Rural Focus: Focuses on rural communities specifically in the Black Belt, Central Appalachia, Tribal Lands, Southwest Border, and communities in transition in the rural U.S.
• Community-Led Action: Leads or supports community members to identify problems and work toward solutions.
• Inclusive: Brings together the voices, views, experiences, and participation of the entire community.
• Community Champions: Identifies and celebrates the solutions, innovations, and programs doing great work.
• Bridge Builders: Builds and strengthens community networks by regranting, connecting people to resources, supporting new ideas, leveraging digital tools, and working across sectors.
• Long Lasting: Focuses on programs that create long-lasting civic infrastructure and a thriving community that all residents feel welcome to participate in.

Funding

• Grants Available: 20-25
• Grant Amount: $250,000-$500,000

Thanks to the generosity of individuals, families, and businesses, our Foundation administers several opportunities for nonprofits in our region to apply for financial support. Each opportunity is unique. This is because the donors who established the funds have thoughtfully constructed areas of focus and parameters for support to fulfill their own visions for improving the quality of life in our community.

Community Action Grants

Twice a year the Foundation's competitive grant process matches community needs with grants available from the Foundation's Unrestricted and Field of Interest Funds.

Generally, the largest grant that will be considered is 20,000. Requests for more than $20,000 may be considered for projects that are highly collaborative or have regional broad-scale impact; you must contact the Foundation prior to submitting a request in excess of $20,000.

What are the PACF’s Funding Priorities?

Community Action Grants are made in the fields of:

• Arts and Culture,
• Education,
• Health and Human Services,
• Recreation,
• Youth and Family Services, and
• Community and Economic Development.

The Foundation focuses on:

• Capital and Equipment Projects,
• Program Development,
• Capacity Building, and
• Operating Support.

Eligibility criteria differ based on the type of support requested, so please review the following descriptions carefully.

Capital and Equipment

Support the renovation or construction of facilities, purchase of major equipment, major repairs to facilities.

Program Development

Support the development of new services or programs designed to respond to unmet community needs and the expansion of existing programs to serve new audiences.

Capacity Building

Support projects that provide an organization with technical assistance and/or training to be able to more effectively meet their mission and/or provide services.

Operating Support

Support projects designed to: Increase financial stability (Type 1); Help a strong organization increase its capacity (Type 2). The Foundation expects to award only a limited number of operating support grants each grant cycle.

Funding Priorities

Priority is given to projects that serve communities where the PACF and its affiliates are the only community foundation in operation. Priority counties for Foundation support are: Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Ritchie, Roane, Wirt and Wood Counties in West Virginia.

Priority is given to projects that:

• have significant impact on the people and communities served by the applicant organization;
• reach new audiences, expand existing programs or services, or respond to emerging needs;
• strengthen the organization’s capacity to deliver its services and meet community needs;
• are well-planned and can reasonably be achieved;
• have a matching grant opportunity or seek a matching grant to leverage more funding;
• have limited access to other sources of support; 

Our Mission

The Cyrus Eaton Foundation seeks to advance sustainable environments, social justice, cultural enrichment, and peaceful coexistence.

Cyrus Eaton Foundation Grant

We only consider grant proposals for efforts in the following categories:  

• sustainable environments
• social justice
• cultural enrichment
• peaceful coexistence

 We typically fund organizations that: 

• are small or newly-established
• are innovative
• lack support from larger funders

Funding

The Cyrus Eaton Foundation typically distributes approximately $160,000 over two funding cycles per year. Grants range from $1000 to $5000. In rare circumstances we may be able to consider “High Impact Grants” of $5000 to $15,000.

About GIG Fund

The GIG Fund is a grant of $2,000-4,000 that supports creative projects and educational events in the Midwest. These funds help organizations present artists in their community by supporting programming and touring costs.

The GIG Fund provides flexible grants for nonprofit organizations to support programs and activities featuring professional artists. GIG Fund grants help cover fees for touring or local artists. Funds may also be used for project costs such as accessibility accommodations and marketing. We work with a panel to help us review applications and distribute grants annually.

GIG Fund

Flexible support to help arts and culture organizations grow their capacity, fund artist engagements, and build community.

What is the GIG Fund?

The GIG Fund is a grant of $2,000-4,000 that supports creative projects and educational events in the Midwest. These funds help organizations present artists in their community by supporting programming and touring costs. The GIG Fund is a grant that supports Midwestern organizations that want to contract with a professional artist to offer activities to their community. 

Matching requirement

Organizations will be required to demonstrate matching funds on a 1:1 basis for the grant amount.

To demonstrate the match, your expenses should each be at least double your GIG Fund grant. Potential sources for the match include salaries and wages, in-kind contributions, volunteer hours, earned and contributed revenue (donations, ticket sales, other non-Federal grants), or cash from the applicant or partner organizations.

Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR)

The history of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is rich and varied, beginning with its creation by the Ohio Legislature in 1949.

At that time, the department was charged with the responsibility of formulating and putting into execution a long-term comprehensive plan for the development and wise use of the natural resources of the state, to the end that the health, happiness and wholesome enjoyment of life of the people of Ohio may be further encouraged.

A department of incredible diversity, ODNR owns more than 618,000 acres of land and manages an additional 201,000 acres. This includes 76 state parks, 24 state forests, 147 state nature preserves and 189 wildlife areas. The department also has jurisdiction over more than 120,000 acres of inland waters; 7,000 miles of streams; 481 miles of Ohio River; and 2.25 million acres of Lake Erie. In addition, ODNR licenses all hunting, fishing and watercraft in the state and the department is responsible for overseeing and permitting all mineral extraction, monitoring dam safety, managing water resources, mapping the state's major geologic structures and mineral resources and providing multiple outdoor grant programs to local communities.

Each division and office is unique in how they operate to fulfill the main mission of ODNR. The ODNR Division of Wildlife receives more than 97% of its funding through the sale of licenses, permits, federal reimbursements and donations. With the increase in oil and gas production since 2012, the ODNR Division of Oil and Gas Resources Management has grown from a staff of 44 to more than 130, including inspectors, engineers, geologists and hydrogeologists. Divisions and offices also change over time to improve efficiency. For example, in 2016 the Division of Parks and Recreation merged with the Division of Watercraft since they had overlapping responsibilities.

RTP Storybook Trail Grant

A Storybook Trail is an outdoor trail lined with pages from a children’s book to blend the fun of outdoor exploration with reading. The Recreational Trails Program is offered annually through ODNR. This is a reimbursement grant program that provides up-to-80 percent of project funding. This grant program is federally funded and is administered by the ODNR in cooperation with the FHWA. 

The following types of projects are eligible for RTP funding: 

• New recreational trail construction (non-motorized and motorized)
• Trail maintenance/restoration
• Trailside and trailhead facilities (for example, parking, restrooms, potable water, etc.)
• Purchase/lease of recreational trail construction and maintenance equipment
• Acquisition of easements and property for recreational trails or recreational trail corridors
• Educational programs promoting trail safety and environmental protection (These projects cannot exceed 5 percent of Ohio’s annual RTP apportionment.)

Funding

This grant cycle will make $50,000 available, specifically for Storybook Trails. Each applicant can request up to $10,000 with a minimum request of $5,000 per eligible project scope.

Health Foundation of Greater Massillon Fall Grant Cycle Grant

Founded in 1999, Health Foundation of Greater Massillon (HFGM) invests in innovative health and wellness programs and initiatives in Western Stark, Northern Tuscarawas and Eastern Wayne counties. Since its inception, HFGM has awarded more than $3 million to local organizations focused on improving the health and wellness of individuals and families in our community. Guided by a board of local active and retired business professionals, HFGM evaluates grant proposals from organizations twice a year.

Since its inception, Health Foundation of Greater Massillon (HFGM) has awarded more than $3 million in charitable grants to local organizations to improve the health and wellness of individuals and families in our community. HFGM incentivizes area youth to become involved in building a healthier community through its Community Giving High School Volunteer Program. Students from area high schools who participate in the annual program receive a grant from HFGM to develop and execute a community activism project that addresses a health-related issue in our community.

Process for Consideration of Grant Proposals

HFGM seeks to encourage ideas and proposals from the health and wellness sector. Proposals must demonstrate well-planned programs and activities that promote physical, emotional and mental health. Proposals must directly impact one or more of the following service areas:

• Western Stark County
• Beach City
• Bethlehem Township
• Brewster
• Canal Fulton
• East Greenville
• Jackson Township
• Lawrence Township
• Massillon
• Navarre
• North Lawrence
• Perry Township
• Richville
• Sugarcreek Township
• Tuscarawas Township
• Wilmot
• Northern Tuscarawas County
• Bolivar
• Strasburg
• Eastern Wayne County
• Dalton
• Orrville
• Wooster

Greater Cincinnati Foundation

Greater Cincinnati Foundation’s mission is to connect generous people with trusted nonprofits to create a vibrant tri-state region where every person has a fair opportunity to thrive.

As the region's leading community foundation, it’s our role to act as a partner, funder, and connector – creating trusted relationships with generous people, nonprofits and community stakeholders to improve quality of life across the region. Since 1963, we have been inspired by your passion and generosity – it fuels our work. Together, we’re making investments in arts and culture, education, housing affordability, health care, job creation, environmental sustainability, human services and more.

Vibrant Places: Community & Cultural Vibrancy 

Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF) invites your organization to partner with us to create a Greater Cincinnati where every person has a fair opportunity to thrive.

Our grantmaking in Community & Cultural Vibrancy focuses on two key areas: promoting healthy people and cultivating vibrant places. We believe that a strong community is built through equitable access to resources, arts & culture, and spaces that connect and uplift residents. For the 2025 Vibrant Places: Community & Cultural Vibrancy RFP cycle, GCF has approximately $500,000 available and grants will be awarded for up to $25,000.  Vibrant Places: Community & Cultural Vibrancy RFP funding will be made available annually. However, organizations that are awarded funding are not eligible to apply the following year.

Funding Focus 

All residents should have access to the resources they need to live full, stable and healthy lives. GCF will invest in safe public spaces, accessible parks, arts and culture and resident–led programs to strengthen individual and community well-being. To drive this impact, we invest in:

• Strengthening community spaces and cultural institutions that bring people together.
• Creating and fostering safe neighborhoods through sustained community engagement.

Use of Funds

Funding may be used to support, expand, or strengthen existing programs, enact capital improvements, launch a new program or build organizational capacity. Collaboration between well-aligned organizations is highly favored.

George L. and Genevieve D. Moore of Aurora, Ohio, had a great love for young people and the Aurora community. Within their estate plan, the Moore Family Fund, now administered by the Portage Foundation, was established with a scholarship component and the following  documented use of the trust (fund):

• For young people with the intention that the income be used for public and charitable purposes in providing or subsidizing non-tax supported programs in the areas of educational, informative, and recreational nature for or on behalf of the young people of Aurora and neighboring communities.

In addition to supporting non-profit programs, the Moore Family Fund provides annual scholarships for Aurora HS seniors.

Proposal Guidelines

The George L. and Genevieve D. Moore Family Fund is administered by The Portage Foundation, with funds held at KeyBank.  Both the Portage Foundation and KeyBank are interested in learning more about needs in the community and potential grant requests that relate to the use of this fund.  Currently, Moore Fund scholarships are awarded to Aurora High School seniors who are pursuing their education beyond high school. We welcome additional ideas regarding potential grant projects that meet the guidelines of the Moore Family Fund.

The Foundation looks favorably upon requests which offer new approaches to solving community problems and/or create opportunities to collaborate, and that are sustainable.

Proposals must align with the guidelines established by the Moore Family Fund and will be reviewed with input from the Moore Advisors, the Portage Foundation Grants Committee, Portage Foundation Executive Committee and Board of Trustees and officers from KeyBank.

Special Grant Cycle Request for Proposals

To allow for distribution of available grant funds, the Portage Foundation has opened a Special Grant Cycle for the Moore Family Fund. We invite all area non-profits to complete an online application for consideration.

The AES Ohio Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation established in 1985 to invest in our communities and contribute to the improvement of the overall quality of life. The AES Ohio Foundation is the largest corporate foundation in the Dayton region in which every dollar is distributed locally. Grants are strategically focused at improving quality of life, enhancing sustainability of organizations, and engaging volunteerism in area partner organizations.

The AES Ohio Foundation focuses its contributions in the following strategic areas:

• Fueling poverty reduction
• Accelerating workforce development
• Supporting economic development and arts
• Investing in diversity, equity and inclusion

Funding priorities

The AES Ohio Foundation is dedicated to addressing basic needs within our community including food, housing, clothing, and improved health outcomes. We recognize that supporting education, employment readiness and investing in performing arts, visual and broadcast media significantly fosters a more vibrant community. We are leaders in creating a more diverse, equitable and inclusive community through investments that eliminate barriers for individuals who are striving to improve their own lives and support their families.

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. 

Greater Cincinnati Foundation

Greater Cincinnati Foundation’s mission is to connect generous people with trusted nonprofits to create a vibrant tri-state region where every person has a fair opportunity to thrive.

As the region's leading community foundation, it’s our role to act as a partner, funder, and connector – creating trusted relationships with generous people, nonprofits and community stakeholders to improve quality of life across the region. Since 1963, we have been inspired by your passion and generosity – it fuels our work. Together, we’re making investments in arts and culture, education, housing affordability, health care, job creation, environmental sustainability, human services and more.

Building Bright Futures: Education

GCF is excited about our bold new vision for Education partnerships and this inaugural Building Bright Futures grant cycle launch.

Funding Focus

Every child deserves a bright future where they are empowered to succeed and thrive. Meaningful change in student outcomes to realize this future will require innovative and evidence-based solutions. Applications should explicitly address how your organization supports work to ensure every child and young adult is cultivating a future of limitless potential.

Use of Funds

Funding may be used to support efforts to launch a new program, expand or strengthen existing programs, enact capital improvements, build organizational capacity, or for general operating support.