Best Grants for Mentoring Programs in District of Columbia

Nonprofit organizations providing high-quality out-of-school-time mentoring, tutoring, and youth programs in the District of Columbia can apply for the DC Out of School Time Program, with awards up to US $350,000. Funding from the District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education supports after-school and summer programs serving at-risk and other targeted youth populations.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations running youth education, mentoring, and career pathway programs for underserved populations in the District of Columbia can seek flexible operating or capacity-building support from the Ceres Foundation. Funding prioritizes college access and success, career pathways, and family strengthening initiatives that deliver measurable outcomes for low-income, foster, homeless, justice-involved, and other disadvantaged youth.

Nonprofit organizations in the Washington, DC metro area supporting youth, children, and women with children facing long-term poverty can seek general operating support for mentoring, tutoring, and related services. Focused on human services, the Luther I. Replogle Foundation offers US $5,000 - US $10,000 grants, prioritizing innovative programs and organizations with expenses under $1,000,000.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations in the District of Columbia providing direct care or services to underprivileged children, the homeless, or the elderly can apply for Cloudbreak Foundation’s biannual grants, awarding US $5,000 - US $20,000 for specific projects. Youth programs offering tutoring, mentoring, or after-school support may be especially competitive.

Students ages 17–26 in the District of Columbia pursuing undergraduate, vocational, or trade education can access scholarship and mentoring support through the Pizza Hut Foundation’s mentorship program. Grants from Pizza Hut Foundation help tutoring and mentoring participants with higher education costs while requiring engagement in a 14-week guided mentorship experience.

Nonprofit and for-profit training providers offering IT and cybersecurity workforce development with mentoring in District of Columbia can access funding through the Training for Emerging Cyber Heroes (TECH) Force Grant, awarding up to US $200,000. The District of Columbia Department of Employment Services seeks a vendor to deliver certification-based training, financial literacy, supportive services, and job placement for youth ages 18–24.

501(c)(3) nonprofits in the District of Columbia that run youth mentoring, education, career development, or health and wellness programs can apply for Foot Locker Foundation’s Community Empowerment grants, awarding US $25,000 - US $100,000. Funding supports youth programming or capital improvements for organizations led by people of color serving under-resourced communities.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations in the Washington, DC region can apply for US $100,000 from Impact100 DC to implement projects in education, tutoring and mentoring, arts, environment, family support, or health and wellness. Grants from Impact100 DC help District of Columbia mentoring and tutoring programs serving historically marginalized residents expand or launch impactful initiatives.

Nonprofit and faith-based organizations, government agencies, universities, and private enterprises in the District of Columbia can receive support to provide transformative mentoring and family support for court-involved youth. The District of Columbia Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services funds mentorship programming inside its secure facilities and in community neighborhoods through the Credible Messenger Initiative.

Mayor’s Office on Volunteerism and Partnerships

The Mayor’s Office on Volunteerism and Partnerships – ServeDC (ServeDC), is the DC Commission on National and Community Service as such ServeDC provides oversight and support to applicants selected as sub-grantees. Oversight includes monitoring and programmatic site visits, fiscal monitoring, and reporting requirements. Support includes AmeriCorps trainings, program director meetings, and one-on-one technical assistance.

AmeriCorps State Formula Grant Competition

This application applies to Single State applicants operating only in the District of Columbia.

AmeriCorps Agency

ServeDC receives federal funding from AmeriCorps to support National Service programs in the District of Columbia, including the AmeriCorps State program. The mission of AmeriCorps is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic participation through service and volunteering. Through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and the Volunteer Generation Fund, AmeriCorps has helped to engage millions of citizens in meeting community and national challenges through service and volunteer action.

AmeriCorps grants are awarded to eligible organizations (see Eligible Applicants) proposing to engage AmeriCorps members in evidence-based interventions to strengthen communities. An AmeriCorps member is an individual who engages in community service through an approved national service position. Members may receive a living allowance and other benefits while serving. Upon successful completion of their service, members earn a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award from the National Service Trust that members can use to pay for higher education expenses or apply to qualified student loans. 

AmeriCorps

AmeriCorps is a National Service program funded by the federal government. Locally, ServeDC supports the AmeriCorps State program in Washington, DC. AmeriCorps projects address a combination of the national service priorities, meet critical needs of our nation, achieve national service goals, and address community problems. These include disaster services, economic opportunity, education, environmental stewardship, healthy futures, and veterans and military families. Within these focus areas programs may submit proposals that address specific problems of local communities. Full-time members who complete their service earn an Eli Segal AmeriCorps Education Award to pay for college, graduate school, or to pay back qualified student loans. Members who serve part-time receive a partial Award. Some AmeriCorps members may also receive a modest living allowance during their term of service.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations in the District of Columbia working on mentoring, workforce readiness, or affordable housing can access funding through the Neighborhood Builders Program. Grants from Bank of America Charitable Foundation help build nonprofit capacity while advancing income creation, financial resilience, small business support, and stable housing, alongside a two-year leadership development program for key leaders.

American College Of Sports Medicine Foundation Inc

ACSM is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world, with nearly 50,000 international, national and regional members and certified fitness professionals.

Our Mission: To educate and empower professionals to advance the science and practice of health and human performance.

GSSI Pathways in Sports Science Award | Graduate Student Research & Mentorship Award

GSSI celebrates the passion, resilience, and academic excellence of first-generation college students pursuing graduate degrees in exercise physiology, sports science, kinesiology, and/or sports nutrition. Designed to empower emerging leaders in the field, the award recognizes individuals who are breaking new ground, not only in their families but in the science of human performance.

In addition to research funding, to help promote professional development, award winners will receive one year of 1:1 mentorship from a GSSI scientist. Award winners will also receive complementary registration to ACSM’s 2027 Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, IN.

ACSM requires award winners to:   

• Submit official transcripts if selected as an award winner, 
• Attend the 2027 ACSM Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, IN. 
• Present funded research at a future ACSM Annual Meeting, and   
• Send ACSM a copy of any publications or presentations related to the funded research. 

Nonprofit organizations, school districts, public agencies, and higher education institutions expanding K-12 tutoring or mentoring supports in the District of Columbia can apply for the Community Collaboration Challenge, awarding US $5,000 - US $10,000. With a mission to strengthen student success, National Partnership for Student Success backs evidence-based tutoring, mentoring, coaching, and wraparound services pilots.

District of Columbia mentoring and youth programs can access funding through Ross Stores Foundation in the form of $300 - $500 store gift cards. Eligible 501(c)(3) organizations, schools, and government programs serving mostly low-income youth ages 3–24 may use cards only for school or professional clothing and accessories near Ross or dd’s DISCOUNTS locations.

Undergraduate students and recent graduates in public health-related fields can gain full-time, 10-week summer mentoring and career exposure through the Health Career Connection Internship, including opportunities for those from underrepresented and low-income backgrounds. With a mission to support diverse health career pathways, John Muir Health provides intensive, mentored experiences that may benefit aspiring mentors and mentees in District of Columbia programs.

High school, undergraduate, and medical students interested in healthcare careers can access mentoring support through John Muir Health’s CLIMB Near Peer Mentorship Program. District of Columbia tutoring and mentoring participants may be eligible for this year-long, multi-level virtual program that connects learners with medical students and offers opportunities to mentor high school students.

Emerging film composers working on feature-length narrative or documentary projects can receive approximately US $20,000 to cover score-related costs, including composer fees, musicians, equipment, engineering, and studio time. New Music USA provides U.S.-based artists, including those in the District of Columbia, with funding and high-impact mentorship that can support tutoring and mentoring components within their creative careers.

Students interested in legal education and mentoring experiences in District of Columbia can access a seven-week paid Josh Dubin Fellowship that combines professional development, legal research, and case analysis. With a mission to expand higher education access, Shawn Carter Scholarship Fund supports its current scholars through this immersive program plus additional scholarship aid for undergraduate study.

Students and recent graduates pursuing or preparing for PhD studies in AI or related fields can access intensive research and mentoring experience through the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence’s Predoctoral Young Investigators Program. Grants from Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence help District of Columbia tutoring and mentoring candidates gain hands-on research training, co-author publications, and receive guidance on graduate school pathways.

High school seniors in Conroe Independent School District planning full-time bachelor’s studies in business, engineering, or related fields can receive renewable scholarship support plus one-on-one mentorship. Bradley Family Foundation’s Jacob A. Bradley Memorial Scholarship emphasizes academic merit, financial need, character, leadership, and active participation in a multi-year mentoring relationship that supports students’ academic and career development.

With a mission to change the lives of children with cancer, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation provides District of Columbia tutoring and mentoring programs with POST summer research internships. Eligible undergraduate, master’s, and medical students can receive up to US $5,000 to work on pediatric oncology research projects under the guidance of experienced researchers.

High school seniors seeking mentoring-focused undergraduate scholarships in the District of Columbia can apply for $3,000 - $5,000 awards supporting two-year, four-year, or technical college study. Grants from Rotary Club of Milwaukee Community Tr pair financial aid with ongoing educational programming, mentorship, and support that can benefit students involved in tutoring and mentoring initiatives.

The Bergel Institute

The Bergel Institute is dedicated to the advancement of human knowledge and the human condition.

The Institute focuses on six major areas:

• Economics
• Science
• Technology
• Consciousness
• Health
• Culture

The common theme in all of the Institute’s work is the pursuit of what is possible. It brings a commitment to critical thinking and the questioning of accepted norms and approaches to issues that lie at the foundation of what we think and how we live. In every discipline, assumptions are tested against evidence.

In addition to its research and programmatic endeavors, the Institute offers fellowships. Fellowships come with high expectations and are supported with structure and active mentorship.

Bergel Institute Fellowships

The Bergel Institute offers Fellowships to individuals of all ages who wish to spend a year in intensive study and project development in a subject area that aligns with the advancement of human knowledge and the human condition. Each year, the Institute will list specific fellowship topics within these areas. Applicants may pick one or propose a different topic, as long as it aligns with the Institute’s goals.

Fellowships run from June to May and are primarily virtual, with two paid Institute visits (to the home office in Florida) as the only in-person expectations during the Fellowship year. Fellows are expected to work approximately 20 hours per week and to bring a strong intrinsic motivation for the project. They will spend the year conducting intensive research and/or project development, supported by Institute staff, with monthly meetings and quarterly progress reports to help maintain momentum.

The Fellowship is also intended to function as an incubator, providing time, guidance, and structure for work that continues beyond the Fellowship year.

As noted above, Fellows travel to the Institute twice during the Fellowship year to present to leadership: once in August, at the end of Q1, and again in May, at the end of the Fellowship year. The May presentation focuses on what was accomplished during the year and the Fellow’s plans for next steps. Final work may take many forms, including detailed manuscripts, the launch of a business or organization; or a video series, documentary films, etc. Travel and lodging for both presentations are covered by the Institute.

Upon completion of the Fellowship year, all Fellows are required to serve as mentors for future Fellows, ensuring that accumulated knowledge and experiences are passed to their successors.

FE3: The Creation of the Mentoring Industry in the United States

In communities where mentors are needed the most, young children look up to the individuals who have preceded them. These individuals understand the local realities firsthand and can offer the type of consistent encouragement that changes life trajectories. This is at the heart of the Fellowship.

Individuals born and raised in communities characterized by high levels of poverty often face challenges that have made it difficult for them to find satisfying employment that leads to generational wealth.

For younger children, the cycles of poverty start at birth, and by age seven they are often part of a cycle of academic underperformance and youth violence. Soon thereafter the lack of career-building pathways are devastating, and yet this continues generation after generation in urban, rural, and suburban neighborhoods across the U.S.

This Fellowship focuses on building the mentorship industry into a credentialed profession, an essential part of the educational system. The goal is to produce a blueprint and complete the early implementation steps needed to create full-time jobs and career pathways, while improving outcomes for children.

The Fellowship includes designing the training, certification, and licensing framework, with The Bergel Institute serving as the standards-setting and certification body. The Institute will work with the Fellow to define competencies, set requirements, approve training partners, and issue credentials to mentors and mentoring organizations beyond the initial pilot site, which will launch during the Fellowship year.

United Institute for Theatre Technology

The United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) connects performing arts design and technology communities to ensure a vibrant dialog among practitioners, educators, and students.

Driven by our core values of inclusion, excellence, and responsibility, we provide mentorship programs, exhibit opportunities, grant funding, awards, and other opportunities for our members and for the entertainment industry. 

Carolyn A. Satter Production Management Mentorship Program

Carolyn A. Satter Production Management Mentorship Program supports an individual who has begun their professional career as a production manager in live entertainment by providing the chance to manage events and connect with a fellow production manager mentor at our Annual Conference & Stage Expo.

Funding for this award is generously provided by Carolyn A. Satter, former USITT President.

Grant Information

Grant winner will receive:

• $2000 stipend to cover Conference expenses such as registration, housing, travel, and per diem.
• A match with a mentor who is an experienced professional production manager.
• The opportunity to serve as the production manager for all Mainstage events at the Annual Conference.

Funding Parameters

• Registration and hotel will be booked by the National Office; the remainder of the $2000 will be paid directly to the Mentee.
• Should the Grantee be unable to attend Conference and/or complete their duties, Grantee is responsible for returning funds to the National Office.

About

Six Decades of Human(e) Progress

At IHS, we build bridges across coalitions working to renew the liberal project—creating a 21st century that's freer, more tolerant, and more prosperous than any in human history.

This work takes on new urgency in a world of rising illiberalism and authoritarianism. Thanks to the generosity of over a thousand individual donors and foundations, IHS continues to find new ways to support the thinkers and leaders who are carrying liberal principles forward.

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Free Society Grants

For Faculty

Free Society Grants support faculty seeking to develop or expand undergraduate programming grounded in the liberal tradition. Grants are awarded based on project scope and need. The next application cycle opens March 13, 2026; the deadline is June 15, 2026. Funding decisions will be announced by August 7, 2026.

Support for Undergraduate Programming

These grants are designed for faculty who want to cultivate sustained intellectual engagement through mentorship, structured reading, and rigorous discussion—inside and beyond the classroom. The goal is not simply exposure to ideas, but intellectual formation.

All grants include access to ScholarsEdge digital tools, including registration support, to help ensure smooth execution and sustained engagement.

The Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award (KR1) offers crucial support for researchers aiming for independence. Funded by the US Dept. of Health & Human Services through the NIH, this award allows candidates to engage in intensive research training under a mentor's guidance for up to five years. It is designed for those with research doctoral degrees, facilitating their transition into independent research roles and enhancing their contributions to the scientific community.

The McGraw Foundation offers annual grants to not-for-profit organizations, primarily in the greater Chicago area, focusing on education, conservation, and human services. Grant amounts typically range from $2,000 to $10,000, with larger grants available for particularly impactful projects. While supporting diverse initiatives, the Foundation does not fund individuals or specific events. Organizations must be tax-exempt under IRS regulations to qualify for funding. The Foundation encourages innovative approaches and partnerships in grant applications.