Explore diversity grants supporting equity, inclusion, BIPOC-led organizations, and DEI initiatives for nonprofits
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The LEGO Foundation Fellowship
Advancing the science and practice of supporting children to thrive
The LEGO Foundation Fellowship is a global initiative supporting researchers working to deepen our understanding of how children thrive. Spanning disciplines from education and psychology to public health, data science, and humanitarian studies, the fellowship brings together early- and mid-career scholars whose work has the potential to generate evidence that matters for children’s lives.
Fellows receive three years of flexible support to pursue rigorous, practically relevant research, and join a cohort of peers working across the fellowship’s themes. In addition to funding research, the program fosters a community of scholars engaged in meaningful exchange with one another and with research, policy, and practice audiences.
The LEGO Foundation Fellowship is developed in partnership with the LEGO Foundation, and administered by SSRC as part of its commitment to supporting scholars whose work bridges research and real-world impact.
Research themes
The LEGO Foundation Fellowship welcomes research proposals that advance understanding of children’s thriving through one of the following three themes: the youngest children in crisis and conflict settings; inclusion and wellbeing of neurodivergent children; and children’s learning and development in an AI-enabled world. Applicants may explore the role of play where it is relevant to the research question. The consideration of play is optional and not a condition of eligibility.
The CAFE Group
We resource leaders, invest in their genius, and bring people together to reimagine what philanthropy can do.
Founded by Liz and Don Thompson, The CAFE Group is a national nonprofit transforming how change is resourced.
With a focus on education equity, social capital, and philanthropic transformation, we pair catalytic funding, community-rooted leadership development, and cross-sector collaboration to strengthen the people and institutions shaping a more just future. Everything we do is grounded in relationship, because we believe the way resources move matters just as much as where they land.
The 1954 Project Luminary Award
The 1954 Project Luminary Award celebrates transformational education nonprofit leaders dedicated to serving Black students and communities through powerful investments in their organizations' ability to create lasting change.
The Luminary Experience
Each Luminary organization gets more than funding. Through The 1954 Project, leaders gain a community, a platform, and space to grow with tailored support over the course of the three year journey.
The 1954 Project’s Impact Areas
We focus on three interconnected areas critical to advancing equity:
Our Selection Criteria
We seek out extraordinary applicants who embody our values and vision across three categories:
Leader: We look for leaders whose influence and vision contribute to the collective well-being and advancement of the Black community. These leaders:
Organization: We look for organizations that drive significant change, anchored by a deep love for people and driven by the genius within communities of color. These organizations:
Radical Imagination: We seek leaders who challenge and redesign societal norms to build a just and equitable future. They demonstrate:
Grantmaking
Funding Rooted in Relationships
Our grantmaking supports the work that helps people, families, and neighborhoods build healthy, equitable communities, across generations. It is strategic, relationship-centered, grounded in trust, and shaped by ongoing learning with our community partners.
We focus on work that addresses root causes, strengthens community-led solutions, and builds long-term capacity in Kalamazoo County.
Strategic Pillars
Our strategic pillars are based on what we’ve learned from community, nonprofit and elected leaders. We all share the vision for a Kalamazoo County that includes:
Daniels Democracy and Community Foundation
The Daniels Democracy and Community Foundation (DDCF) mission is to reward and promote individuals/organizations that go above and beyond their charge, with little recognition.
DDCF Grant
Every month, DDCF will award an individual/organization $1,000 to recognize their service to the Rochester Community.
Chicken & Egg Pictures Inc
Chicken & Egg Films was founded in 2005 by documentary film industry veterans Julie Parker Benello, Wendy Ettinger, and Judith Helfand. As filmmakers, teachers, funders, and impact producers, they were inspired to utilize their collective expertise to uplift the power of fellow women storytellers. Chicken & Egg was thus created to help address financial and creative challenges uniquely faced by women in the field–a model that married funding with mentorship to create not just an organization, but a growing community.
Chicken & Egg Films shapes a more equitable and just world with the catalytic power of documentary films by providing funding, mentorship and industry access to a global community of women and gender-expansive filmmakers.
Chicken & Egg Award
The Chicken & Egg Award recognizes women and gender-expansive filmmakers at advanced stages in their careers who are poised to reach new heights in their creative and impact trajectories across the world.
Despite progress by talented women and gender-expansive documentary filmmakers across the globe, there are often still numerous roadblocks that stand in the way of a true industry breakthrough. These barriers are often tied to gender, race, class, disability, and geography. Only a few women and gender-expansive nonfiction directors in the United States and abroad are able to work full time as independent storytellers, and few are folks of color, from working-class backgrounds, or from under-represented countries.
There are, however, a growing number who are getting close. Each has made several films, and each is an influential leader for the issues they explore on screen. With this Award, Chicken & Egg Films is making a bold investment in these creatives and a statement about gender equity. A greater diversity of voices participating in storytelling drives change. We believe this effort is inextricably connected to elevating critical social justice, environmental, and human rights issues.
The Chicken & Egg Award consists of a $75,000 USD cash award and a year-long mentorship program. Of the total, $50,000 is unrestricted, allowing filmmakers to decide how to use the funding to support their creative and business practices. The additional $25,000 is a grant for the project(s) the filmmaker will work on during their program year. Our in-depth mentorship program is focused on strengthening Awardees’ professional infrastructure, increasing their visibility, and fulfilling their personal and creative goals.
Community Foundation for Greater Rome
The Community Foundation for Greater Rome connects generosity with impact, providing grants and funds that serve and uplift our community. We strive to educate, inspire, and create a better tomorrow, acting as a bridge between donors and meaningful projects. We offer a cost-effective, flexible way to support lasting change.
Founded in April 2015, the Community Foundation was born from a vision of local leaders who saw the need for a sustainable philanthropic resource. Today, we continue to build a stronger, healthier community—while inspiring the next generation of generous givers.
First Christian Heritage Fund
One grant up to $5,000 for work that enriches spiritual life, promotes diversity, or advances social justice
What We Are Looking For
The Foundation seeks to invest in work that addresses a meaningful community need and creates lasting benefit for individuals, families, or the broader community.
Competitive proposals will demonstrate measurable results and may also:
Notice of Funds Available (RFP): Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council
Confidence in Action: Self-Defense Training for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities
individuals with developmental disabilities and their families have competencies, capabilities, and personal goals that should be recognized, supported, and encouraged, and any assistance to such individuals should be provided in an individualized manner, consistent with the unique strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, and capabilities of such
People with I/DD will have tools and skills needed to lead self-determined lives.
By 2032, increase tools and skills available to people with I/DD to lead self-determined lives.
This initiative empowers individuals with developmental disabilities by providing a customized self-defense program that prioritizes safety, independence, and self-confidence. By equipping participants with practical, real-world skills, the program not only reduces vulnerability but also enhances personal agency and resilience.
Through a focus on inclusion and empowerment, the initiative strengthens community connections, supports physical and emotional well-being, and offers families a greater sense of security. Ultimately, it aims to establish a scalable, statewide model that fosters long-term safety, personal development, and meaningful community integration for people with developmental disabilities.
Solís Policy Institute State Fellowship
For over twenty years, The Dr. Beatriz María Solís Policy Institute (SPI) State has created feminist policy for the future of California. SPI State is a policy advocacy and leadership training fellowship for advocates and activists who work in non-profit or grassroots organizations. With nearly 60 laws passed, this fellowship is built for women and gender-expansive folks across California who know that change happens when we bring lived experience into legislative spaces. Join this new wave of policy leaders who are grounded in community, driven by justice, and take up space.
Criteria
Shapiro Family Foundation
Founded in 2025, the Shapiro Family Foundation is committed to fostering a more equitable and thriving community in New Orleans by addressing disparities in hunger relief and championing education access and equity. The foundation partners with local nonprofits with deep connection to the communities they serve to help expand their reach, strengthen their programs and ultimately create lasting positive change throughout New Orleans.
Funding Priorities
Capacity Building Grants
Capacity Building Grants will be awarded for a 12-month funding period for up to $20,000 for organizational development, staff training, or infrastructure.
Shapiro Family Foundation
Founded in 2025, the Shapiro Family Foundation is committed to fostering a more equitable and thriving community in New Orleans by addressing disparities in hunger relief and championing education access and equity. The foundation partners with local nonprofits with deep connection to the communities they serve to help expand their reach, strengthen their programs and ultimately create lasting positive change throughout New Orleans.
Funding Priorities
Operating Support Grants
Operating Support Grants will be awarded for a 12-month funding period for up to $10,000 for general operations.
Shapiro Family Foundation
Founded in 2025, the Shapiro Family Foundation is committed to fostering a more equitable and thriving community in New Orleans by addressing disparities in hunger relief and championing education access and equity. The foundation partners with local nonprofits with deep connection to the communities they serve to help expand their reach, strengthen their programs and ultimately create lasting positive change throughout New Orleans.
Funding Priorities
Seed Money Grants
Seed Money Grants will be awarded for a 12-month funding period for up to $10,000 for new or pilot programs.
Rooted + Relational Community Micro-Grant Program
The Center for Puerto Rican Studies (CENTRO) at Hunter College has announced that it is now accepting applications for the 2026-2027 Rooted + Relational Community Micro-Grant program. CENTRO will award up to 12 grants, each up to $5,000, to non-institutionally affiliated and non-academic community organizations, individuals, or projects for community-based programs.
The 2026-2027 the Rooted + Relational theme is Black Cuerpas: Race, Body Politics & Culture. CENTRO seeks to fund projects that examine
During the 2026-2027 academic year, grantees will implement their funded projects within their chosen communities. They will also present their work at a CENTRO event, attend three virtual meetings, and have their work highlighted through CENTRO’s communications and media channels. We invite community organizers, artists, creatives, writers, agricultural workers, activists, and cultural workers who reside in Puerto Rico and/or the United States and its territories to apply.
Community Opportunity Fund
The Community Opportunity Fund is at the heart of our work at Boreal Waters Community Foundation. It’s how we connect generosity with possibility to support bold ideas, local leadership, and long-term solutions across northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin.
Each year, this fund helps nonprofits tackle critical challenges, strengthen communities, and ensure that everyone in our region can thrive.
A Grant Program Rooted in Community and Collective Generosity
As our region’s permanent civic endowment, the Community Opportunity Fund helps nonprofits and community groups respond to challenges, create solutions, and build a better future. In 2023, we restructured the fund to offer larger, more flexible grants—supporting not just programs, but long-term vision and systems change.
We focus on these interconnected areas:
Community Opportunity Fund: Belonging Grant Focus
Creating spaces and opportunities where all people are valued, heard, and are able to thrive. Projects amplify voices, foster creative expression, and create a vibrant, inclusive culture.
Examples:
Community Opportunity Fund: Opportunity Grant Focus
Community Opportunity Fund: Resilience Grant Focus
What We Fund
We support a wide range of community-driven, equity-centered work. Funding can be used for:
Inatai Foundation
Inatai Foundation is a 501(c)(4) serving and accountable to leaders and organizations with bold visions who are building power in racially diverse communities across Washington state. Our vision begins with them: their ideas, solutions, and dreams for transformational change.
As a foundation, we channel the funding, influence, and information we have to the leaders and organizations rooted in and led by the communities we answer to, so they have the resources, power, and opportunity they need to bring their visions to life.
Infrastructure Opportunities Grants
Infrastructure Opportunities grants provide support for specific power-building efforts that have been highlighted as essential by Washington nonprofits and community leaders.
The Infrastructure Opportunities Fund explores power-building efforts around specific issues that community leaders and community-based organizations have told us are integral to building community power and transforming systems and structures. They include:
Inatai Foundation
Inatai Foundation is a 501(c)(4) serving and accountable to leaders and organizations with bold visions who are building power in racially diverse communities across Washington state. Our vision begins with them: their ideas, solutions, and dreams for transformational change.
As a foundation, we channel the funding, influence, and information we have to the leaders and organizations rooted in and led by the communities we answer to, so they have the resources, power, and opportunity they need to bring their visions to life.
Campaigns, Litigation, Issues & Policy (CLIP) Fund
The Campaigns, Litigation, Issues & Policy (CLIP) Fund supports Washington organizations and coalitions engaging in community-led, issue-based campaigns—both active and forthcoming—that can shape policy for a more just and equitable future.
As a 501(c)(4) organization working to advance equity and racial justice across Washington, we know that this work is inherently political, and we know that there are diverse leaders working to shift the political landscape in every community.
That’s why CLIP funding offers flexible support and partnership that community-led campaigns need to build and exercise their political power.
Campaigns We Fund
Below are examples of campaign activity that CLIP supports:
About the Department
The Nevada Department of Education (NDE or Department) leads and collaborates with Nevada's 17 school districts and the State Public Charter School Authority to advance educational equity Statewide. With offices in Nevada's capital, Carson City, and Las Vegas, NDE oversees all pre-K-12 education in the State with mission of improving student achievement and educator effectiveness by ensuring opportunities, facilitating learning, and promoting excellence. Under the leadership of the State Board of Education and the Executive Team, NDE impacts the achievement of nearly half a million children and 30,000 educators.
Bullying Prevention Training
Overview of Bullying Prevention Grant
A learning environment that is safe and respectful is essential for the pupils enrolled in Nevada schools. Nevada Revised Statute (NRS) 388.132 states that any form of bullying and/or cyberbullying and discrimination based on race seriously interferes with educational opportunities. School districts and schools must train staff and students in the prevention of bullying, cyberbullying, or discrimination based on race.
This funding opportunity creates a mechanism for compliance with legislative mandates while supporting school districts and charter schools in the State of Nevada in efforts to meet the unique needs of their school communities. It also acts as an agreement between the local education agency (LEA) and the state education agency (SEA) for creating the conditions necessary to support collaborative and responsive partnership to create bully-free schools for all students and all staff.
Goals and Priorities
This request for funding must be used for one of the following activities:
Changing the Way America Thinks About Race Scholarship
Changing the Way America Thinks about Race Scholarship Fund (CHATR) provides scholarships to Black and Brown students in the state of Washington who are pursuing undergraduate studies. CHATR is particularly interested in supporting Black and Brown students from Bremerton High School, The Why Not You Academy, and those who are active in the Rainier Athletes Mentorship program in the Bellevue School District who are interested in using their college experience to help facilitate changing the way America thinks about race. Awarded funds may be used for tuition, books, room and board, and travel to/from school.
Amount
About Us
Mission
We enhance the quality of life for all by working together to collectively address challenges and opportunities throughout West Michigan.
Vision
We advance the well-being of our communities by creating the best places to live, learn, work, give, and engage.
Who We Serve
We serve our entire community, without exception. Our commitment is for every individual, family, and organization who works in, visits, or calls the greater Northern Ottawa County area home.
The GHACF is a welcoming place for all people. We believe all people should:
Grant Application Process
The Coopersville Area Community Foundation:
Coopersville Area Grant Program
To begin the process, contact the CACF team to discuss your proposal. We’ll then review your proposal within two weeks of submission to determine whether the project aligns with our grantmaking priorities, and will respond with next steps.
If eligible the appropriate grant application will be made available to you through the online application portal. Grant applications are reviewed with due diligence and may require a follow-up site visit. Lastly, final grant decisions are made with funding recommendations made by the committee and approved through our Board of Trustees.
Our Mission
To advance Mayo Clinic’s commitment to be a socially responsible Enterprise by supporting and extending Mayo’s strategic mission of integrated practice, research and education through active community engagement practices.
Our Vision
To be a proactive partner, inclusive of diverse and underserved populations, and contribute to the overall health, sustainability, livability and vibrancy of the many communities we serve. Stakeholders will better understand and appreciate Mayo Clinic’s community engagement practices and our ongoing role in strengthening partnerships and creating positive social impact.
Community Contributions Program in Florida
Mayo Clinic in Florida is a not-for-profit organization with the primary mission of patient care. As a private trust for the public good, Mayo Clinic is dedicated to giving back to its local communities through its Office of Community Relations.
Mayo Clinic partners with others to ensure that:
Program Information
Mayo Clinic considers sponsorship and grant requests from registered 501(c)(3) organizations in northeast Florida for new/ongoing programs or other community outreach activities that support the stated goals. These may include:
Each request will be considered for alignment with any of the following health priorities:
Access to Care
Mayo Clinic will offer one grant funding opportunity for the Community Health Needs Assessment priority area: Mental Health
Who We Are
The humanities help us understand ourselves, our communities, and our histories. By increasing collective understanding, we can spark positive change and create a more just society.
We curate stories, co-create engagement opportunities, increase knowledge, and produce resources in the areas of education, civic renewal, immersive experiences, and public programming to catalyze ideas. Our grantmaking allows us to strengthen the bonds between us, celebrate our past and traditions, appeal to the best within ourselves, and educate the next generation of leaders.
Ethnic Media Grants
Through the State of Minnesota’s 2025-2027 biennial legislation and the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (Legacy), the Minnesota Humanities Center (MHC) will administer $472,500 for ethnic media grants to ethnic media organizations that work to create, celebrate, and teach the art, culture, and heritage of the many diverse cultural groups that make up Minnesota, including but not limited to Indigenous organizations, communities whose culture and heritage have been historically underrepresented, recent immigrant communities, and veterans.
The Legislature in providing this funding is seeking to fund ethnic media organizations throughout Minnesota to create video content in a language other than English.
An applicant that receives funding under this grant opportunity must do at least one of the following:
The Pittsburgh Foundation provides scholarship opportunities for students to pursue their educational goals. Scholarships are available for graduating high school seniors, undergraduates, graduate, medical and professional school students who are attending community colleges, four–year universities, graduate schools, and career/technical schools.
Lightbown Family Scholarship Fund
The Lightbown Family Scholarship Fund was created at The Pittsburgh Foundation to provide scholarships for students from Allegheny County pursuing a career in education. Corinne Elsie Lightbown passed away peacefully on Jan. 7, 2017 at the age of 86 having lived a full and rewarding life. Connie, as she was known to friends, loved life, people, friends and family as well as traveling and discussing movies, political issues and literature. She was an English teacher for 34 years with the Mt. Lebanon High School and taught in London, England, and Japan. A firm believer in the value of a good education, she established this scholarship fund in her name to support students in their academic studies. She never married so had no children of her own, yet her many students became a part of her extended family through the years. Many remained in touch with her and considered her as a mentor and friend. It was her wish that this scholarship would continue beyond her life in this same spirit.
Headstream Accelerator 2026
Accelerator Application Cohort VI
The Headstream Accelerator supports entrepreneurs from all backgrounds in scaling digital solutions that improve the mental well-being of teens at risk, with a focus on the education and healthcare sectors. Our four-month, virtual-first program is designed for early-stage innovators, helping them strengthen their business models, refine their value propositions, and build the foundation for sustainable growth and meaningful impact.
Benefits:
Participant Expectations:
At Genentech, we invest in bold ideas and innovative solutions that address systemic inequities in science and medicine to advance a more just healthcare system. We focus on efforts that diversify the scientific and medical workforce, advance health equity, and help our communities thrive. We also further advance excellence in medicine and healthcare through our grants for independent medical education. IIncluding efforts to promote diversity in STEM across the education pathway, and efforts to support continuing medical education of healthcare providers. Select the option below that best fits your grant focus:
There are multiple ways to apply for funding. Before you submit an application, we encourage you to explore the following materials to learn more about our opportunities for funding, eligibility requirements and considerations, and the process for submitting a proposal within our Funding Request System (gFRS).
Berks County Community Foundation
Berks County Community Foundation was founded in 1994 to help individuals, families, organizations and businesses achieve their charitable objectives. Since that time, the foundation has grown to manage hundreds of charitable funds. Each year, the funds distribute millions of dollars in scholarships and grants to support local students and nonprofit organizations and causes.
Diversity Alliance Endowment Fund
Grants support and strengthen projects or programs that address issues affecting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in Berks County.
Who We Are
For nearly 30 years, the Carolinas Credit Union Foundation has served as a partner in philanthropy to credit unions, with a mission to empower and inspire credit unions in the Carolinas through collaborative opportunities to enrich our communities. The results of our work are visible across North and South Carolina, proving that by leveraging our cooperative spirit, we can change our communities.
Hero Awards
Each year, the Foundation honors people and organizations who have made or continue to make a transformational impact on the credit union movement. Hero Award winners are honored at the Foundation’s Awards Gala each year.
Nominations for the following awards categories are accepted: The Lifetime Achievement Award, The Individual Achievement Award, The Partner in Philanthropy Award and The Advancing Equity Award.
The Advancing Equity Award
Honors an individual, credit union, business partner, or community non-profit for their commitment to the credit union industry’s 8th Cooperative Principle of DEI. This award recognizes the proactive efforts of people or organizations who cultivate belonging for all through fair and equitable policies, products, programs, and initiatives that enhance the well-being of employees, members, and/or surrounding communities. This award seeks to encourage those who, through committing time and resources to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, live out the cooperative principle to engage everyone in governance, management and representation.
Diversity grants empower nonprofits to advance equity, inclusion, and representation. The following grants fund programs addressing social justice, workforce diversity, and underrepresented groups, driving systemic change and equitable opportunities.
Find 100+ diversity-focused grant opportunities with $20.9M in funding. Instrumentl supports nonprofits with tools for customized searches, deadline tracking, and funder insights to foster inclusion and equity across sectors.
How common are grants in this category?
Common — grants in this category appear regularly across funding sources.
Over the past year, when are grant deadlines typically due for Diversity grants for Nonprofits?
Most grants are due in the second quarter.
Diversity grants are available to nonprofits that focus on racial and social justice, gender equality, disability rights, LGBTQ+ advocacy, economic empowerment for marginalized groups, and other diversity-related initiatives. Groups working to advance equity, inclusion, and representation are eligible. Some grants focus on specific populations, such as women-led nonprofits, minority-owned organizations, or initiatives serving low-income communities.
Grants in diversity typically have the highest concentration of deadlines in Q2, with 28.3% of grant deadlines falling in this period. If you're planning to apply, consider prioritizing your applications around this time to maximize opportunities. Conversely, the least active period for grants in this category is Q3.
Funders provide diversity grants to support programs promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace, education, and society at large. These grants tackle long-standing inequalities and create opportunities for historically marginalized groups. Grants also aim to fund programs providing resources to marginalized communities, support initiatives fighting discrimination, and help organizations create more diverse and equitable workplaces, schools, and communities.
On average, grants in diversity provide funding between $750 and $3,000,000, with typical awards falling around $21,250 (median) and $213,147 (average). These insights can help nonprofits align their funding requests with what grantmakers typically offer in this space.
Diversity grants for nonprofits are typically funded by private companies (W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Ford Foundation), government agencies, and corporate diversity and inclusion programs (Apple, Nike). Corporate diversity and inclusion initiatives (Google Impact Challenge, Bank of America Charitable Foundation) offer grants as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts.
To improve the chances of being awarded a diversity grant, nonprofits should:
Not sure how much to request in a grant application? Learn how to calculate the right amount with our grant request sizing guide.
Instrumentl simplifies the diversity grant application process by offering an intuitive platform that helps nonprofits discover relevant funding opportunities, track deadlines, and analyze funder-giving patterns. The platform's automated alerts ensure users never miss a deadline, while detailed funder insights help organizations tailor their applications to align with grantor priorities.