Search Through Economic Services Grants in the U.S.

About Us

AJA Foundation seeks to help those who have done everything society asks of them, yet for whom access to essential resources and the probability for advancement that comes from them remain elusive at best and structurally impossible at worst.

We know that the “playing field” of opportunity tilts substantially and unfairly towards those coming from advantage and that nobody succeeds on their own. AJA Foundation is dedicated to leveling the playing field by investing globally in organizations addressing what we see as fundamental human rights with a focus on equal access to clean water, quality education and essential healthcare.

What We Fund

Water

Billions of people lack access to clean water. This affects health and hinders education, employment, economic growth, and gender equality.

Having access to clean water not only saves lives and leads to better health outcomes, it creates a domino effect of positive change throughout entire communities by improving access to education, food, employment, gender equality, and mitigates the effects of climate change.

Over the last 15 years, AJA Foundation has invested approximately $3 million to support five clean water initiatives. Some have been multi-year commitments.

Education

Access to primary education is inequitable. Children who are economically disadvantaged lack access to curriculum and support necessary to thrive academically.

Education is the critical tool for upward economic mobility. Students who are structurally denied necessary coursework and critical support like tutoring, mentoring, and scholarships cannot reach their full potential.

The AJA Foundation has invested over $4 million to date in programs that empower deserving students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Investing in the potential of these students not only improves their financial future, it unlocks broader economic opportunities for entire communities and fosters future leadership.

Health

Half of the world’s population lacks access to essential health services. This not only puts the individual's health at risk, but also the stability of communities, societies, and economies.

Billions of people do not live close enough to medical centers or providers to access basic healthcare or are too poor to afford it. As a result, far too many medical conditions that are routinely treated in the developed world go untreated in the developing world. The same is true for prevention.

Because where you are born should not determine access to healthcare, the AJA Foundation has invested over $1.8 million in organizations delivering quality healthcare in developing countries. In addition to prevention, health services include maternal, newborn, and pediatric medicine and treatment of common diseases.

Our Mission

Blue Meridian’s dedicated staff is driven by a deep, relentless commitment to our mission.

Blue Meridian Partners seeks to transform the life trajectories of young people and families in poverty by investing in strategies that advance economic and social mobility and equitable opportunity.

We do this in two ways:

• First, we identify successful strategies for addressing social problems confronting young people and families in poverty and help scale them.
• Second, we unlock significant capital by providing philanthropists a way to pool resources to support scaling – often investing $100 million or more in each strategy. Our Partners work collaboratively – sharing the costs, risks and rewards of our efforts.

We believe our performance-based investing approach – combined with our model of capital aggregation – has the potential to change the funding paradigm for solving problems in the social sector.

Our Grantmaking

At Blue Meridian Partners, we make significant, performance-based investments in scaling up strategies poised to have a national impact on the lives young people and families in poverty.

Get Funding & Support

We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with social entrepreneurs in support of their vision.

We provide unrestricted grants and strategic advisory support to organizations led by visionary social entrepreneurs to increase their impact, growth, and sustainability. We are committed to meeting the specific and shifting needs of each organization we fund and support.

Through our portfolio investing, we expand access and opportunity in communities that have been consistently and systematically under-resourced. We invest in organizations with a range of impact models that seek to transform the intertwined systems of opportunity in education, economic mobility, and democracy. 

Catalyze Investments

$100,000 unrestricted grants, $10,000 of funding for leadership development, strategic advisory support, and a peer learning community over one year.

Cohort-based support that accelerates the innovations of early-stage organizations

Our Catalyze Investments vehicle is a cohort-based model for social entrepreneurs and organizations working in areas that are critical to expanding opportunity in America, such as democracy, economic mobility, and mental health, and the American legal system.

Cohorts are often made up of leaders who have personal experience with the issues they are addressing – for example, mental health professionals, and justice-impacted individuals. 

Our cohort-based model enables social entrepreneurs to build community with peers and participate in a series of in-person convenings and webinars. This programming is designed to support organizations deepening their impact and scaling their models by tackling key leadership and organizational challenges they face.

Our goal with Catalyze Investments is to equip social entrepreneurs and their organizations with tools and relationships that accelerate their path to success.

Catalyze Benefits

A Peer Learning Community

• We facilitate connections between social entrepreneurs tackling similar issues to share advice, navigate common challenges, and provide support and community to each other.

Unrestricted Funding

• We provide unrestricted funding to offer organizations the flexibility and agency to invest resources where it will be the most impactful in service of their mission.

1:1 Strategic Advising and Leadership Development

• We pair each social entrepreneur with a strategic advisor from New Profit’s Portfolio team and provide a grant for social entrepreneurs to seek additional leadership development support.

Capacity-building Framework and Tools

• We provide a set of tools—informed by learnings over 25 years—that help organizations refine and expand their impact model, strategic capabilities, and scale.

What We Fund

We support community-informed, data-driven programs that strengthen healthcare infrastructures and provide education and financial support to the most vulnerable communities around the world. Our corporate giving programs focus support where the need is greatest and we prioritize applications that demonstrate a strong capability to deliver the specific outcomes the grant would support.

We welcome funding requests for innovative, high-impact projects that relate to at least one of our core therapeutic areas:

• HIV
• Liver disease
  • Hepatitis C
  • Hepatitis B
  • Hepatitis D
  • Primary biliary cholangitis
• Oncology
  • Hematology
  • Solid tumors
• Chronic Inflammatory Diseases

Types of Support

Patient Community Support:

We strive to advance health equity, diversity in clinical trials and access to medicines to reduce disparities. We also support the local communities in which we operate.

• Examples of Patient Community Support projects Gilead has funded include:
  • Events or resources to educate patients about prevention and care options, such as:
    • Presentations
    • Web-based resources
    • Printed materials
    • Testing and screening initiatives
• The types of Patient Community Support organizations Gilead has funded include:
  • Patient advocacy and support groups
  • Hospitals and clinics
  • Nonprofit service organizations
  • Professional associations
  • Academic medical centers and universities

Corporate Sponsorships:

Many individuals face barriers to accessing healthcare due to age, disability, ethnicity or race, location, gender, gender identity or socioeconomic status.

To help ensure all people have the opportunity to get the best possible care – regardless of background – Gilead sponsors select events or conferences that raise awareness and support organizations working in our therapeutic areas of focus.

Events Gilead has sponsored include:

• Walks/runs
• Awards dinners
• Fundraising galas
• Community conferences

Gilead North America Grants

We are inspired by the work that our grantees do every day to improve access and eliminate barriers to healthcare while advancing education among patients and healthcare professionals. We support projects in North America across all our therapeutic areas — HIV, liver diseases, oncology and inflammatory and respiratory diseases.

Funding Priorities

• HIV:
  • While advances in medical research help millions of people living with HIV have longer, more fulfilling lives today, HIV continues to have a devastating impact, especially on underserved communities and in populations who lack access to medical care and are impacted by stigma and discrimination. We support organizations working to help individuals learn their HIV status and get the care they need. We also support organizations that aim to solve the challenges of tomorrow, including how to:
    • Understand the impact HIV has on an aging population
    • Ensure continuity and retention in care
    • Spark appreciation for innovative thinking in HIV treatment
    • Identify and create a new generation of advocates
• HIV Cure:
  • We work to address the HIV epidemic by discovering transformative and life-saving medicines, developing simplified treatment regimens that increase efficacy, expanding access to treatment for those who need it most and building communities among people affected by HIV and AIDS. Continuing on this commitment, we partner with and support institutions, community groups and organizations that are engaged in HIV cure activities through grant funding.
• HIV Prevention:
  • We support the efforts of community-based organizations, public health entities and similar nonprofit organizations to educate their constituents about comprehensive HIV prevention, including the role of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Specifically, we support programs designed to:
    • Provide comprehensive education on the range of prevention options and strategies available
    • Ensure biomedical prevention plans, such as PrEP, are implemented safely and effectively in accordance with recommended guidelines
    • Engage communities and individuals at highest risk for HIV infection in prevention efforts
• Liver Disease:
  • Hepatitis C disproportionately affects people who use drugs and other at-risk populations and there remain gaps in access to testing and care. We are working to change this by providing funding for organizations that:
    • Raise awareness and provide education
    • Increase treatment capacity and sustainability
    • Move individuals down the care pathway from screening to cure
    • Eliminate barriers to testing, care and treatment
• Oncology: Cancer remains one of the greatest health challenges we face. We support organizations focused on health equity in order to: 
  • Enable people affected by cancer and their caregivers to make informed health decisions
  • Educate healthcare providers on identification, screening and diagnosis
  • Improve access to prevention and treatment by overcoming barriers to care
• Inflammatory and Respiratory Diseases: Inflammatory and respiratory diseases have a substantial impact on people of every age, gender, ethnic group and economic class. We fund organizations that work in this therapeutic area to:
  • Improve individuals’ health literacy, enabling them to make informed health decisions
  • Educate healthcare providers on identification, screening and diagnosis
  • Improve access to treatment by overcoming financial and other obstacles

Funding

Gilead doesn’t place a limit on how much grantees can apply for. We want you to request the level of funding that you’ll need to make your project a success.

Global Impact Cash Grants

Identifying and incubating innovative early-stage solutions. We identify, incubate, and develop innovative early-stage solutions with the highest potential for impact. Global Impact Cash Grants go to nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that address a significant social problem. We're looking for programs that fit within our investment sectors, focus on the underserved, and use technology to improve the reach and efficiency of services.

We accept applications year-round from eligible organizations. A brief Letter of Inquiry (LOI) is used to determine whether your organization will be invited to complete a full application. Please expand and carefully review each of the three sections below to learn more

Our priority social impact sectors

We focus on investing in innovative, tech-enabled solutions to the challenges and opportunities that matter most to communities in need, prioritizing four social impact sectors:

Cisco Crisis Response

Mobilizing to provide essentials to communities in need and those in crisis, including food, housing, secure connectivity, and disaster relief

By leveraging Cisco’s people, technology, financial resources, and strategic partnerships, we help strengthen community resilience and drive long-term recovery from crises.

Education

Supporting students, teachers, and schools by increasing engagement, building skills, promoting subject mastery, and expanding their capacity to thrive

Cisco is committed to inclusive access to digital skills training and supporting those who use technology to educate. Through programs like Cisco Networking Academy and social investments in education, we create new opportunities for individuals to thrive.

Economic Empowerment

Transforming communities through skill development, long-term career opportunities, entrepreneurship, and access to financial products and services

Strategic grants that unlock economic prosperity and growth for individuals and communities.

Climate Regeneration

Building an inclusive, regenerative, and resilient climate future through education, regenerative agriculture, conservation, protection, and clean energy solutions

Our efforts began in 2021, when the Cisco Foundation committed US$100 million over 10 years to fund nonprofit grants and impact investing in climate solutions. 

Community Grants

State Farm is committed to helping build safer, stronger and better-educated communities.

• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​We are committed to auto and home safety programs and activities that help people manage the risks of everyday life.
• We invest in education, economic empowerment and community development projects, programs and services that help people realize their dreams.
• We help maintain the vibrancy of our communities by assisting nonprofits that support community revitalization.

Good Neighbor Citizenship company grants focus on safety, community development and education.

Focus Areas

Safety Grants

We strive to keep our customers and communities safe. That's why our funding is directed toward:

• Auto safety — improving driver, passenger, vehicle or roadway safety
• Home safety — shielding homes from fires, crime or natural disasters
• Disaster preparedness and mitigation
• Disaster recovery

Community Development

We support nonprofits that invest and develop stronger neighborhoods. That's why our funding is directed toward:

• Affordable housing — home construction and repair
• Commercial/small business development
• Job training
• Neighborhood revitalization
• Financial literacy
• Sustainable housing and transportation
• Food insecurity

Education

Our education funding is directed toward initiatives that support the following programs:

• Higher education
• K-12 academic performance
• K-12 STEM
• Pathways for college and career success

Mission

The mission of the Hearst Foundations is to identify and fund outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States can build healthy, productive and satisfying lives. Through its grantmaking, the Hearst Foundations support well-established nonprofit organizations that address significant issues within their major areas of focus—culture, education, health and social service—and that primarily serve large demographic and/or geographic constituencies. In each area of funding, the Foundations seek to identify those organizations achieving truly differentiated results relative to other organizations making similar efforts for similar populations. The Foundations also look for evidence of sustainability beyond their support.

Whether providing a scholarship to a deserving student, supporting a rural health clinic or bringing artists into schools so children can see firsthand the beauty of the arts, the Foundations’ focus is consistent: to help those in need, those underserved and those underrepresented in society. Since the Foundations were formed in the 1940s, the scale and capabilities of the grant making have changed, but the mission has not.

Social Service Grant

The Hearst Foundations fund direct-service organizations that tackle the roots of chronic poverty by applying effective solutions to the most challenging social and economic problems. The Foundations prioritize supporting programs that have proven successful in facilitating economic independence and in strengthening families. Preference is also given to programs with the potential to scale productive practices in order to reach more people in need.

Funding Priorities in Social Service

In the recent past, 15% of total funding has been allocated to Social Service. Organizations with budgets over $5 million have received 60% of funding in Social Service.

The Hearst Foundations are only able to fund approximately 25% of all grant requests, of which about 80% is directed to prior grantees and about 20% is targeted for new grantees.

Types of Support

Program, capital and general support

Funding

Minimum grant size is $100,000.

Mission

The mission of the Henry E. Niles Foundation is to help in the nurturing and uplifting of people in need. The Foundation strives to support humanitarian efforts, including faith-based endeavors, that:

• strengthen education including special education, literacy and others; 
• fight economic hardships through self-help opportunities;
• enhance public health and sanitation on a global basis.

Primary Program Interests

The Board is currently highlighting the following areas:  

Education – Included in this interest area are primary, secondary and higher education for those motivated individuals who are unable to obtain the benefits of quality education without assistance.

Economic Self-Sufficiency – This program area includes but is not limited to: job training, the encouragement and support of entrepreneurialism, mentoring, and micro-credit initiatives.

Health & Independence – Special interests here include medical and public health assistance for the elderly, the poor, the disadvantaged and the disabled.

Guiding Principles & Considerations

• Favors programs addressing long-term solutions to the causes of problems, as distinguished from programs that simply treat the symptoms.
• Added emphasis on programs and organizations that address the intersection of its various program interests.
• Encourages pilot initiatives that test new program models.
• Particular interest in organizations that promote collaborative efforts among groups and organizations.
• Qualities sought by the Foundation in its grantee organizations are: effective and dynamic personnel; passionate leadership; a bias against bureaucracy; prudent management & governance practices; and commitment to results and overall assessment of program impact.

Grants range from $2,500 up to $50,000. In unique circumstances, the Foundation does consider a more significant grant for a program having a major impact in one or more of its areas of interest.

All women and girls should be safe, free, and have an equal chance to thrive. Yet every day, because of unequal power relations, women experience violence and discrimination and are denied the freedom to decide how they will live. This undermines their health, safety, dignity, and independence.

We find inspiration and hope in strong and vibrant movements, built and led by women, which are transforming lives and communities across the world. Their shared purpose and collective power are sparking progressive attitudes and advancing a more just world – in ways that protect human rights and the future of our planet.

Supporting these movements to live, breathe, strengthen, and grow – by enabling women’s agency, leadership, and capacity – is at the heart of what we do.

We: 

• Support women-led rights-based services that address violence against women.
• Provide primarily long-term support as an act of solidarity, helping movements to achieve the lasting change needed for us all to thrive.
• Connect organisations and movements, and resource them to learn from each other and work together, to develop knowledge and skills, and to plan, organise, and mobilise.

We also engage with other donors and philanthropic actors to leverage more and better funding to advance women's rights around the world. 

Our Strategy

We recognise that unequal power relations are created and encouraged by legal, political, economic, and cultural systems, but we also believe in their capacity to change. The Issues Affecting Women Programme supports women’s efforts to create this change – to build, lead, and grow strong, vibrant, and influential movements in order to achieve equity and justice. We envision a world where women have the capacity, resources, and opportunity to be safe and free, and to enjoy their human rights.

Our Funding Principles

We support women’s organisations and groups that:

• adopt a rights-based approach to services and advocacy;
•  empower women to fully and equally participate in society;
• adopt a holistic approach, taking into consideration various contexts and cultures, and addressing root causes;
• promote systemic change by strengthening legal frameworks and holding governments and institutions to account;
• contribute to the broader women’s movement by complementing individual and community action with networking and joint advocacy initiatives;
• build evidence that contributes to best practices and catalyses innovation; and
• work to change behaviour and attitudes to prevent violence.

Corporate Citizenship at KKR

We are committed to supporting collaborations and programs that respond to today’s needs and build pathways to future progress.

Through our Corporate Citizenship program we build a better world through philanthropy, employee engagement, and sustainable community programs. Success is measured based on outcomes and the positive impact our funded programs drive in communities.

Through our KKR Cares initiative, we leverage the skills, expertise and energy of the KKR team to support communities around the globe. We do this through an employee matching gift program, nonprofit board service, paid time off to volunteer in communities, and pro bono technical support programs where our teams provide skill and training to nonprofits and social enterprises.

Strategic Pillars

Our strategic philanthropy program provides support for small businesses and social enterprises, opportunity youth and opportunity talent, civil servants, and other communities where we operate through grants to nonprofit organizations focused on our two strategic pillars:

Economic Opportunity

Opening pathways and improving outcomes with a lasting impact reflected by growth and scale

Economic Security

Improved preparedness that increases disruption resiliency

Laird Norton Family Foundation

The Laird Norton Family Foundation (LNFF) is a private family foundation in Seattle, Washington, with a mission to honor and reflect the family’s shared values through giving and engage the family in philanthropy as a platform for strengthening family connections.

Primary Grantmaking Programs  

Our grantmaking reflects the values of the Laird Norton family. We give in program areas that reflect the family's shared interests:

Arts in Education

Our Arts in Education grantmaking program supports equitable educational opportunities for students using arts integrated and culturally informed instruction, including sustained professional development for public school teachers. Funding will be directed toward programs that seek to enhance students’ educational outcomes in public Pre-K through grade 12 classrooms rather than to simply increase participation in, or appreciation for, the arts.

• Our current support focuses on organizations that provide: long-term, push-in, professional development opportunities for public Pre-K through grade 12 teachers and schools; programs that aim to serve students furthest from educational justice; and programs with culturally relevant instruction and are focused on the whole child.

Climate Change

Climate change is a global, complex challenge facing our world. The goal of our Climate Change program is to help the planet heal and mitigate adverse impacts of climate change for all people, communities, and the natural world. Grantmaking is centered around carbon sequestration work and recognizes organizations as the experts and stewards to advance climate and environmental justice. Grantmaking is focused in the West Coast of the US.

•  We are focused on supporting work that increased the abilities of forests, coastal ecosystems, and agricultural lands to sequester carbon. Through projects involving healthy forests, blue carbon, and regenerative agriculture, we seek to learn from and follow the lead of communities impacted first and worst as our planet changes. 

Human Services

• Our Human Services grantmaking program supports organizations working directly with youth and young adults (age 12-25) who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness, and/or involved with child welfare, juvenile legal or behavioral health systems. Grantmaking is currently only with organizations in King County, WA. 

• Our current support prioritizes organizations that are created and led by the communities they seek to serve, that acknowledge and seek to address racial and social injustice in their work, and that offer programming with the aim of preventing youth and young adult homelessness and creating systems change.

Watershed Stewardship

​Watersheds have social, ecological, and economic significance. The goal of the Watershed Stewardship program is to create enabling conditions for long-term social and ecological health and resilience in places of importance to the Laird Norton Family. Currently, we prioritize work in Minnesota and Wisconsin as well as a few key watersheds in the Western United States, consistent with the Laird Norton family's priorities.

We take a long-term view on healthy watersheds and invest in organizational capacity with an eye to future resilience. We encourage our partners to focus not on single-species recovery or restoration to historical conditions as a primary end-goal, but to also consider the potential value of significantly altered — but functioning — ecosystems as we continue to face the impacts of climate change and other natural and human-caused changes into the future.

​We believe the wellbeing of the people who live in a place must be considered alongside ecological goals; understanding the diverse interests and values of a watershed’s human inhabitants is an important component of long-term success. ​

Mission

The primary mission of the Laura J. Niles Foundation is to encourage and support efforts to improve the lives of animals. The Foundation seeks to benefit animals in general, and dogs in particular, by supporting research, training, and adoption programs and projects. Programs which enhance the human-animal bond are viewed with favor.  

Primary Program Interests

Animals - The Foundation is seeking ways to benefit animals, particularly dogs, and is especially interested in programs that help animals and people, simultaneously. The Foundation is targeting areas that include animal medical research, animal protection, adoption, search & rescue, assistance dogs, equine therapy and similar areas of endeavor. Currently, the Foundation does not consider spay/neuter programs to be a priority, given the limited funds which are available. 

Education - a secondary area of focus for the Foundation is the education of economically disadvantaged youth. This program area includes primary, secondary and higher education.

Guiding Principles and Considerations 

• The goal of the Foundation's Board is to pursue a deliberate and proactive course of "strategic philanthropy"
• Favors programs addressing long-term solutions to the causes of problems, as distinguished from programs that simply treat the symptoms.
• Added emphasis on programs and organizations that address the intersection of its various interests.
• Encourages pilot initiatives that test new program models.
• Particular interest in organizations that promote collaborative efforts among groups and organizations.
• Qualities sought by the Foundation in its grantee organizations are: effective and dynamic personnel; passionate leadership; a bias against bureaucracy; prudent managements & governance practices; and commitment to results and overall assessment of program impact.

See FAQ for additional guidelines

About Us

Founded in 2009, the MacFarlane Foundation has affected change worldwide by working with a diverse range of charitable organizations.

Our Mission

The Roger I. and Ruth B. MacFarlane Foundation supports organizations that strive to increase the opportunities and improve the quality of life of individuals and communities. The Foundation acts as a catalyst for organizations and their programs to enhance their impact and expand their reach.

Grantmaking

The MacFarlane Foundation conducts its grantmaking through proposals invited by the Executive Director and Trustees. The Foundation is particularly interested in opportunities to catalyze organizations into their next phase of growth or impact. The Foundation makes grants in two categories, with Category One  and Category Two grants.The Foundation is interested in supporting organizations addressing a range of issues, including but not limited to: education, economic empowerment, climate change and the environment, health, human services, and the well-being of women and girls. The Foundation generally funds organizations whose programs focus on populations within the United States, though the Foundation also has supported U.S.-based nonprofits working in other countries.

Category 1 Grants

• Range of Grants Awarded: $10,000 - $75,000 
• Category One grants are made throughout the year

Category 2 Grants

• Range of Grants Awarded: $200,000 - $250,000
• The Foundation identifies potential organizations for Category Two grants during the Spring of each year, invites proposals over the Summer, and makes decisions in early Fall.

About Amgen

Amgen is one of the world’s leading biotechnology companies. Amgen is a values-based company, deeply rooted in science and innovation to transform new ideas and discoveries into medicines for patients with serious illnesses.

Amgen is committed to unlocking the potential of biology for patients suffering from serious illnesses by discovering, developing, manufacturing and delivering innovative human therapeutics. This approach begins by using tools like advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and understand the fundamentals of human biology.

Our belief—and the core of our strategy—is that innovative, highly differentiated medicines that provide large clinical benefits in addressing serious diseases are medicines that will not only help patients, but also will help reduce the social and economic burden of disease in society today.

Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages its expertise to strive for solutions that improve health outcomes and dramatically improve people's lives. A biotechnology innovator since 1980, Amgen has grown to be one of the world's leading independent biotechnology companies, has reached millions of patients around the world and is developing a pipeline of medicines with breakaway potential.

Non-Healthcare Donations and Sponsorships

Amgen Charitable Donations and Sponsorships are focused on humanitarian, social, education and community programs.

Investing in nonprofits that are advancing a new, transformative system of justice with the core values of racial equity, economic well-being, and fundamental fairness for all.

Grants Overview

Public Welfare Foundation awards grants to nonprofits that honor the Foundation’s core values of racial equity, economic well-being, and fundamental fairness for all. The Foundation looks for strategic points where its funds can make a significant difference and improve lives through policy and system reform that results in transformative change.

Our Work

Public Welfare Foundation aims to catalyze a transformative approach to justice that is community-led, restorative, and racially just.

• Adult Criminal Justice
• Youth Justice
• Legacy Initiatives
• Jurisdictions

Working in Communities, With Communities

Public Welfare Foundation believes that the best ideas bubble up from communities so we work to engage deeply in and with the communities we fund.

We work with communities to drive transformation from multiple angles including policy advocacy, organizing, leadership development, and demonstration projects. Public Welfare Foundation is committed to funding innovative solutions and investing in the leadership of those most proximate to the issues facing this nation.

Focusing our efforts on criminal justice and youth justice reforms allows us to achieve greater impact in the overhaul of the systems that were created to marginalize and contain our nation’s most vulnerable populations.

Grants Process

The Public Welfare Foundation has a two-step application process that includes both a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) and a full proposal. We invite full proposals after reviewing letters of inquiry. We only consider full proposals we have invited that fit within the program guidelines and available resources.

Current focus areas include:

• Organizations and projects with a focus on structural and systemic changes in the U.S. criminal justice system.
  • The Foundation does not typically fund direct service work (ex. individual support services, case management).
  • However, the Foundation will consider initiatives that aim to further a demonstration project to make the case for non-carceral alternatives and transformative approaches to justice reform.
• Organizations, projects, or special initiatives with a focus on reducing harm and violence using community-centered interventions.
• Reframing the narrative and fostering greater transparency and urgency around the U.S. criminal justice system through storytelling, journalism and other targeted efforts.

Grant Types: How We Fund the Work

General Support Grants

• General support grants are for day-to-day operating costs or to further the work of your organization. These grants are not earmarked for a particular program or project.

Program or Project Support Grants

• Program or project support grants support a specific program or activity of the organization. These are restricted grants and must be used for that program or project.

Special Opportunities Grants

• The Special Opportunities Program supports projects reflecting the Foundation’s mission and underlying values. These are one-time only grants that are especially timely and compelling. At times, this kind of grant serves as a laboratory for new ideas.

Global grants

Global grants support large international activities with sustainable, measurable outcomes in Rotary’s areas of focus. By working together to respond to real community needs, clubs, and districts strengthen their global partnerships.

Read A Guide to Global Grants below for detailed information on planning your project, applying for a grant to fund it, carrying it out, and reporting on your progress and outcome.

What global grants support

Global grants can fund:

• Humanitarian projects
• Scholarships for graduate-level academic studies
• Vocational training teams, which are groups of professionals who travel abroad either to teach local professionals about their field or to learn more about it themselves

Areas of Focus

• Promoting peace
  • Rotary encourages conversations to foster understanding within and across cultures. We train adults and young leaders to prevent and mediate conflict and help refugees who have fled dangerous areas. Learn more >
• Fighting disease
  • We educate and equip communities to stop the spread of life-threatening diseases like polio, HIV/AIDS, and malaria. We improve and expand access to low-cost and free health care in developing areas. Learn more >
• Providing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene
  • We support local solutions to bring clean water, sanitation, and hygiene to more people every day. We don’t just build wells and walk away. We share our expertise with community leaders and educators to make sure our projects succeed long-term. Learn more >
• Saving mothers and children
  • Nearly 6 million children under the age of five die each year because of malnutrition, poor health care, and inadequate sanitation. We expand access to quality care, so mothers and their children can live and grow stronger. Learn more >
• Supporting education
  • More than 775 million people over the age of 15 are illiterate. Our goal is to strengthen the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education, and increase adult literacy. Learn more >
• Growing local economies
  • We carry out service projects that enhance economic and community development and create opportunities for decent and productive work for young and old. We also strengthen local entrepreneurs and community leaders, particularly women, in impoverished communities. Learn more >
• Protecting the environment
  • Rotary members are tackling environmental issues the way they always do: coming up with projects, using their connections to change policy, and planning for the future. Learn more >

How they’re funded

Global grants have a minimum budget of $30,000 and a maximum World Fund award of $400,000. Grant sponsors can use a combination of District Designated Funds (DDF), cash, and/or directed gift and endowed fund program award spendable amounts to fund a global grant. The Foundation will provide an 80 percent World Fund match for all DDF contributions. There is no minimum World Fund match.

The Russell Foundation

The Russell Foundation supports programs for children and youth that promote their development into confident, competent, and caring adults who will make positive contributions to society.

Our Purpose

To make a positive difference in the lives of children, youth and young adults (thru age 23) so that they can achieve their highest potential.

Our Business

Supporting qualified charitable organizations, projects and research that seek solutions to detrimental issues – individual and systemic – which achieve enduring positive effects on the physical, intellectual and emotional development of children and youth of all ages and socio-economic status.

Our Values

Self-Image, Self-Respect, Personal Responsibility, Confidence, Education, Competence, Healthy Lifestyle, Caring and Respect for Others.

Focus Areas

Award grants focus on six areas supporting children and youth. The distribution of grants awarded each year reflects the Foundation’s current emphasis toward each area. The Foundation’s future emphasis may change, but it will consider grant applications addressing any of these focus areas.

• Education: Advancing the learning skills and academic achievements of children from kindergarten to high school using tutoring, mentoring, and talent-coaching that supplement and complement formal educational systems.
• Development: Building the long-term life skills, awareness, and ambition to have the confidence and motivation necessary to pursue goals for the betterment of themselves and society. 
• Intervention: Providing the short-term framework and resources needed to protect children facing immediate difficulties in their living environments that undermine their long-term development.
• Character: Instilling morals and principles that foster ethical behavior, self-responsibility, respect for others, stewardship of the environment, and caring for those in need.
• Health: Fostering and maintaining the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of children that is essential for positive development.
• Medical: Providing services, resources, and other support for specific treatment / correction of birth defects, disease, and physical injury.

Philanthropy

In 1906, when Leo Samuel founded the company that would become The Standard, he had two radical — at least for the time — ideas for business: it should provide local services for customers and it should contribute to the well-being of the community. Our company has grown considerably since those early days — we have customers and offices around the country. Our dual focus on exceptional customer service and supporting the places we live and work continues to guide The Standard today

Corporate Giving

At The Standard, our business purpose is to help people achieve financial well-being and peace of mind. This focus means that our company exists to help people. Our more than 3,000 employees are a huge part of that culture of caring. Not surprisingly, our corporate giving reflects that culture of caring. We work with employees to find ways to make a difference and support our communities through corporate giving and grants. The philosophy behind our charitable giving is shaped by the same attributes that help make us a leading provider of financial services: integrity, commitment and doing things differently. Through our corporate giving program, we support organizations that align with our four focus areas: Healthy Communities, Disability and Empowerment, Cultural Development, and Education and Advancement.

The Standard Charitable Foundation

In 2006 we celebrated our 100th anniversary, and to mark the occasion — and properly honor our rich legacy of philanthropy — we launched The Standard Charitable Foundation.

The mission of The Standard Charitable Foundation is to make a positive difference in the communities we serve by supporting community development, education and disability organizations. While the foundation has a broad goal of making a positive difference in our communities, we place special emphasis on helping individuals and families who have experienced a major disability or the loss of a loved one.

Organizations We Support

Healthy Communities

Strong, vibrant communities are a critical source of security for all residents. We fund organizations that provide support, training and rehabilitation to individuals and families facing significant challenges. We also fund programs that help individuals and families develop capabilities to increase self-sufficiency.

Disability and Empowerment

Our business is about helping people overcome hardships and empowering success. We support organizations that help people with disabilities thrive independently and overcome barriers to social and economic success. We also support programs that provide relief during transitions to independent living.

Cultural Development

Arts and cultural organizations play a major role in vibrant communities. We support organizations that offer multicultural art programs and provide enhanced access for the under-served. Specifically, we encourage programs that build audiences and promote the arts through education, interactive media and artistic excellence.

Education and Advancement

The future health and well-being of our communities is in the hands of children, who are the workers, innovators, leaders and artists of the future. We fund organizations that foster strategic learning initiatives to better prepare children for success. We emphasize programs that strengthen the quality of education, early childhood education and workforce development.

Funding Guidelines for The Standard's Corporate Giving Program

Types of Support

• General operating support
• Program support
• Capital support
• Event sponsorship
• Exhibitions
• Performance/Productions

Range of Support: $500 to $25,000. The average gift is $3,000.

Focus Areas 

• Healthy Communities
• Disability and Empowerment
• Cultural Development
• Education and Advancement

Funding Guidelines for The Standard Charitable Foundation

Types of Support 

• General operating support
• Program support
• Capital support

Range of Support: $500 to $25,000. The average gift is $10,000.

Focus Areas

• Healthy Communities
• Disability and Empowerment
• Education and Advancement

Mission

To give back by improving the larger world around us and the lives of others where our gifts can yield meaningful tangible impact for a better world.

Zegar Family Foundation Grant

Established in 2007, the Zegar Family Foundation donates to worthy charitable organizations within the scope of our Mission, our Key Focus and/or Other Principal Areas of Giving in the priority order as follows.

Key Focus Areas

• Environment and Sustainability – Addressing the climate change crisis to preserve and conserve our natural biodiverse resources and sustain our world environment.
• Justice and Human Rights – Assisting in seeking justice and protection of rights for people to whom rights are denied, including pursuing racial equality, criminal and legal systems reforms, immigration, LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights through litigation, activism and advocacy for change.

Other Principal Areas of Giving

• Science and Medicine – Advancing scientific and medical knowledge through innovative research, especially basic research, often neglected by governmental and other funding.
• Human Services and Economic Opportunity – Helping disadvantage people help themselves through opportunities for economic growth and/or personal development.
• Arts, Culture, and Heritage – Contributing to societal enrichment through the arts, historical education, preservation of our national and global heritage and other cultural programs.
• Education – Supporting educational institutions, primarily in the higher educational area and providing college access and success for the less advantaged students who desire to attend them.
• Nutrition and Health – Empowering people in underserved communities to improve nutrition and health through education programs encouraging healthier food choices, increased access to fresh foods and increasing options for achieving better health through enhanced medical assistance along with other programs bolstering health in these communities.
• International – Supporting economic relief and development, medical assistance, and human rights for people in need and other compelling causes throughout the world.
• Community Improvement and Development – Supporting projects benefiting and improving life for the communities around us, such as for parks, recreation, libraries and other spaces for community enhancements as well as for public safety.

Our roots run deep.

The Ash Grove Charitable Foundation makes grants annually to support the work of public charities with tax exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code in the geographical markets that we serve.

As one of the largest cement companies in the United States and one of the oldest still in operation, Ash Grove plays an important part in the foundation and infrastructure of our country. And with plants from coast to coast, being a good neighbor in the communities in which we live and serve is a priority and part of our DNA.

Ash Grove territory is a lot of ground to cover. We believe in active participation to improve the existing and future quality of life in the communities we serve. This participation includes financial support to charitable activities. We aren’t just focused on building highways and buildings – we are also helping to build better communities.

Ash Grove is one of the largest cement companies in the United States and one of the oldest still in operation. Ash Grove plays a part in the foundation and infrastructure of our country. With plants from coast to coast, being a good neighbor in the communities we live and serve is a priority and part of our DNA.

The Ash Grove Charitable Foundation mission is to support communities today without compromising future needs, where nature is respected, minds challenged, opportunities created, and neighbors gather in the community. We stand together to build better communities. Communities that thrive today and for future generations.

Funding Priorities

The Foundation awards grants to charitable, educational, and scientific organizations, which are public charities.

The Foundation gives primary consideration to capital building and renovation projects for the following funding priorities:

• Nature – Protect or Preserve.
• Education – STEM
• Economic – Trade Skills
• Civic – Gather in Community
• Human Services – Shelter

Funding

The Foundation’s goal is to provide significant support to public charities for capital building and renovation projects. Grants for these projects generally are limited to $25,000. Consideration is also given to program grant requests. Grants for these projects are generally limited to $5,000.

Roy A. Hunt Foundation

In the early 1900s, Roy A. Hunt worked his way up from mill clerk to president of Alcoa, the company his father helped found. After establishing The Hunt Foundation in 1951, he established the Roy A. Hunt Foundation in 1966 as an endowed resource so that future generations could be involved in charitable giving as a family. (The foundations merged in 1994).

Two generations of Hunt family members now serve as Trustees, annually granting approximately $3.4 million in the United States and abroad.

Since inception, our mission has been to support organizations that strive to improve the quality of life through proposals invited by the trustees and through the Foundation’s four main special initiatives. The Roy A. Hunt Foundation values the quality work of its partner organizations, strives to make an impact in many facets of the community – from building stronger networks for healthy, thriving neighborhoods to working toward a greener, cleaner environment – and believes in the importance of strong leadership, community-driven partnerships, and innovative ideas.

Environment

Vision: Living in Harmony

We envision a natural environment that is understood and respected as a web of interconnections of which human beings are a part, where people live in harmony within the Earth’s ecological systems, where biodiversity is preserved as an integral component of economic and technological progress, and where human impact on Earth serves to maintain sustainable processes.

Mission

To protect natural resources and ecosystems in the United States, we support sustainable solutions to altering root causes of environmental damage and encourage education for consumers and decision makers.

Objective

To promote strategic activities that create incentives for environmentally responsible decisions in the private sector.

Priorities

Climate and Energy – To reduce the consequences of climate change in the United States, primarily through:

• Increasing the affordability and use of cleaner and renewable energy sources, and
• Reducing demand for carbon-intensive energy sources and carbon-intensive goods and services

Toxics and Waste – To reduce damage to the environment and human health caused by the manufacture, use, and disposal of consumer and industrial products. Typical strategies include green chemistry, sustainable design, sustainable manufacturing, and product stewardship.

Clean Water – To protect and restore the quality of freshwater, coastal, and nearby oceanic areas of the United States.

Types of Foundation Support

The Environment Committee will consider grant requests of between $25,000 and $75,000 for specific projects or programs that improve the environment at a multi-state, national, and/or systems level. Typical costs funded include project management, contracted services, education and outreach programs, applied research, and innovations that could lead to public policy solutions.

About The Memorial Trust

In 1975, two years after his death, The John Ben Snow Memorial Trust was established in New York. The four original trustees were a member of the Snow family, a lawyer, a publishing associate and a corporate trustee, the Irving Trust Company, now BNY Mellow N.A.. The current Trustees continue this legacy being well aware of the donor and his beliefs, values and ideals. The John Ben Snow Memorial Trust strategically focuses funding within specific geographic regions of the United States across a range of program areas. They meet once a year, usually in June.

The John Ben Snow Memorial Trust

The Memorial Trust strategically focuses funding within specific geographic regions of the United States across a range of program areas (prioritized below and visually depicted here) while responding to the ever-changing needs of various segments of the population, especially to the needs of youth and people who are disadvantaged economically, emotionally, or physically.

Dating back to the inception of the Trust in 1973, the primary and overarching grant making priority has been and continues to be programs that focus on education.

• Education: Targets funds to organizations that provide educational opportunities or academic assistance to individuals who demonstrate an intellectual aptitude and a financial need. Examples include scholarships, fellowships, academic tutoring or counseling, literacy, and journalism.

Secondarily, the Trust considers proposals within the areas of Arts and Culture, Community Initiatives, and Youth Programs. The Board’s objective is to extend the primary educational focus by providing funding support within these additional program areas.

• Community Initiatives: Provides funding for programs or services that directly improve the quality of life within the geographic focus areas that we serve. Examples include support for libraries, food pantries and shelters, and neighborhood revitalization. Generally, the Trust does not seek proposals for health care initiatives or animal welfare programs.
• Arts and Culture: Offers grants that promote arts education and appreciation, particularly for young adults, via the development of educational curriculum and professional instruction including visiting artists and performance support for targeted populations.
• Youth Initiatives: Offers grants that provide character education or enrichment opportunities via mentoring or after-school programming

As a third priority, the Trust does consider proposals in the areas of Disabilities and Universal Access, Environmental, and Historic Preservation. As these are not core focus areas, funding is often limited. Priority will be given to proposals with an educational focus.

• Disabilities and Universal Access: Offers grants to organizations in complying with ADA requirements within their facilities (e.g. elevator, handrails, automatic doors, and ramps) or offering services targeted for individuals with physical, mental, or emotional disabilities.
• Environmental: Provides funds for organizations that strive to protect strategic parcels of land and bodies of water as well as programs that educate the general public on key environmental issues such as conservation and water management.
• Historic Preservation: Provides funding for organizations that preserve historical artifacts (e.g. sites, structures, objects) and accounts (e.g. events), and educate the greater community on their significance. Examples include museums, historical societies and educational programming.

Our Purpose

To Boldly Grow the Good in business and life drives our commitment to make a positive societal impact in everything we do.

Strong communities and the organizations supporting them are essential for building a thriving economy, ensuring a sustainable future, and fostering an inclusive society.

Whether we’re giving to community organizations across North America, investing in partnerships to address societal needs, or supporting the giving and volunteer activities of our 55,000 employees, we pride ourselves on our 200-year-plus legacy of growing the good in the communities we serve.

Our Giving Priorities

BMO’s employee and community giving aims to support programs and initiatives in the following areas:

• Community and economic resilience:
  • including support for financial literacy, skills development, social services, education,  health equity and accessible arts and cultural programming.
• Environmental resilience: 
  • including conservation efforts, alternative energy projects in low income neighbourhoods, public awareness and education campaigns and innovative new research efforts.

What is Zendesk Tech for Good?

At Zendesk, we believe that technology can change lives — especially for our most vulnerable populations. That’s why the Zendesk Tech for Good program partners with over 110 nonprofits across the globe to give them free Zendesk software, grants, and pro bono support, empowering more organizations to leverage technology and serve more people. 

Tech for Good has two main goals: 

• Provide nonprofits with Zendesk software and grants to help them serve more people and create more impact among vulnerable populations;
• Partner with nonprofits that provide workforce development training for careers in customer experience (CX) to historically marginalized and underrepresented groups

We’re looking for organizations or projects that seek to make a tangible difference in one of the Zendesk Foundation’s impact areas:

• Foster community - enable connections that offer support and allow people to thrive;
• Promote resilience in a time of crisis - safeguard against disaster and reduce human suffering;
• Create career pathways into tech - close the economic opportunity gap and reduce unemployment.

The Zendesk Impact Awards are open to nonprofit organizations that would like to use Zendesk software to directly serve beneficiary communities. 

Applicants may also provide workforce development programming and display an interest in Zendesk’s Career Pathways Program. Applicants are invited to describe how their organization or project fits into these areas within the application. 

Organizations should display some ability to adopt new technology in order to receive Zendesk software, meaning your organization previously has or is currently willing to invest in technology platform solutions to improve services to beneficiary communities. Most organizations will need to be prepared to self-install and configure their free software using our online help which typically requires a dedicated IT staff member. 

Please refer to how applications will be evaluated here.